"Planet Ka-Pak" is a motion picture whose creators offer the viewer to look at the familiar world around them through the eyes of an alien guest. The acting data of Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges masterfully instill elements of psychological disorders and criminal secrets into the cosmic atmosphere. Reviews of the film "Planet Ka-Pax", the composition of the crew and a brief information about the plot of the tape - in the article below.
general information
The film "Planet Ka-Pak" was released in wide distribution in 2001. The premiere of the psychological drama of American production took place at a closed screening at the London Film Festival. Russian viewers were given the opportunity to evaluate the tape on January 3, 2002.
The director’s chair in the creation of the film was taken by the talented Briton Iain Softley, known for his work on such projects as “Fifth in a Quartet”, “Ink Heart”, “Dove Wings”.
Hussein Amini got the work on the scenario component, to which help the author of the original story Gene Brewer, who wrote a series of works about the star wanderer Prot and his homeland Ka-Pak, came to the rescue.
Plot
One sunny day a man appeared at the station, who appeared as if from the air. When asked where he came from, he replied that his homeland is the planet Ka-Pak.
A man named Prot is being taken to a psychiatric hospital. Having spent a large amount of time, specialists cannot make an accurate diagnosis. The space guest finds understanding with the psychiatrist Mark Powell, a doctor who treats his work as a routine, so he studies the case of Proth with a milder approach, which was based on a kind of indifference.
Over time, interest in the patient arises in Powell. Prot does not behave like a mentally ill person, on the contrary, he logically and soberly perceives the surrounding circumstances, benevolently and calmly allows doctors to carry out their work and helps to find a path of recovery for other patients, and also demonstrates amazing knowledge in astronomy.
What prevents Mark from recognizing Proth as healthy is the fact that the latter continues to consider himself a guest on Earth, claiming that his house is on Ka-Pak. He provides convincing arguments and reinforces them with scientific facts. Due to the absence of symptoms, Mark begins to doubt his medical strength and also suspect that his patient is indeed a capexian. Communication with an alien guest captures the doctor, he notices attachment to unusual conversations.
To try to uncover the secret of Prot, the psychiatrist resorts to hypnosis and learns about some of the memories from the life of a man named Robert Porter. The man was the patient's earthly friend, as well as a citizen with a very tragic fate. After the suicide of Porter, the body was never found, which makes Mark think that Prot is the same Robert.
Cast
The main role of an alien from Ka-Pak went to the popular Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, known for his work in such cult projects as American Beauty, Suspicious Faces, Seven.
Psychiatry doctors Mark Powell was played by Jeff Bridges, whose acting talent can be assessed in such films as "The Land of the Tides", "Ghost Patrol", "American Heart". Expressions of sympathy in the reviews of “Planet Ka-Pak” deserved and actress Alfrey Woodard, who played in “12 Years of Slavery”, “Fish of Passion”, “Return to Origins”.
Original story
American writer Gene Brewer wrote the debut work of K-PAX in 1995. The science fiction novel became the basis for the creation of the eponymous series, which includes four more books. The well-known psychiatrist Allan Beveridge spoke of the work of the writer as a useful and relevant work, which once again teaches practitioners in the field of mental disorders the correct search for successful solutions to moral and emotional difficulties.
The creators of the film adaptation decided not to literally repeat all the details of the literary source. So, for example, the following differences make up the list of differences:
- In the film version of the psychiatrist, the name is Mark Powell, while in the original source he bears the name of the author of the works Gene Brewer.
- In the book, the story unfolds in 1990, and in the film in 2001.
- The plot of the literary source includes a young journalist who helps the doctor conduct an investigation into the life of Robert Porter. The film version excluded this character.
- In the book, Porter learns the story of Porter only after the departure of Prot. In the film, he manages to do this earlier.
- The author of the book did not add a storyline to the story about the doctor’s conflicting relationship with his children.
- In a literary publication, Prot communicated with astronomers through a doctor, and not at a meeting, as shown in the film.
Interesting Facts
These include:
- Planet Ka-Pax earned especially enthusiastic audience reviews due to the skill and professionalism of the entire crew. The focus of critics, first of all, was the unsurpassed acting talent of Kevin Spacey. So, for example, the legendary scene with a space guest eating a whole banana was shot 27 times. The cult moment of the film is presented below.
- Many noted the similarity of Prot's sunglasses to those worn by the lead singer of U2 Bono. In fact, the accessory was borrowed from the musician.
- Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey was originally supposed to play the role of Dr. Powell. Will Smith was offered to transform into the image of the star wanderer Proth, but he refused.
- The scene of the picture, according to the script, is New York. An interesting fact is that from the office of Dr. Powell, the facade of the Westin Bonaventure hotel, which is located in Los Angeles, flaunts.
- In the scene where the photo of Robert Porter is shown, a real photograph of Kevin Spacey from the Chatsworth school yearbook was used.
- Many moviegoers spoke about the similarity of some scenes with the story "Walk" by Robert Sheckley, in which the doctor convinced the disguised alien that he was the man.
- After the end credits show, there is a scene in which Dr. Powell admires the stars through a telescope on the lawn at his home and smiles mysteriously.
Meaning
Understanding the inherent meaning of Ka-Pax Planet is easy. It is enough to make out two intertwining storylines and choose the one that you just like more. The most real life story says that a certain Robert Porter, having experienced the loss of his family, thereby receiving deep psychological trauma, subconsciously not only corrected his personality, but completely replaced it. Resetting his memory, Robert, in the image of an alien guest, talks about the fact that at Ka-Pak there are no such things as family and murder. Psychologically, this is explained as a protective subconscious mechanism of a person who killed the whole family.
Using some passages from Robert’s past, Prot tells of his intention to fly back to Ka-Pak on July 27th. It was on this day that five years ago that fatal incident happened. A guest from outer space promises to take one with him to show all the charms of his homeland.
The essence of Planet Ka-Pak is complemented by a second plot line. Its basis is that Prot is truly an alien who has infused the body of a lost Robert in order to save his life. The version is confirmed by the fact that the chosen patient still disappears with Prot, and after the credits the psychiatrist smiles, looking at the stars. One way or another, the end of the film is open, which gives scope to the imagination of any connoisseur of cinema.
Criticism
Reviews about the Planet Ka-Pax are very mixed. The influential and prestigious portal Rotten Tomatoes has a rating of 41 percent based on 139 reviews. On the same site, the picture has an average generally accepted consensus that the tape cannot be compared to a similar thematic film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and is just a stage for demonstrating the acting data of the performers of the two main roles.
Commentator Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, in a review, expressed admiration for the ability of the painting to tease with such resistance the delusional and unlikely facts. Criticism about the Planet Ka-Pax was supplemented by the authoritative New York Times, calling the picture a hard exercise in pseudo-spiritual elevation, where romance and mental disorder intersect. Reviewer Robert Köhler wrote that the film emits a lot of light, but it does not generate much heat.
Viewers reviews
Reviews and reviews about the "Planet Ka-Pax" continue to leave ordinary film enthusiasts. On the Russian popular portal Kinopoisk, the rating of the tape is set at 8.0 out of 10, which was compiled thanks to 93 percent of positive reviews based on 173 reviews. Planet Ka-Pak is a mystery film for many, where the most interesting thing is to find your own answer. Most people notice a pleasant precipitate left after watching, hiding the childishly pure hope for the least real version of the film and the cosmic origin of the character Kevin Spacey.
The greatness of the actor himself is not disputed even in negative reviews, which gives objective confidence for viewing this picture. Negative reviews indicate an insufficient characterization of the characters, the banality of the plot, as well as the lack of answers. One way or another, many moviegoers saw in this film not just a drama with elements of fiction, but a whole philosophical parable that encourages not only to evaluate the work of actors and the film crew, but also just to think about the intricacies of real life.
Accusation
The creators and the author of the literary source received the most high-profile negative criticism of “Ka-Pak Planet” in the form of an official lawsuit claiming plagiarism for the Argentinean film “A Man Looking at the South-East”. Soon the lawsuit was withdrawn, and the writer Gene Brewer began work on his autobiography, in which he published previously unknown passages of the book and facts about the creation of the work.
Box office
The feature film has earned not only a large variety of reviews, but the Planet Ka-Paks has raised just over $ 65 million during worldwide distribution, of which nearly 80 percent came from the United States. Russian viewers brought the tape income of $ 220 thousand.