

THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE

Release Date: June 19, 1998
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, William B.
Davis, Blythe Danner, John Neville, Mitch Pileggi, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Film Corp.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (intense violence and gore) 
URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/xfiles.htm

For a long time one of the top-ten rated shows on network television,
THE X-FILES has generated a cult following of enviable size. Its jump to
the big screen format, then, is only a natural progression of evolution;
similar, in some ways, to the movement of another staple of twentieth
century pop culture, STAR TREK. Although producers of both television
series are most concerned with box office dollars (requiring the movies
to be watchable by viewers who are not fans of the show), the
writer-director team behind THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE have managed
to integrate some continuity with the TV show and at the same time make
an enjoyable movie independent of its base. This success will surely
garner it money that would otherwise be lost by bad word of mouth. 

The television show focuses on the activities of two federal agents. Fox
Mulder (David Duchovny), the lead, is obsessed with the paranormal and
devoted to a series of cases that can be classified as such. His
partner, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), is almost the opposite: a
rationalizing doctor of medicine assigned by the FBI to debunk Mulder's
claims. In the movie, Mulder and Scully investigate a bomb threat at a
Federal Building in Dallas, Texas, but when the bomb goes off a
committee is formed to assess blame. Mulder, suspecting the real intent
is to break his partnership up, gets drunk and runs into a shady
character named Dr. Allan Kurtzweil (Martin Landau). Kurtzweil tells him
that the bomb was planted as part of a cover-up; the Federal Emergency
Managment Agency offices in the building had evidence of a deadly virus
that the government was concealing. Kurtzweil also points the inebriated
Mulder toward the American Southwest to investigate further. 

It's in these opening scenes that the characters show both the greatest
moments and their biggest shortcomings. The dialogue is the most
strewn-out here - later on it takes second position to more intense
action - and it offers the actors to show their talents. David Duchovny
gets plenty of chance to show his talent as an actor, and even a line
which makes fun of his own trademarked stoic look. Gillian Anderson, who
mostly plays second fiddle to the leading man, is there to offer a bit
of sexual diversity in a cast almost entirely composed of males. Her
presence, though not outstanding in any particular manner, is rather
welcome. The cast of supporting characters, too, highlights the story's
focus on the paranormal and paranoia which is such a core component of
THE X-FILES' ideology. 

As the story continues, it takes our heroes Mulder and Scully to more
diverse regions, including the wastelands of Antarctica. There are quite
a few memorable special effects sequences, and this is the movie's
stronger point. Although the opening scenes give way to screen time
exposure, what's actually being said is of little value to the
uninformed viewer. Because the movie draws heavily on the
characterization developed through several seasons' worth of network
airing, there's not much to establish the characters in the movie.
Although being a fan of the series isn't necessary, having watched a few
episodes will be a great help, almost an extension of the characters in
the movie. Having an enlightened friend explain it is also preferrable.
Once the viewer is past the slow take-off, though, the tension meter
steadily climbs, and this is what makes THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE a
more enjoyable suspense-adventure film.

FINAL AWARD FOR "THE X-FILES": 3.0 stars - a good movie

-- 
Craig Roush
[email-masked]
--
Kinnopio's Movie Reviews
http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio