The X-Files: Fight the Future Review
by "Berge Garabedian" (drsuess AT microtec DOT net)June 30th, 1998
THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE
RATING: 7 / 10 --> Good movie
Review Date: June 20, 1998
Director: Rob Bowman
Writer: Chris Carter
Producer: Chris Carter and Daniel Sackheim
Actors: David Duchovny as Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully
Martin Landau as Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil
Genre: Thriller / Science-Fiction
Year of Release: 1998
Popular FOX TV series makes its big screen debut helmed by a veteran director of at least 25 of the small screen episodes, Rob Bowman. The paranormal vibes. During this year's last episode, the X-Files were shut down by the FBI. That's pretty much all the intro you need to know before you see this film.
PLOT:
A bomb blows off a big chunk of a federal building in Dallas, Texas. As Mulder and Scully step up their investigation into the bombing, they begin to uncover many zany theories and cover-ups about the puzzling explosion. While delving further into the case, the defiant duo find themselves trapped in an international game of intrigue, mystery and extra-terrestrial politics.
***Understand that my critique comes from a solid streak of experience with the show. Having said that, an inexperienced viewer can also enjoy this critique, since you need not have seen one episode of the TV series, to truly appreciate this well-developed movie***
CRITIQUE:
Mysterious, moody, exciting at parts, this movie succeeds in bringing the spookiness and interest of the television series to the big screen. Having said that, the film did at times feel like one big television episode, with a larger plot line and greater special effects. Also, it did seem to go on for a tad too long.
The plot of the film is interesting, the characters are believable, and the action is exciting and scary at times (The scenes with the aliens are very cool and exciting). Mulder and Scully have no discernible problems tackling the big screen, while adding words like "shit" to their vocabulary. While the suspicions about their possible romantic entanglement in this film are also answered, they certainly will not be given away by JoBlo here. Also, there did seem to be a touch more humour on the big-screen than the show, which helped many long-winded and jargon-filled scenes move along at an easier pace. The creators of the film also took the time to "piss" all over the greatest box-office science-fiction success from 1996, INDEPENDENCE DAY (6.5/10), in a most interesting and "subtle" way.
Overall, the movie worked for me as a thriller and a science-fiction fable, but somehow seemed to run a little too long, and lacked the earth-shattering ending that I was expecting. Having said that, they have now added many new elements to explore in the TV series, which will most certainly pick up many new viewers after this slick film. Warm up your nachos and cuddle up with your love-bunny on this one, folks...it's gonna be a bumpy ride!
Little Known Facts:
David Duchovny once played a transvestite detective on the Twin Peaks television series, and read for the replacing role for Val Kilmer as Batman in BATMAN AND ROBIN.
David William Duchovny stands 6", was born in NY, New York, and earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a graduate degree in English Literature from Yale University. While at Yale, he began commuting to New York to study acting and was soon appearing in off-Broadway plays. In 1987 he abandoned his doctoral studies at Yale to pursue acting full time. Duchovny means 'spiritual' in Russian. Gillian Anderson stands 5"3, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and has a daughter named Piper. She was married to husband Clyde Klotz on the 17th hole of a golf course in Hawaii by a Buddhist priest, and claims her favourite film to be the 1993 English animated comedy THE WRONG TROUSERS.
Chris Carter worked for 13 years as writer and senior editor for "Surfing" magazine.
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(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
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