Subject: Review: The X Files (1998)

From: Chuck Dowling <[email-masked]>
Date: 11 Oct 1998 19:27:50 GMT

The X Files (1998)

***1/2 out of *****

Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Blythe Danner,
William B. Davis, Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Neville, Terry O'Quinn,
Glenne Headly, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood

Written by: Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Running Time: 120 minutes

** This Review Contains Spoilers**

I have mixed reactions when it comes to The X Files.  I'm a big fan of
the show, so naturally I'd be a fan of the film.  And I did like the
film.  It has all of the elements which makes the television series
enjoyable: aliens, government conspiracies, etc etc.  But overall,
it's TOO much like the show.  In other words it would have made a
great episode, but there's nothing really there to merit me having to
pay for something that I get to see for free every week.

I would think that when you make a feature film out of a television
series that is still in production, there would be some reason to do
so other than money.  Apparently not.  The story being told in the
film should be one that just simply can't be told within the confines
of the small screen.  But aside from the score being a little bit
grander, the screen a little bigger, and a couple of visual effects,
there's no reason for this to be a feature film.  It's hardly even a
sweeps week episode.

And as far as the specifics of the story go, what plot elements
haven't we seen before in the series?  When the film begins, the X
Files division has been shut down (seen that).  The powers that be
then try to split FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana
Scully (Gillian Anderson) apart (seen that).  Scully plans on quitting
the FBI (seen that).  Mulder then asks Scully "How can you say that?
After everything we've seen?"  (seen that).  Shadowy characters seek
out Agent Mulder to tell him secrets (seen that).  Those shadowy
characters are soon killed (seen that).  The other shadowy characters
decide that instead of killing Agent Mulder (which would of course,
solve all their problems) that they will take Agent Scully away from
him and do harm to her (seen that). Mulder will attempt to discover
aliens, but doesn't even bother to bring along a pocket camera to
document his inevitable discovery (seen that).  In the end, Mulder and
Scully have experienced something which makes them want to go on and
pursue their work, even though they have no hard evidence of anything
at all.  Yep, I've seen that too.

Then there are new elements of the story which perplex me.  For
example, usually when the evil powers that be decide to cover
something up, people die.  Here, they buy some kids shiny new bikes in
exchange for their silence.  Ok.  Then, it's revealed that the aliens
that the government had been conspiring with (and which aliens were we
having the conversations with, the black ooze aliens or the snarling
monster aliens?) have double-crossed them.  For some reason, they blow
this off and just continue to go along with the plan as scheduled.
Seems to me that would change some motivations.  Obviously not.

Please don't get me wrong with all of this though, the film did
entertain me.  It also managed to entertain the friend that went with
me who hasn't even seen an episode of the show.  So I guess it did
what it intended to do, which is to get both fans and non-fans of the
show to buy a movie ticket.  I just wish The X Files had been more
feature-film worthy.  [PG-13]

The Jacksonville Film Journal -- Film Reviews by Chuck Dowling
URL: http://users.southeast.net/~chuckd21/
Email: [email-masked]

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