Subject: Review: The X-Files (1998)

From: Michael Dequina <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Jun 1998 04:28:59 GMT

The X-Files (PG-13) *** 1/2 (out of ****)

Fox's _The_X-Files_ one of television's most curious phenomenons.  It's
not a question of quality; though it has a dud episode here and there, the
science fiction sensation is a consistently engrossing, well-thought and
-put-together series that deserves all the critical accolades it has
garnered in its five seasons.  What makes the series' hard-fought-for mass
popularity so astonishing is the uncommon demand it places upon the viewing
audience: concentration.  This is especially the case with its trademark
"mythology" episodes, which address a ridiculously convoluted conspiracy
involving the coverup of extraterrestrial life.  Now FBI agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully take their quest for the "truth" that lies elusively "out
there" to the big screen, and the result is a most unusual summer
blockbuster: one that delivers the thrilling goods with an uncommon dose of
intelligence and complexity.

As fans of the show (_X_-philes, as they are known) such as myself are
aware, _The_X-Files_ centers on Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully's
(Gillian Anderson) ongoing investigations into paranormal phenomena--cases
called, yes, X-Files.  Of course, Mulder and Scully are mismatched
partners.  Mulder is a true believer in the fantastic after having
witnessed his sister Samantha's abduction by aliens when they were young;
medical doctor Scully is a skeptical woman of science who was paired with
Mulder by FBI superiors to debunk his work.  In a move that, surprisingly
enough, does _not_ alienate any _X_-virgins, the film (unofficially
subtitled _Fight_the_Future_) begins where this past season's cliffhanger
left off, with the X-Files closed and Mulder and Scully reassigned to
standard FBI duty and a seemingly standard case: the investigation of a
terrorist bomb threat in Dallas.

The operative word there is "seemingly," for some suspicious circumstances
surrounding the case thrusts Mulder and Scully neck-deep into the ongoing
conspiracy that has served as the backbone of the series.  Much effort has
been made by Fox and the _X-Files_ cast and crew to keep the plot under
wraps, so I will not divulge any specifics here.  What I will reveal,
however, is that this time around Mulder and Scully find some hard answers
to questions that have long lingered in the series, such as the true nature
of the conspiracy and the "black cancer," the oily alien goo that infects
human hosts.  It should be noted, however, that many of the series' focal
mysteries, such as the identity of the enigmatic conspirator known as the
Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis), remain unanswered when the end
credits roll.

What I just wrote may sound baffling to _X_ newcomers, but series creator
and screenwriter Chris Carter (working from a story he devised with Frank
Spotnitz) accomplishes the impossible--making the knotty story accessible
to new viewers.  Mulder and Scully's backstories are efficiently explained
in succinct passages of dialogue, as is all the background knowledge
required to follow and understand the conspiracy.  A few bones are thrown
to appease the _X_ faithful, such as vague allusions to the harrowing
ordeals Scully has gone through in the series, and a cameo by the Lone
Gunmen, a trio of conspiracy freaks that often assist Mulder and Scully.
But by and large, no one is likely to be lost.  In the lobby following the
screening, I overheard a fan answer a newcomer's questions, and his queries
were about issues that are irrelevant to the general understanding of the
film.

A large part of what makes _Fight_the_Future_ satisfying to all audiences
is the highly suspenseful story Carter and director Rob Bowman tell.  The
plot is as intricately structured and unpredictable as the conspiracy
itself, and while there is a greater emphasis on action and spectacle here,
those sequences are integral to the story and free of gratuitous violent
shocks.  Bowman is a veteran of many _X_ episodes, and as such, he knows
how to milk the maximum amount of tension from Carter's labyrinthian
scripts.  He also handles the film's increased yet still
modest-by-Hollywood-standards budget quite well, employing some imaginative
effects to create some truly scary creatures.  Bowman's huge
miscalculation, however, is one that could have been easily sidestepped:
the virtual absence of Mark Snow's (who also composed the film's score)
memorably eerie theme music.  A single bar of the theme's trademark whistle
accompanies the film's first frame, and an upbeat interpolation is featured
in a sequence where Mulder and Scully drive.  But that unmistakable _X_
theme is featured more in the trailers than the film itself--a fact that is
sure to irk even the most casual of _X_-philes.

For all the scary aliens and other creatures that pop up in _The_X-Files_
week after week, the key to the show and, now, the movie's success is its
leads.  Duchovny and Anderson's natural rapport shines through even
stronger on the big screen, and apparently Carter recognized this, for the
sexual tension between Mulder and Scully reaches unprecedented heights of
palpability in _Fight_the_Future_.  I won't spoil anything, but Carter
comes up with a clever way to have his cake and eat it too, one that will
please all series fans.  The solid work of the other series semi-regulars,
Davis, John Neville (the Well-Manicured Man), and Mitch Pileggi (FBI
Assistant Director Walter Skinner) carries over to the big screen; however,
members of the Pileggi "Estrogen Brigade" are sure to be disappointed with
Skinner's diminished role in the film.  Martin Landau (filling the Deep
Throat/X/Marita Covarrubias "informant" role) and Armin Mueller-Stahl (as a
conspiracy figurehead) join the ensemble, and they appear very much at home
in the _X_ world.

For a big screen, interseason episode of a series that is still running
strong on the small screen, the satisfying _X-Files_ movie is remarkably
self-contained.  Yet it should come as no surprise that, in addition to the
existing unresolved questions, some new ones arise--ensuring plenty of
fodder for many more TV seasons and feature films.  As one character
declares, "One man cannot fight the future."

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Michael Dequina
[email-masked]  |  [email-masked]
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
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