Subject: Review: X Files (1998)

From: "Jason A. Clark" <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Aug 1998 04:12:46 GMT

The X-Files: Fight The Future

For fans of the hit television series, The X-Files, the new movie The
sometimes even ardent fans have turned this once obscure science
fiction/drama series into a huge hit for Fox television.  No doubt they
will do the same for the film.  Fortunately for everyone else, one
doesn't have to be a fan of the series in order to love this movie.

To tell of the intricacies of the plot would be to reveal more then
anyone should know until they see the film.  I can safely say that the
film begins with agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson) working together in an anti-terrorist unit.  The
agents have been reassigned to this new unit.  Their reassignment and
the closing of the X-Files themselves do not stop the global
conspiracies involving the invasion of our world by aliens, however.
Thus is the setup for the film which pits the two agents in the almost
impossible task of exposing the conspiracy which could destroy not only
their lives but the lives of everyone on the planet as well.

As a fan of the series, my major fear was that the writers would have to
"talk down" to me and the other fans in order to explain things that the
casual viewer (or moviegoer)  wouldn't know.  Imagine my surprise when I
discovered that the movie was everything the series is and more.  The
film explains many of the complicated plots that have arisen over the
last couple of years, and it does it in such a way as to actually be
entertaining to someone who doesn't know anything about the film.  The
screenplay is brilliant in that it does actually fulfill the impossible
promises of the show's creator, Chris Carter, to appease both ardent fan
and casual moviegoer.  I personally didn't believe it could be done,
but, after talking to several others who have seen the film and who are
not fans of the weekly series, my suspicions were confirmed and this
movie is just plain enjoyable.

I would recommend this film to all fans of the television series as well
as sci-fi fans in general.  I will even go a step further and recommend
this film to anyone who enjoys a good drama or suspense film.  This film
is entirely self contained and can be enjoyed by all.  It is rated
PG-13, presumably for violence, but today's audience (even the younger
ones) aren't likely to notice the violence or the occasional curse
word.  As always, I recommend parents actually watch the film before
allowing younger children to see it (nightmares of alien invasions and
scary black goo invading bodies are a real possibility).