MovieChat Forums > K-PAX (2001) Discussion > The movie strongly suggests that Kevin S...

The movie strongly suggests that Kevin Spacey's ...(Spoiler)

posted 15 years ago by multiple_personality
51 replies | jump to latest

...character is all human.
I watched the movie three times. I'm convinced the movie is all about being Prot a variation in the mind of Robert Porter who survived his attempt to suicide and couldn't get over what he had found in his house. Without this second personality he couldn't connect to the real world anymore. When he decided to let his Prot personality have an end after 5 years he cut his connection to the world.
There are hints in the movie that (mis)lead us to the conclusion he is an alien. But at the movie's end it's obvious these were red herrings.
I haven't read the book. I'm talking about the movie. Some kids like the idea of Prot being an alien. But that would make this movie very bad for me. I like the scene with Jeff Bridges in that house. It's the conclusion of the story. Robert Porter had gone through hell. He IS an alien of a certain kind from that moment on. But he is definetly not from a far planet. He has a split personality. That's what the movie is about.

[–] ericdsr 15 years ago

Might buy that if it weren't for a few glaring facts that cause this 51 year old kid to take the alien view:

* Unresponsive to 300 mg Thorazine

* Detects light up to 400 angstroms...ultraviolet, not a human ability

* Accurately described orbital dynamics of a binary star system before theories were published

* Bess disappeared at the same time as Prot's consciousness left Robert Porter's body (not conclusive but indicative of author's intent).

My take is that Prot is an alien capable of travel out-of-body who made a friend, Robert Porter, on earth as a teen. Robert and Prot's psychic link let Prot know of his friend's distress. Prot promptly caught the next light beam to Earth to help his friend...

[–] Mad_Monkey 15 years ago

I tend to believe that he was an alien too.

How else could he have beamed back and forth so fast in front of all those men?

Seriously though, ericdsr is right, how else could you explian his abilities?

[–] mtm_29 15 years ago

*I thought it was pretty clear Prot was Porter's split personality. Through hypno therapy it was revealed that Porter's dad was killed in a slaughter house (reason he doesn't eat meat) and that is the first time Prot came out (from his mind, not K-PAX) to help him cope with it. Then his wife and daughter are murdered (reason there's no family on 'K-PAX')

His strength and resistance to drugs comes from the trama. His mind is already in an altered state, drugs may not have the standard result on his mind and body. Just look at someone who's on PCP how they can do crazy stuff like get shot, or a mom who can lift a car when her kid is trapped; Well he went through such a mind altering trama seeing his wife and daughter killed, snapping the guy's neck was nothing.

*Detecting the ultraviolet light, I'm not sure on this one but near the end Dr. Mark looks through Prot/Porter's glasses and sees a sort of rainbow tint. I don't know if special lenses can detect ultraviolet light but I thought that was how he did it.

*Knowing the star system- I don't know how difficult this would be to do, or how much knowledge would be needed but he did say his dad taught him about stars and consolations as a kid right before he died. Maybe Porter took that hobby up more as a memory of his dad and studied them a lot? I mean Porter did create Prot near the same time as that happened, maybe that's where the whole character came- think of it as an imaginary friend that he created from one of the places his dad taught him about, only Porter never realizes he's imaginary and uses him in his adult life to cope with the trama.

*And then Bess disapearing- Well Porter was able to disappear for 3 days, and assuming he really is not capable of light travel, he had to have known some way of knowing how to get out. So maybe he told Bess how to get out and where his home was so she could live there? Her note only said "I have no home".

^And everything else he did, he was trying to help those other people in the mental institute. He says "On K-PAX we have learned how to self heal" or something. So he gave the people tasks or told them stuff that would help them help themselves like he uses Prot to help himself, Porter.

That's my interpretation at least, buy maybe he is an alien you never know.
And there are other books in the series which I haven't read, but I've heard about where he has multiple personality disorder.

[–] done_holding_back 14 years ago

His strength and resistance to drugs comes from the trama. His mind is already in an altered state, drugs may not have the standard result on his mind and body. Just look at someone who's on PCP how they can do crazy stuff like get shot, or a mom who can lift a car when her kid is trapped; Well he went through such a mind altering trama seeing his wife and daughter killed, snapping the guy's neck was nothing.

You're confusing adrenaline rush, at the time, with being the Hulk. This isn't a reasonable explanation.

Detecting the ultraviolet light, I'm not sure on this one but near the end Dr. Mark looks through Prot/Porter's glasses and sees a sort of rainbow tint. I don't know if special lenses can detect ultraviolet light but I thought that was how he did it.

I missed that tint, but where would he have acquired these glasses?

Knowing the star system- I don't know how difficult this would be to do, or how much knowledge would be needed but he did say his dad taught him about stars and consolations as a kid right before he died. Maybe Porter took that hobby up more as a memory of his dad and studied them a lot? I mean Porter did create Prot near the same time as that happened, maybe that's where the whole character came- think of it as an imaginary friend that he created from one of the places his dad taught him about, only Porter never realizes he's imaginary and uses him in his adult life to cope with the trama.

That's a reasonable explanation, but I don't like it personally. I just assumed, based on the reactions of the other scientists, that the kind of data you would need to solve this problem could only be collected with expensive telescopes.

*And then Bess disapearing- Well Porter was able to disappear for 3 days, and assuming he really is not capable of light travel, he had to have known some way of knowing how to get out. So maybe he told Bess how to get out and where his home was so she could live there? Her note only said "I have no home".

You can't use "Porter can't light travel" as a reason not to believe that Porter can't light travel :P it's circular logic. We have no reason not to believe that Porter and Bess both disappeared the same way.

[–] Basiclife_0 14 years ago

You can't use "Porter can't light travel" as a reason not to believe that Porter can't light travel :P it's circular logic. We have no reason not to believe that Porter and Bess both disappeared the same way.

Very true but I believe the point mtm_29 was trying to make is: assuming he can't light travel, there must've been a way for him to stay hidden/escape for 3 days - Bess could simply be doing the same.

[–] done_holding_back 13 years ago

Understood. That makes sense, my bad.

[–] sonbuhitsunei 15 years ago

Exactly as ericdsr said, all other evidence points to the contrary of his being human, but rather suggests that these 'K-PAXians' do not physically travel from one planet to the next so much as they transport consciousness from one brain to the next, which plays quite well on his explanation as to Bridges' character's misinterpretation of Einstein's work- in not requiring the ability to physically transport matter from one planet to the next, they are not limited to the speed of light.

You would still have to explain away his apparent super human strength ('snapped a man's neck like a twig' and having to be held back by several grown people, one of which, I believe, commented on that as they were doing so), his ability to see UV light, his knowledge of orbital paths of planets in star systems he should have no knowledge of, resilience to drugs that would have any other person drooling in a corner, and the disappearance of the woman in the institution at the exact time he departed.

Robert Porter was who he was, and also who he was not. I think it is evident that they (the film makers) are implying that Prot had a connection to a human on Earth (Robert Porter), who he would 'visit' by transferring consciousness into his body, especially at times of distress. There is nothing to suggest anything to the contrary present in the film. Even during regression hypno-therapy, at an early age he (the human, Robert Porter, now taking consciousness due to the hypnosis)identifies himself both as a K-PAXian and, clearly, as a human, one viewing the other as a separate entity.

Now, you might theorize that this third person perception of an event that happened to the body that is Robert Porter would suggest that he is exhibiting multiple personality disorder, but you cannot discount the possibility that there was another consciousness transferred into his body to witness said events.

There is no other logical explanation as to why he would exhibit those aforementioned traits.
1. strength surpassing ordinary people, enough to snap a grown man's neck like a twig, a feat which, for someone of Kevin Spacey's size, would not be ordinary
2. Seeing UV light- simply not an ability we possess.
3. Knowledge of star and planetary systems and their orbital paths that he should have no knowledge of
4. Immunity to drugs that would knock a human off their feet

and most importantly

5. his falling into a comatose state at the EXACT moment he said he would- at the EXACT time that the patient he had chosen went missing- a comatose state is not something you can will yourself into, and not something you can fake. A simple scan can indicate whether or not your brain is functioning normally or not.

The two troubling things are that, while his consciousness may be transported to K-PAX, how is it that a patient simply vanishes at the exact moment, search as they may? Perhaps they possess both the ability to transfer matter and consciousness, with consciousness being the faster of the two methods.

That, and if it is indeed his consciousness that is transported, why the worry about 'bumping into each other' if not precisely scheduled?

My personal theory is that K-Paxians are beings devoid of physical bodies, but instead exist as energy based life forms. One wavelength 'bumping' or passing through the other could interfere or alter their makeup into an unrecognizable state. They may possess the ability to inhabit whatever form they find most 'energy efficient', considering the environment.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001357/board/thread/139791036?d=139791036&; amp;p=1#139791036

[–] arksun1 15 years ago

I think this film wonderfully mirrors what we all like to believe, which is not necessarily what we all actually believe. And that I think is at the heart of this movie.

Great to see it again on TV :)

[–] sue-680-926073 15 years ago

All of these ideas and theories are great and natural conclusions, however k-pax is based on the fist book of 3 by gene brewer, look them up, robert/prots story continues, robert comes out of his coma and remarries, but then other personalities come out, and the story leans to robert being a multiple personality sufferer, creating different personalities to help him deal with traumas, but the books include enough to make it still possible that whatever else, prot could be real. the author is a doctor and the story loosly based on a patient.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] JaTochNietDan 14 years ago

Excellent explanation, spot on and couldn't agree more. To me there is no ambiguity, it's quite simple that he was an alien. The argumental side of him being a human seems to require too many consequences for it to be logically possible.

The reason he didn't take the body with him is because he could only take one body with him and he had already agreed to take one other person from the institution with him, so he took them and their body, which explains her vanishing into thin air and why he himself didn't vanish into thin air, he merely transported his conciousness.

[–] lastflip 12 years ago

When does he snap somebody's neck?

[–] Dave1136 15 years ago

Ericdsr, I think your conclusions are SPOT ON! BTW- What do you think happened to the missing patient? Do you think she just escaped the hospital or did Prot send her to K-Pax? Also, If Prot is an alien, could you explain why he's incapacitated at the end of the film and still under the care of a doctor?

Good film but somewhat confusing?!?!

[–] deimos-13 15 years ago

I believe Prot was an alien entity inhabiting Robert's body, as Robert has either gone mad, or is catatonic due to the shock of losing his daughter/wife

Prot is using his body to experience earth and it's inhabitants, but is only there for a set period, kinda like a holiday

In the end he returns to Kpax via the beam of light we see fill Prot's room, perhaps taking Bess with him in the process.

In turn, he leaves Robert's body behind, perhaps beginning a healing process, so eventually he'll snap out of his coma like state.

Who knows.

[–] GIRobotII 12 years ago

Dave1136, that's because that was just the body of Robert Porter that prot was using, not prot's true form.

[–] joeman7979 15 years ago

I agree with ericdsr (I'm a 46 year old kid). Everything for me pointed to Prot actually being an alien from K-PAX, and that he is able to inhabit Robert Porter's body (or any other human body). Porter became catatonic after his tragic experience and attempted suicide. He reverted back to that state when Prot left for home. This also explains Prot's mannerisms as he inhabited Porter's catatonic body. His facial expressions were very numb most of the time, and it appeared that he really had to struggle to force out a smile or any other type of expression. Also, whenever he walked or ran, his arms kind of hung to the side. Typically brilliant acting by Spacey to be able to bring that across.

Apparently K-PAX inhabitants can travel the galaxy at will, and he made a connection with Earth some time ago via Robert Porter. He seems to have a great amount of sympathy for human tortured souls. I think he saw Bess as the most tortured of all the ones he met at the facility, and that's why he chose her. Obviously he is quite fascinated by humans in general, and he derives pleasure out of helping them, especially the ones he finds are in a similar situation to his friend, Robert Porter.

If Prot is just human, then none of the points you made could really logically be explained away. Not to mention his 3 day disappearance from the facility. The woman who runs the facility made the comment during the movie that "people don't escape", indicating to me that it's not a place that's easy to just walk out of. That would make Prot's 3 day disappearance to "take a trip up north", and Bess's sudden disappearance unlikely, especially with Bess being in the condition she was in. Her being able to just walk out at that exact moment seems pretty much unfathomable.

Prot also talked to the Porter's family dog, and revealed things he could not have possibly known otherwise. Even the little girl said "no way!".

Obviously he can travel as his pure self, or while inhabiting another's body. That explains why he could only take one person with him back to K-PAX.

The bonus scene we are treated to after the ending credits certainly strongly indicates that Mark was a believer that he had indeed had a genuine "close encounter".

I don't know how this film got past me, and I just caught it on Movieplex 9 years after the fact. I was riveted the entire time. I loved it.

9/10.

[–] mikeypie 15 years ago

joeman7979 "Obviously he can travel as his pure self, or while inhabiting another's body. That explains why he could only take one person with him back to K-PAX."

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head here. He travels to Greenland, etc. in the body of Robert, but he leaves for K-PAX in the body of Bess--he can only take one person, after all. Prot's done a good job of curing those he can, and he's leaving his friend to be cured by the doctor, who will treat the catatonic Robert well, as Prot knows from personal experience. He's also 'treating' the doctor by matching him with Robert, and he wants to keep these two paired up, which is why he submits to regression rather than be transferred out.

Still, if it weren't for the ambiguity, the story would lack its appeal.

[–] Gdub33 15 years ago

Yeah, I believe ericdsr is right, Kevin Spacey was an alien. Way too much evidence to believe otherwise, for me.

I believe when "they" take vacations and they make friends they create a sort of mental connection. If that person get's in trouble or is about to die their consciousness travels into that person who's about to die and sort of guide them to stay alive. He delivered Robert Porters body to a mental hospital, hence the quote when he say's something like "Now you've got Robert Porter, take good care of him". Then he took Bess back with him because she needed the most help, and never got better throughout the movie as the rest of the mental inmates did. I also believe that when he took the consciousness of Porter he acquired some of his emotions and memories. That's why he felt in danger with the sprinkler and was trying to warn the little girl because he associated it with death.

I think the point was to leave it open to interpretation, which is what makes it so great, but I do believe he was an alien that came back to save his friend and help others along the way.

[–] andyengland 15 years ago

"I also believe that when he took the consciousness of Porter he acquired some of his emotions and memories. That's why he felt in danger with the sprinkler and was trying to warn the little girl because he associated it with death."

This is the best example. If Prot was actually Porter he would have not feared the sprinklers. Clever film, I believe Prot was an alien inhabiting Porter.

[–] anuk78 14 years ago

I agree! I think he was an alien inhabiting Robert Porter's body. He came to help when Robert's family was murdered. This movie makes me cry!

"Out.For.A.Walk...Bitch."~Spike

[–] jgman2000 12 years ago

I can't remember for sure, but didn't the murders happen in 1995? They also mentioned shelters around the area. Perhaps Robert wandered around shocked until 2002 when Prot arrived.

[–] herjabram 14 years ago

I think there's one flaw in the alien theory;

if I'm not mistaken he told the psych it took him 7 earthly years to travel from K-pax to earth.

How come on july 27th he was on k-pax picking some flowers, when robert called him, so he went to him in a flash to try to help him.
Why didn't it take him 7 years then, but 1 second?

[–] paul-2219 14 years ago

I noticed that one too. He said the trip takes years of Earth time, but is instantaneous for himself. This would do no good to an Earth friend who he noticed was drowning at that second.

The movie obviously left it open to debate (kinda like the excellent The Prestige), but IMO the weight of evidence falls to him being human.

His strength was never superhuman. The sheriff said "snapped like a twig", but the flashback showed he struggled quite a bit before eventually killing the murderer. Also, even though the wrestler exclaims that he's surprisingly strong, they did quickly overpower him. And his unusual strength has an earthly explanation: he's a "knocker", he swings a mallet all day to knock out the cows.

The astronomer never says it's impossible to know about that planet, just very unlikely. And Porter's interest in astronomy was documented.

If I were the doctor, I'd have given him an IQ test, surely an advanced alien would ace it and pretty much prove himself. The only other scene where super-intelligence might be proven was a scene where he's playing chess. Only the filmmaker slyly leaves that open too, neither player touches a piece in the scene.

And the light-sensitivity. Humans do produce minor mutations all the time.

And if he was planning to just move his consciousness back home, why take notes that he would have to leave behind in his room?

But to me the deciding factor was the fear of sprinklers and the meat aversion. These were things from PORTER'S past. His father's death at the slaughterhouse and his own distasteful job, and the sprinkler-with-the-blood was still Porter, BEFORE Prot supposedly came to help him at the river.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

Life is one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead.

[–] Basiclife_0 14 years ago

Damn you. I came here convinced he was an alien and now I'm leaning the other way.

It really is very annoying when people put forward such logical arguments - especially since the enhanced eyesight and sensitivity to light are likely related and may be the result of a simple genetic anomaly.

The only sticking points for me now are his understanding the dog and knowing the orbital path - If you recall, the scientists didn't know the solution until he told them and therefore what they were about to publish was the problem (the unexpected readings).

If it was sufficiently difficult to observe the problem that it requires observatories and PHDs, it's unlikely an amateur, no matter how gifted would've both found the problem and solved it.

Presumably though, if he was simply human, he chose that part of the sky as his origin due to his discovery of the orbital path.

No doubt the actual answer from the film makers is "how should we know?" :)

[–] paul-2219 14 years ago

Well that's not entirely true. The astronomer said that it was "very unlikely" (or something like that) that an "amateur" would know the orbital path, but NOT impossible. Someone smart and a bookworm who was researching his imagined "home planet" could have studied up on it, and drew it pretty close. And if you remember, when they overlaid Prot's diagram with the computer projection, it was CLOSE, but not perfect.

I thought the movie was very well done when it came to the big question. Even "understanding the dog" was not proof by any means, it all came down to whether or not you believed him or whether he was just taking a guess.

But the deciding factor for me was the notes he was taking. An alien with his heightened intelligence would be unlikely to need the memory aid of a notebook, and there was NO reason to keep a paper record if he was planning to beam his consciousness home and leave the notes behind.

[–] Paladia 14 years ago

To be fair, while rare, some humans can see ultraviolet light. Painter Claude Monet is know for his ability to see it and you can even do a fairly simple surgery to be able to see it yourself. Read for example http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/04/04/8255929/index.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphakia

The eye itself is able to see ultraviolet light and the brain can process it properly, it is just that a normal human lens blocks it out. However, if you remove or replace the lens, you will be able to see ultraviolet light.

Currently making some money by following http://www.biggestbonus.org
€1350 thus far!

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] maxpogues 15 years ago

A movie suggests nothing of Kevin Spacey becouse it's a rip-off of old movie
"Hombre mirando al sudeste" (1986)

[–] sirius-sothic 15 years ago

Wow, you really took your time, man.

You went the whole 10+ pages to find K-PAX and spill that soothing truth upon us?

You, sir, are in need of a hobby.

[–] mloessel 15 years ago

Believe what you want. The movie does lead the viewer to that conclusion from the scence at the house. It is a fancifilled movie that will take the viewer wherever they want to go. It is well crafted and the acting is superb. Spacey gives the performance of his career. He is Prot and Porter. He is from the planet K-Pax and a man who has stepped away from reality. The viewer has to get passed the obvious to enjoy the beauty of this film.

[–] duffrageous 15 years ago

I agree with this post. There is evidence which supports both sides, which is far better than pigeon-holing the viewer into one conclusion at the end. The movie doesn't have any glaring plot holes, yet still manages to create both a supernatural and realistic storyline at the same time--a feat that should be commended as it seems so uncommon these days.

Can anyone recommend any movies with similar dual interpretations? I can think of Fight Club for one.

[–] kataze85 15 years ago

That's what is so genius about this movie. You're left to make up your own conclusions. Some will say he was a crazy man, some will say he was a clever but insane man, and others will say he really was as he said he was...

[–] WandererFromYs 15 years ago

His strength and resistance to drugs comes from the trama. His mind is already in an altered state, drugs may not have the standard result on his mind and body. Just look at someone who's on PCP how they can do crazy stuff like get shot, or a mom who can lift a car when her kid is trapped; Well he went through such a mind altering trama seeing his wife and daughter killed, snapping the guy's neck was nothing.

Prot didn't snap the guys neck, Robert Porter did that. Prot came after the fact, because he said Robert was getting ready to jump when he got there. Also there is nothing to suggest super human strength, I think you misinterpreted that part of the movie.

Drugs simply don't work that way, or they wouldn't be able to use them on the majority of mental patience. Notice how surprised they are by his resistance to drugs. I doubt it's the first time they encountered someone that has experienced mental trauma.

*Detecting the ultraviolet light, I'm not sure on this one but near the end Dr. Mark looks through Prot/Porter's glasses and sees a sort of rainbow tint. I don't know if special lenses can detect ultraviolet light but I thought that was how he did it.

Sunglasses don't help you detect UV rays, they block them out. If they amplified them, it would probably blind a person. Either way, how does he have they special glasses if he is a normal human.

*Knowing the star system- I don't know how difficult this would be to do, or how much knowledge would be needed but he did say his dad taught him about stars and consolations as a kid right before he died. Maybe Porter took that hobby up more as a memory of his dad and studied them a lot? I mean Porter did create Prot near the same time as that happened, maybe that's where the whole character came- think of it as an imaginary friend that he created from one of the places his dad taught him about, only Porter never realizes he's imaginary and uses him in his adult life to cope with the trama.

It would be very difficult because that kind of knowledge didn't exist on earth. Let alone with the kind of detail he provided.

*And then Bess disapearing- Well Porter was able to disappear for 3 days, and assuming he really is not capable of light travel, he had to have known some way of knowing how to get out. So maybe he told Bess how to get out and where his home was so she could live there? Her note only said "I have no home".

This one you completely made up, and there is no evidence of this in the movie. BTW that wasn't a note, it was the essay she wrote on why she should go to K-Pax. Prot had it last, and it was placed there to show that she was the winner of the essay contest.

[–] Robbmonster 15 years ago

Without going into any grand explanations, my conclusion, are exactly what the movie implies: He was both a human and an alien.

Prot simply has too many inexplicable factors to totally disregard the idea that he is an alien.

It may sound stupid and thoughtless, but I actually believe the most basic version of what the movie wants me to believe.

"It's just a movie" is no excuse for treating us like idiots!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwRqc0KSkJ0

[–] mort346 15 years ago

I'm a bit shocked that there's an arguement here, if I'm honest. Prot demonstrated knowledge beyond that of astronemers at the forefront of their field...regardless of anything else, why would he be working in a slaughterhouse?

The clever thing about this movie is the way it plays with disbelief; if you go through this movie believing Prot is an alien, you will have far less questions at the end than if you assume he is human. In fact, I'd find the idea of a human, who was a genius astronomer, capable of curing what appear to be severely mentally ill people wholly unbelievable. Not to mention his three day dissappearace from a secure hospital, and Bess' dissappearance at the end.

As for Robert Porter, he was just Prot's way of 'curing' Dr. mark. Prot made him realise how much he valued his own family. Prot refers to dr. Mark 'finding Robert Porter', and what Robert Porter represents is a man who truly appreciates the value of family. My own personal belief is that Prot was inhabiting the body of Robert Porter although that's not as clear.

Although visually the presence of Prot's body at the end of the movie might seem compelling, after everything else Prot did in this movie, would it be that hard to believe his alien self could inhaibt a human body? Bess dissappeared without a trace, is that not good enough?

The choice is simple: either you accept one highly inplausible fact - Prot was an alien who knew a man called Robert Porter - or, you can deny this, and spend the entire movie thinking up implausible reasons as to how Prot could have possibly been human. Square peg in a round hole if you ask me.

I am Jacks cold sweat. Put a gun to my head and paint the wall with my brains

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] costass-3 14 years ago

I am completely agree with what sonbuhitsunei says.

Prot is alien entity in form of energy (mind) that can travel
billions of miles faster than speed of light and inhabit someone's mind.
Prot comes to the Porter's body for several years to help him and eventually meet other earth beings.
Prot shares some memories/feelings/fears of Porters's mind because they share same mind (but they are not same personality this is two very different things), this is clearly shown in the hypnosis. Dr. Mark can see past life of Porter's life.

This is my conclusion , any evidence that he is Alien , are already very well posted by other users like Ericcds

They only that bugged me is when during hypnosis why memories of Porters's mind are reached but non any memories of Prot's past.
My thoughts is that Prot live in his body and eventually a hypnosis can only open host's body mind - in short memories of Porters because this is his body.

In conclusion - I believe he is alien.
And btw I am 30 year old kid.

[–] ashlinry 15 years ago

I tend to agree with the theory that Prot was an alien "entity" that possessed Porter's body.

I am free in all the ways that you are not

[–] Diss 15 years ago

he is alien as far as I'm concerned.

How is it he aged so much since high school? He had a bald spot and looked to be about 50 years old. In the movie not that much time passes since graduation and present day. I believe the attack happend in 1993, and he graduated in 1989. He should be in his 30's, but he looks to be in his 50's.

I'm just not buying he's porter.

[–] rokgpsman 15 years ago

My feeling was that Prot came to earth to help his friend that he had met years earlier. His friend Porter was so overwhelmed by what had happened to his family that he wanted to kill himself. Prot occupied Porter's body for a 5 year period & suppressed the suicide desires, to keep his friend alive and allow Porter to move enough past the loss of his family that he no longer wanted to kill himself. Prot just wanted to keep his friend Porter alive. And as long as he was in Porter's body he used it to learn more about Earth, traveling many places to experience what life here is like.

At the end of the 5 year period it was time for Prot to return home, he trusted Jeff Bridges with the care of his friend Porter. Near the end of the movie there is a scene that shows a note from Prot near his sunglasses saying he would return, no doubt to check on his friend Porter and Jeff Bridges.

[–] Cold417 14 years ago

I believe he was an alien, as the evidence proves it.

Another clue not mentioned in this fine thread of supporting evidence is that Prot AKA Rob Porter's inhabited carcass "Appeared from nowhere" in the beginning of the movie at the train station.

[–] Basiclife_0 14 years ago

And also the security camera failing as Prot would've been leaving.

[–] magic_rem 14 years ago

Read the book.
Watch the movie again.

And just revel in the fact that you want to believe he is alien.

The books goes on to find that Robert has two other personalities but the prot personality causes Roberts DNA to show as different.

I love the books and can not recommend them more :)

[–] bccct 14 years ago

Was there any explanation for why the video monitors got all "snowy" at the very moment the beam of light was to take him out of the hospital?

[–] dzzy32 14 years ago

From Prot, "I would say that you misread Einstein, Dr. Powell. May I call you Mark? You see Mark, what Einstein actually said was that nothing can accelerate to the speed of light because its mass would become infinite. Einstein said nothing about entities already traveling at the speed of light or faster. "

I think the most defining part of this quote is the fact that he talks about how an entity has the ability to travel at speeds higher than light. Why would he respond to the Dr in such a way? Prot MUST be an entity.