The X-Files: Fight the Future Review
by "Nathaniel R. Atcheson" (nate AT pyramid DOT net)July 7th, 1998
The X-Files (1998)
Director: Rob Bowman
Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Blythe Danner, Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Neville, Glenne Headly
Screenplay: Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Producers: Chris Carter, Daniel Sackheim
Runtime: 120 min.
US Distribution: 20th Century Fox
Rated PG-13: some intense violence, gore
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson ([email protected])
I find most of television so intensely boring that I simply never turn on my set, unless I'm watching a movie. I don't even have cable, so I went to Radio Shack to buy an antenna specifically for the purpose of watching "The X-Files" every Sunday night. It's the only show that's worth an hour of my time each week (though, since I don't watch reruns, I'm glad that I have six months of the year to avoid television altogether). I am an avid fan of the show, and have been for about three years now. And I love Gillian Anderson.
The X-Files is the film that continues the story where the season finale left off. The film is like a two-hour episode, except that there are a lot more special effects, the plot is thicker, and the resolution is more satisfying. This is a terrific film, both for fans of the series and for those who have never seen it (I imagine that viewers unfamiliar with the show will find the film to be solid and riveting entertainment). I expected to like it more than any episode I've seen, and my expectations were met. Actually, the film takes a few risks in its story and plot devices, but, thankfully, the makers managed to do it right.
When the finale ended, the FBI branch known as the X-Files had been destroyed, and our heroes, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) were left stripped of five years of hard work. The film picks up soon after; and Mulder and Scully have been reduced to field agents investigating a bomb threat in a Federal building. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. The film actually opens in the ice age, about 32,000 years prior, during which a couple of prehistoric guys get attacked by a vicious alien.
The alien's blood infects them (fans of the show will certainly remember the Black Cancer), and the story jumps into modern times, during which a young boy is also infected with the cancer. It turns out that the bomb was planted to kill the boy, and Mulder and Scully uncover the cover-up despite the fact that Scully has resigned from her position in the FBI. Soon, they find out that the whole thing has to do with aliens. As I've written before, it's not easy to write plot summaries for films like this, because everything needs to be a surprise.
Fans of the show will know what to expect, and I seriously doubt any of them being disappointed with the film. Director Rob Bowman has done a great job expanding the eerie feeling of the show to the big screen, making small adjustments and minor changes to utilize the possibilities that film allows over television. There are some truly suspenseful and well-created scenes here (late in the film, when they're in the alien spacecraft, you'll see one of the better action sequences in recent cinema). The special effects are very good, and the production design by Christopher Nowak is fantastic.
What I find interesting is that The X-Files is actually a great way for series neophytes to get into the story. Our heroes are given subtle introductions (we're not expected to know them on the outset), and the film explains enough of the story that prior knowledge of the series isn't required to understand the film. There are, of course, little elements that the makers have included as payoff to the fans, but I'll keep those as surprises. It takes a lot of thought and understanding of the series to create a film using roots as complicated as the ones that the series provides, and then create a coherent film that anyone can understand clearly.
The series is strong for a lot of reasons. It's original (though it has many ties to "The Twilight Zone" and owes some homage to Hitchcock), and impressively eerie for a television show. What really makes the series shine, however, are the actors. Duchovny has so much presence, and is just a fun guy to watch. He has that confidence that will someday make him into a bankable leading man. Anderson is equally good, and paralyzingly beautiful; she's also a strong actress. Both performers have acted in little more than their series, however, though I think they'll both get their chances to prove themselves very soon.
I enthusiastically recommend The X-Files, both for fans and non-fans. 1998 is a summer filled with disappointing blockbusters, and this film should satisfy where most of the others leave you completely dry. It's an intelligent film, and takes you places that you might not have been (or, at least, might not have seen so many times that they feel familiar). The X-Files is impressive in concept, as well: fans of the series are likely to be highly critical, and to take the premise beyond the series is a risky move. It's nice to see a risk pay off for a change. Actually, it's nice to see a risk at all.
***1/2 out of ****
(8/10, B+)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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