Subject: Review: The X-Files (1998)

From: [email-masked] (Alex Fung)
Date: 20 Jul 1998 05:46:20 GMT

THE X-FILES (Fox - 1998)
Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau,
  Armin Mueller-Stahl, Blythe Danner, William B. Davis, John Neville
Screenplay by Chris Carter
Produced by Chris Carter, Daniel Sackheim
Directed by Rob Bowman
Running time: 120 minutes

                  **1/2 (out of four stars)
                     Alternate Rating: B-

Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers.
      Be forewarned. 

    -------------------------------------------------------------

   I feel obliged to begin by clarifying that I'm not exactly an ardent
   follower of THE X-FILES, the acclaimed Fox sci-fi television series
   which began its run five years ago as a bottom-dweller in the Neilsen
   ratings only to steadily gain momentum and evolve from a beloved cult
   fave into a outright mainstream phenomenon and bonafide international
   hit.  I've watched about a dozen episodes of the TV show in full --
   easily less than the typical rabid fan, but sufficient to be familiar
   with the histories and adventures of FBI agents Scully and Mulder.
   (Additionally, one of my current occupational hazards finds me privy
   to amusingly avid, earnest discussion and reverential dissection of
   the storylines for such TV series as THE X-FILES, STAR TREK: VOYAGER,
   and BABYLON 5 -- in short, I couldn't get away from the show if I
   tried.)  In all fairness, Chris Carter's creation is probably one of
   the most imaginative of today's television shows, and has
   demonstrably struck a chord with the highly-coveted 15 - 24
   demographic, making it an optimal candidate for translation to the
   big screen.

   However, as a film THE X-FILES (the FIGHT THE FUTURE subtitle
   featured so prominently in its marketing campaign incidentally
   appears nowhere during the title credits) faces some unique
   challenges.  As with all television series-turned-cinematic events,
   it's required to present sufficient backstory in order for newcomers
   to get up to speed while still remaining palatable to the faithful.
   The situation here, however, is even more of a precarious balancing
   act -- as a rare TV series to make the leap to the silver screen in
   the midst of its ongoing run, it's faced with the obstacle of
   unraveling its intricately-woven storyline to a point where a
   satisfying film conclusion can be achieved, yet is obligated to leave
   enough plot points unanswered in order to keep fans hooked for the
   upcoming television season.

   As such, the film fares about as well as can be expected.  Familiar
   regulars of the series such as The Lone Gunmen (Dean Haglund, Bruce
   Harwood and Tom Braidwood), The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B.
   Davis), The Well-Manicured Man (John Neville), and assistant FBI
   director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) are trotted out for their
   obligatory appearances, while the film infuses prodigious veteran
   talents like Martin Landau, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Blythe Danner in
   newly-conceived roles.

   Ultimately, however, the addition of new blood matters little, for
   THE X-FILES is most assuredly a vehicle for the continuing mythos of
   agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David
   Duchovny) as they strive to uncover the truth behind the sinister
   government conspiracy to discredit evidence pertaining to the
   existence of extraterrestrial life here on Earth.  Resuming where the
   '97-'98 TV season cliffhanger left off, the film finds our intrepid
   duo struggling against a powerful faction of master manipulators to
   overcome roadblocks thrown up from every direction as their own
   gravely somber interpersonal chemistry continues to evolve.  (One
   rather disingenuous subplot falls victim to the awkward circumstances
   constraining the film -- while it's always a stretch to envision one
   of the protagonists surrendering the good fight, it's virtually
   impossible to swallow here given that the character threatening to
   quit is the same one we'll see on the tube in September when the
   series resumes.)

   It's perhaps inappropriate to dismiss the film as simply a
   larger-scaled version of one of the TV episodes given the presence of
   strikingly atypical elements which are clearly aimed to broaden its
   mainstream appeal.  Unlike its dour tube counterpart, THE X-FILES is
   notably more jokey, with Scully and Mulder trading the occasional
   tongue-in-cheek quip and droll one-liner.  (The rooftop scene which
   introduces our heroes is particularly self-conscious, calculatingly
   playing riffs almost as if directly out of a buddy movie.)  The sense
   of humour isn't particularly clever and not exactly welcome, although
   I did appreciate the light-hearted jab at Mr. Duchovny's legendary
   expressive qualities.

   Where the film differs the most from the TV series is in its usage of
   extravagant set pieces, including the bombing of a Dallas federal
   office tower (in shades of the infamous 1995 Oklahoma City event), a
   cat-and-mouse helicopter chase through cornfields (an obvious homage
   to NORTH BY NORTHWEST), and even an action finale in the snowy
   reaches of Antarctica.  These showy sequences, competently staged in
   the film, are virtually impossible to pull off under the budgetary
   and time constraints of a TV series but fit quite nicely within the
   scope of a summer event film.  Whether or not they properly coalesce
   with a piece like THE X-FILES, however, is a matter of debate.

   The show has always been at its best as an enigmatic, paranoiac
   meditative with a pervasive atmosphere of mistrust, and consequently
   it seems a bit off-kilter to witness the film as opened-up to such a
   degree.  The small-scaled, low-key approach employed in the TV series
   is most effective in conveying its grim, creepy tone; it's no
   coincidence that the scenes in the film which remain most truthful to
   the spirit of the series -- the shady exchanges between Mulder and
   Dr. Kurtzweil in the darkened alleys -- are the most effective.  With
   THE X-FILES, bigger is not necessarily better.

   It's also a bit disconcerting to witness how gleefully THE X-FILES
   embraces the slam-bam mentality of the typical Hollywood action
   flick.  The novelty of the television series is that it's a show
   propelled by ideas and imagination, and yet in the film we're reduced
   to watching Mulder heroically charging through the snow like a
   scrawnier, dapper Arnold Schwarzenegger clone to come to the rescue
   of imprisoned damsel-in-distress Scully, a perturbing step backward
   from the equal status the partners unquestionably share as TV
   characters.  If joining the Hollywood brethren on the big screen
   implies that THE X-FILES is going to hereinafter *emulate* them at
   the cost of its foreboding signature style, perhaps it's best to stay
   on its home turf.

   Bridging the fifth and sixth seasons of the TV series, the film
   version of THE X-FILES ultimately resolves very little of its
   outstanding mysteries, as it logically must.  As the film concludes,
   in many ways we've traveled shockingly little from where we were as
   the opening credits rolled, and yet it's not a dissatisfactory watch,
   liberally sprinkling adventure, conflict, and verve into its mix of
   aliens, conspiracies, and overcoats.  Given the involved nature of
   its storyline, it likely plays plays best to those who have invested
   much into its characters.

          - Alex Fung
          email: [email-masked]
          web  : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/

--
Alex Fung ([email-masked]) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
"Only a twerp would castigate an audience for its enjoyment of something."
                                        - Pauline Kael