Subject: Review: X Files (1998)

From: "Luke Buckmaster" <[email-masked]>
Date: 31 Jul 1998 20:57:40 GMT

REVIEW: The X-Files
By Luke Buckmaster ([email-masked])

Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Blythe Danner,
William B. Davis, Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Neville, Terry O'Quinn
Director: Rob Bowman
Producers: Chris Carter, Daniel Sackheim
Screenplay: Chris Carter
Cinematography: Ward Russell

Australian release date: July 23, 1998

From 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece):
3 and a half stars

As a devoted X-Files viewer, I am (like millions of others) familiar
with the adventures of FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully,
government conspirators "The Cigarette Smoking Man" and "The Well
Manicured Man," plus a host of other arcane characters.  But the
question everybody is asking is what separates the film from the
television episodes?  The answer, not surprisingly, is that our two
favorite agents delve further than ever before into a worldwide
conspiracy, discovering that a global Armageddon may not be far away.

In terms of budget, special effects and novelty, the movie is certainly
far bigger than any episode aired on television.  But strangely, it
feels just a little too big - the full-scale plot, the menacing alien
monsters and a semi-ridiculous climax all contribute to make this appear
as simply a pumped up and over-bloated version of the TV show.  But,
like always, creator Chris Carter has taken some bold risks and, also
like always, he manages to pull it off with the precision of a skilled
writer and the subtlety of a bull in a China chop.  After all, what
would the X-Files be without its pumped up and over-bloated themes?

Capping off where the series left finds Mulder and Scully with no
They investigate a terrorist bomb threat in Washington, but only after a
building is blown to smithereens do they begin to realize that
everything is not as simple as it seems.  It appears as if two firemen
and a young boy were intentionally killed in the blast, to cover up a
deadly alien virus that has the potential to wipe the human race out of
existence.  Thus a new conspiracy is discovered, in which we find that
The Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), The Well-Manicured Man
(John Neville) and a mysterious abettor (Armin Mueller-Stahl, whom you
may remember from Shine) are cleverly orchestrating.  Oh yeah, and The
Truth is Out There.

I guess it goes without saying that watching The X-Files on the big
screen is a dream come true for many devoted followers.  But, it isn't
just a flick made for fans - although the movie thankfully doesn't
re-introduce the characters, anyone who hasn't seen an episode on TV can
easily get the gist of what's been going on for the last few years.
However, the more dedicated fan will probably be disappointed by the
absence of some characters (in particular, the elusive Agent Alex
Krycek), and, most of all, the lack of the show's "leave it to your own
imagination" approach.

Rob Bowman (who has directed multiple episodes of the show, plus
episodes from others series' including Star Trek: Next Generation and
Macgyver) has taken the directors helm and guides the film smartly, if
not instinctively.  He follows the screenplay (written by Chris Carter
and a couple of others) with a dark, twisted grace, much to the help of
cinematographer Ward Russel (Lawnmower Man II, The Last Boy Scout) who
supplies some all-too-real looking visuals.  Along with Mike Oldfield
and Mark Snow's eerie editing to the already eerie title music, The
senses.

For a movie that isn't bolder, better or smarter than many of its
previous episodes on TV (especially the cliff hanger season finale),
it's a wonder it still works.  Perhaps it is because the sexual tension
between Mulder and Scully has stood the test of time, and the full truth
is still not found, even when it is closest to them.  Should there will
be another X-Files movie in the future (and I very much hope there will
be), I would prefer to see Chris Carter direct it.  Maybe then we would
not only have another very good film, but perhaps he could also make
something that tops anything we've seen before - making sure that the
show's pumped up and over-bloated themes are dealt with in exactly the
right hands.

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Review © copyright Luke Buckmaster

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