K-Pax

I’ve often wondered how humanity would react if it actually had made contact with something it’s dreamed of making contact with. If we actually met an alien from another planet, thousands of light-years away, who happened to resemble a human, what would it take for us to believe it? How many powerful beings, either from another planet or godlike in nature, would we assume to be crazy? That’s the basis of K-PAX, starring Kevin Spacey as “Prot,” who may or may not be, as he claims, a visitor from beyond the stars, of a more advanced, evolved planet whose culture is vastly different from our own.

Prot touches down on our planet Earth at a train station. A woman is robbed by some teenage delinquents, and when the cops ask him what he saw, his answers lead them to believe he’s mentally ill. He’s checked into a mental health facility to be looked after by Dr. Powell (Jeff Bridges), who doesn’t know what to make of the patient. He initially meets the story Prot tells with skepticism, but then, as the days go by, he’s not sure what to think. This man has a genius-level understanding of celestial mathematics. Could he be the real deal, or is he just a man who had a psychological break after suffering severe trauma?

Dr. Powell becomes obsessed with figuring out the truth behind his new patient, which takes him through brilliant discussions about interstellar travel and heartbreaking, all-too-human stories of murder and suicide. Prot makes a very strong case for himself as an alien visitor, but there’s just as strong a case that says he’s someone who saw something so horrible that he slipped into a world of fantasy, to divorce himself from the planet and the human species.

In the years since its release, K-PAX has become something of a punchline, an example of a cloying, manipulative movie that adheres to a strict, inorganic formula. Do I think it’s that bad? No, not even nearly. I think it’s a fine piece of escapism that holds a mirror up to humanity and exposes it in often humorous ways. It can laugh at the absurdity of our nature and our rituals, while weeping for some of the horrifying aspects that have become a part of our daily lives.

That’s not to say that there aren’t issues with K-PAX. There are. Namely, I think that Kevin Spacey is miscast as Prot. Too often, he plays the character with a smug pompousness. And, sure, maybe a highly evolved being held captive in a mental health facility, from which he can easily escape, could have a smug air about themselves. But I feel that a being who’s genuinely curious about us (or, at the very least, is a human who believes that’s what he is) would have grown beyond a simple emotion like arrogance. After all, he learns from us, and we from him, and shouldn’t his faster-than-light-speed journey have prepared him for the possibility of a healthy cultural exchange? Too often, the inhabitants of the hospital, the other patients that Prot helps and befriends, feel like they belong in a sitcom inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
K-PAX visits the planet of physical media, on Blu-ray, in a single-disc release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The disc is housed in a standard case, with a removable slipcover, both containing original poster artwork dating back to the film’s theatrical release.

I'm unsure what restoration process, if any, was used in bringing K-PAX to Blu-ray. Kino Lorber's website says it's a brand-new HD master, sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, but below that are a bunch of special features that do not belong to this movie. So, overall, the results are, mostly, just fine. Its focus is softer, an intentional creative decision, one that mimics the comforting pastels of the mental hospital, which also extends to the costuming outside of that setting. The cinematography and the set design are very intentional and create a unique, uniform look that forms a specific color palette across the entire presentation. K-PAX looks its best in one-on-one sessions between Spacey and Bridges, using a lighting setup that’s kinder to Prot’s alien eyes, looking like a setting sun. Details are sharp and brilliantly realized. Other sequences, like nighttime, lowlight sequences, veer toward the overly-grainy side with pulsating lens noise in the blacks and the shadows.

As per its usual offering, Kino Lorber has given viewers two audio options, both encoded in DTS-HD MA: A 5.1 surround mix and a 2.0 stereo mix. The stereo option is great for viewers, either using their TV’s speakers or a two-channel soundbar. The 5.1 option, for folks with the proper setup, is going to be the preferred mix of the two. Rear speaker activity isn’t non-stop, but the effects that do make their way to the back of the soundstage give a great sense of immersion, brilliantly integrated. One scene, with a low-flying plane as part of the atmospheric soundscape, sounded so realistic that I rewound the scene to make sure it was in the movie, and not a real plane flying over my house. Most of the surround activity is relegated to Edward Shearmur’s softly electronic, dancey musical score.

No new features have been recorded for this release, so everything we're getting is going to be an archival supplement from previous releases on DVD. They're quite robust, though, including a featurette looking at the film's production as photographed by Jeff Bridges--who also brilliantly photographed the production of The Big Lebowski. 

• Audio Commentary - Director Ian Softley
• The Making of K-Pax (SD 11:41) - Featurette
• The Making of K-Pax Through Photographs (SD 1:44) - Looking at the production photos by Jeff Bridges
• Alternate Ending (SD 4:31)
• Storyboard Comparisons (SD 1:33)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 7:52)
• Trailers

K-PAX is a decent entry into a specific genre of comforting, formulaic movies that touch upon some heavy subjects, without being bogged down by them. It ponders the human condition with humor and grace, and manages to look at the ugly side of our species in a way that doesn’t leer at the horror. At two hours, it’s too long by about thirty minutes, and it does drag in places, particularly in how it portrays the cartoon-like patients at the mental health hospital. Kino Lorber’s release is supplemented by some great new features, a decent video presentation, and a great surround sound mix. K-Pax is Worth a Look.