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After what Stephen King called a "five-year cock tease,"
the first X-FIles feature film finally premiered in the summer of
1998 amid much anticipation, speculation and big box office hopes.
Fans breathlessly shared even the slightest hints and rumors spread
over the Internet, while the mainstream press wondered whether the
series would not only successfully translate to the big screen,
but if it could please both the show's enormous cult following yet
still enthrall those unfamiliar with the show.
Well, as it turned
out, the film never quite accomplished these goals. As a steady
but by no means rabid fan of the series, I found that the
film was heavy on atmosphere, intrigue and buildup, but ultimately
didn't pay off in any meaningful way. In essence, amid all
the pseudo-babble of alien colonization, expansive vistas,
eerie occurrences and vague sexual tension between Mulder
and Scully, the film and series really amount to one big cosmic
nothing.
For the uninitiated, "The X Files" television show
follows the exploits of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
Over the past six seasons of the show, they have investigated
the FBI "X Files," which are cases of strange occurrences
and unexplainable events that normal science can not quite
account for. In short, Mulder is the believer, Scully the
skeptic. Along the way, in what are termed the series' "mythology"
episodes, they began to uncover some sort of big conspiracy
involving colonization via human hosts, Mulder's possibly-abducted-by-aliens
sister, and a host of shady characters such as "the cigarette
smoking man." If all of this sounds confusing, oh, you
don't know the half of it.
So, when it came
time for the movie, it could have gone two ways. Either they
could have done a self-contained paranormal adventure akin
to the series' "standalone" episodes, or they could
have finally solved or at least explained in great detail
the "mythology" of the show, and just what the past
five seasons had supposedly been leading up. They pretty much
did the latter, but, alas, nothing is ever really explained
(which makes me begin to wonder if anyone connected to the
show even has any idea of where the show is going).
I won't bother attempting to explain the plot, because it
would require another ten pages. Suffice to say, at the end
of the day, it pretty much amounts to a good looking, mildly
suspenseful episode blown up to big screen proportions. We
get lots of moody interiors, a little bit of action, a will-they-or-won't-they
almost kiss between Scully and Mulder (do it, already!) and
some rip-offs of ALIEN and plenty of other (and better) sci-fi
benchmarks from the past. Ironically, there is a scene early
in the film where Mulder relieves himself on a poster of Independence
Day, a piss-take by series creator Chris Carter on that empty-headed
sci-fi blockbuster. Quite frankly, though, is The X-Files
really any deeper or more meaningful than that sci-fi potboiler?
Also discouraging
about the film is that the appearance of series regulars like
Mitch Pileggi's Agent Skinner and the Lone Gunmen amount to
cameos, and guest star Martin Landau's constant appearances
in back alleys becomes unintentionally comedic. However, the
biggest disappointment is that the film (and often the series
as well) squanders the sole major female character, Gillian
Anderson's always entertaining but usually marginalized Agent
Scully. Though her barking orders during the big FBI Building
explosion early in the film is a high point, let's face it,
no one ever approaches her with juicy information nor
does she seem to ever really affect the plot. Mainly it is
Mulder who propels the action forward, and it is his obsessions
and drive that the show is really about. It is also distressing
to see such a strong character like Scully put on ice for
the last two-thirds of the film, and the way her half-naked
frozen torso is dragged around during the finale seems a bit
misogynistic.
Still, though the
film didn't quite reveal all the truths many fans of the show
like myself may have hoped, it is a kick to see it all blown
up on the big screen, and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
have a very nice chemistry. There still is enough murky, moody
and scary fun here for at least a mildly enjoyable evening
of entertainment. Just don't look under the hood, because
you probably won't find much there.
Video:
How Does The Disc Look?
The
THX-certified image is presented in its theatrical 2.35:1
aspect ratio (it was shot with the Super 35 process), and
the transfer is non-anamorphic. Overall, it is a very, very
good presentation. The film veers from bright and sunny vistas
to very dark and foreboding interiors (hey, it's THE X FILES),
and the image holds up thoughout. However, the lack of 16x9
enhancement results in a little less detail than one would
hope for, there is rarely any visible grain or artifacts,
which only occur in a couple of brief instances. Black level
is dead-on, and colors and fleshtones accurate. Though not
quite reference quality, mainly due to the lack of anamorphic
enhancement, overall this is a very good transfer.
Audio:
How Does The Disc Sound?
The
full Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is topflight, besting the image
a tad. Surrounds are used aggressively in the bigger set pieces,
but as typical of the television show, there is subdued but
effective use of moody ambient noises and sound effects in
the quieter passages. The low hum of the bees in the cornfield
scene is quite impressive, and the initial FBI building blast
packs a wallop. Though I felt the dialogue occasionally was
drowned out by the explosions in some sequences, overall there
is nothing to complain about with the sound mix. There are
also English and French 2.0 Surround mixes provided.
Supplements:
What Goodies Are There?
After a long and excruciating wait for X Files fans, this
special edition disc has finally arrived, and are the supplements
worth the wait? Well, yes and no. On the plus side, there
is some good stuff here. First is a feature-length screen-specific
audio commentary with Director Rob Bowman and Creator
Chris Carter. Clearly, though, this is Carter's show, and
for the majority of the commentary, I forgot Mr. Bowman was
even in the room! Clearly, Mr. Carter is the guiding force
behind the show, and although no big mysteries are answered
in the commentary, it does provide some interesting insights
into what the team was hoping to accomplish with the movie,
and some entertaining antecedents from the filming. In all,
an entertaining commentary that was as good as I hoped.
There is also a 30-minute behind the scenes look at
the making of the film, which is basically an expanded version
of the shorter featurette on the VHS release. It contains
interviews with most of the principals and Carter, and although
it is obviously made by the production itself, I had a good
time watching it, and it is always a kick to watch the behind
the scenes footage.
Aside from those two main extras, there is also a nice booklet
with cast & crew bios and the theatrical trailer
in non-anamorphic widescreen, But, truth be told, while
this is a very nice package, it doesn't quite challenge some
of the other, more extensive special editions out there. Though
no rip-off, some may feel this is a bit high priced considering
some of the competition.
Parting
Thoughts
Though I didn't think this first X FILES film totally delivered
on what it promised, fans of the show should enjoy it, and
even casual viewers will probably be intrigued by it. The
disc boasts a fine audiovisual experience and some nice extras.
This is definitely worth a rent, and certainly recommended
for fans of the film.
(Note: This version of The X-Files: Fight The Future has been
discontinued, and replaced with a new
reissue featuring a new transfer and DTS 5.1 mix.)
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