Subject: Review: X-Files (1998)

From: [email-masked] (Brian Takeshita)
Date: 23 Jul 1998 04:53:47 GMT

THE X-FILES:  FIGHT THE FUTURE

A Film Review by Brian Takeshita

Rating:  ** out of ****

Apparently not much goes on in Blackwood, Texas, since kids have to
find their kicks by digging around in the undeveloped areas outside of
the small town.  While doing so, four young boys discover an
underground system of caves when one of their number falls through the
ground.  As any little boy would, he finds the whole thing pretty neat
until a mysterious black oil seeps up from beneath his feet and
absorbs itself into his skin.  Soon, the oil has turned the boy's eyes
the color of night and put him in a comatose condition.  Help arrives,
and in a baby-down-the-well scenario, four firemen go down the hole to
bring the boy back, but meet the same fate, attacked by the black oil.
News travels fast as a convoy of unmarked tanker trucks and a
helicopter full of secretive government-types converge on the scene
and take over.  "Remember that situation we never planned for?" the
newly arrived man in charge asks a cellular phone.  "We better come up
with a plan."

Part of the plan is to cover up the victims' cause of death, and when
FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson) receive a tip that bodies from Blackwood are
planted in the rubble of a "terrorist" bombing in Dallas, they uncover
a trail of conspiracy and deception with implications for the future
of the entire planet.

In case you didn't know, THE X-FILES:  FIGHT THE FUTURE is a movie
version of the hit Fox television series "The X-Files".  For those of
you unfamiliar with "The X-Files", thank you for reading this review.
I realize cave-dwellers don't get much in the way of reading material.
Were you also chosen for the O.J. jury?  I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
Briefly, the television episodes can be divided into two categories:
Stand-alone, self contained stories, and those which are part of a
continuing melodrama centered around Mulder's quest to find his lost
sister and uncover the conspiracy which he believes is responsible for
her abduction.

The promotional tagline for THE X-FILES:  FIGHT THE FUTURE is "The
Truth is Revealed, Only in Theaters".  I wouldn't be going out on any
limbs if I were to say most people going to see this film are doing so
just to find out some explanations for the numerous unanswered
questions left by the television series.  Indeed, much of the
promotion for this film is centered around the fact that viewers will
get the answers they've been so eagerly awaiting.  In this way, much
of the series has been extremely effective as a marketing gimmick to
get people to shell out their money and buy a ticket.  Likewise, the
"truths" revealed are such that the story of the conspiracy is far
from over, and of course, you'll have to tune in next fall to find out
where it will go from here.  Absolute genius.

The premise of the movie is intriguing enough that it gets you
interested, and the script is competently written so that one event
leads logically to another, and you are rewarded with a climactic
finish that ties everything together.  This film is also well-paced,
with sufficient punctuations of action and suspense that hold the
viewer's attention through the two-hour running time.  Visually,
however, the movie seems to split between presenting the viewer with
fascinating sights and no sights at all.  At times, the images on
screen are breathtaking, while at other times, the film is
photographed in such shadow or darkness that it is unclear exactly
what it is we're supposed to be looking at.

When you make a movie out of a television show, you can't assume your
moviegoing audience is already well acquainted with the characters and
framework.  Unfortunately, this film is guilty of doing exactly that,
as it assumes too much and is definitely lacking in character
development.  For example, Mulder's motivations are only given a
cursory explanation, and an unindoctrinated viewer would therefore
only be able to guess at the deeper background supporting the film's
plot.  Likewise, supporting characters from the television show are
thrown in for what seems to be no other reason than to give the loyal
fans what they want:  To see them on the big screen.  On television,
FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) has a close
relationship to the two agents, but this is not made clear in the
movie.  When he helps Mulder evade surveillance by other agents, one
does not know why.  When Mulder's off-the-record technical consultants
show up for a short scene, the audience isn't given a clue who they
are.  Maybe the tagline should be, "The Truth is Revealed, Only in
Theaters, Only to Fans".

Perhaps most disappointing is the absence of a solid villain.  "The
Cigarette-Smoking Man" (William B. Davis), Mulder and Scully's primary
antagonist in the series, is present in the film, but his involvement
with the story is very low-key, and only fans will appreciate his
participation.  This is a real missed opportunity, as he is presented
very ominously in the beginning of the film and is therefore set up to
play a large role in the plot.  However, rather than being portrayed
as the driving force behind the unfolding plans of the conspiracy, or
the constant foil to Mulder's attempts to uncover the truth, he is
relegated to being the mysterious person who seems to be present
wherever the conspiracy manifests itself, hardly speaking at all.  A
confrontation (violent or otherwise) between The Cigarette-Smoking Man
and Mulder would appear to be requisite, but it never materializes.

Just as there is a disadvantage to being unfamiliar with the series,
however, so is there a problem if you are a follower.  The film has a
slightly upped production value, but not so significant that the movie
doesn't play just like a two-hour episode.  The series is already a
well-produced show, so the filmmakers had a difficult task right from
the start in creating a movie which would not only answer questions,
but impress as well.  As it turns out, the film has a few more special
effects and is more darkly photographed, but that's about it.  I'm
sure some people will wonder why they couldn't have seen this at home
for free.

Fans of the show will not be disappointed in the performances of the
actors, since they are playing the same characters they have played
for several years now.  Duchovny and Anderson have matured with their
on-screen personae, and appear very comfortable in their portrayals of
the two FBI agents, although Duchovny's performance may seem a bit
wooden to those who haven't seen him in the role before.

THE X-FILES:  FIGHT THE FUTURE is not a bad film, but neither is it a
great one.  It is decent entertainment for the time spent, but the
problem lies in trying to please two segments of the audience and not
being totally successful in either endeavor.  In all, fans of the
series will appreciate (and enjoy) this film considerably more than
other people, but with expectations running very high, even they might
be disappointed.

Review posted June 23, 1998