Retrospective: X Files, The (1998)

THE X-FILES (MOVIE)

Verdict: 3.5/5 stars

REVIEW BY JOHN ULMER

There are two types of people in this world: Those that watch "X-Files," and 
those that do not. I, like many other critics who walked into "The X-Files" 
movie, fall into the latter category. But it doesn't matter, because I don't 
believe that there are any real twists in the plot or "revelations" like the 
extended title implies there may be. In fact, I think that even the strict 
fans of the television show may be a bit in the dark by the time the credits 
start to roll. I got lost about 2/3 of the way through, but I still had a 
fun time.

Scully and Mulder, the two FBI Agents (I think) from the famous television 
show of the same name, make their big-screen debut in a feature-length, 
theatrical film release that plays much more like a clever science fiction 
film than a stupid one. I do not claim to be a huge fan of the 
science-fiction genre -- I like softer sci-fi such as "The Terminator" -- 
but I admire the hard sci-fi films that make an effort to reach those of us 
who many not be the most enthusastic sci-fi geeks. "The X-Files" has a 
harder task -- it has to reach those who not only have never seen the show, 
but also those who may not love sci-fi too much, and it does a good job. I 
admire it above all else for being able to do this.

It strikes a chord that good sci-fi films have struck in the past. It gets 
down to the meaty bits, although sometimes the plot left me in the dark and 
the ending started to get a bit crazy, which lowered my overall pleasure 
regarding the film. It's like a mystery set in the world of UFOs and alien 
encounters. It is, at times, quite chilling in a subtle way, and at other 
times quite humorous and fun and thrilling.

It starts off with a boy falling into a pit and being attacked by hundreds 
of small, slug-like creatures that crawl into his eye sockets and over his 
eyes (don't bring the kids to this one). More people enter into the pit in 
an ill-fated attempt to rescue the boy, and they wind up being knocked 
unconscious (or put into a deep sleep) like the boy. The bodies are all 
transported to a hospital, and that same hospital later blows up after 
Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) are unable to stop an 
implanted terrorist bomb from detonating inside a coke maching.

But then Mulder is told by a mysterious man outside a bar (Martin Landau) 
that the bomb was never attempted to be defused. It was all an elaborate 
cover-up to hide the bodies of the pit victims. Mulder shrugs off the old 
man at first before he realizes that the man used to be a friend of his 
father's, and that he has some interesting true stories to tell.

"The X-Files" intrigued me, kept me interested for the most part, and gave 
me a few good chill sequences, and yet I haven't seen a single full-length 
episode of the FOX TV show (only little tidbits here and there). From what I 
can tell from my short experiences with the television show, this film 
carries a much more "mainstream" feel to it. I don't really take an interest 
in TV shows because I find them pretty corny. But "The X-Files" movie wasn't 
that corny.

The sight of the aliens themselves is only touched lightly, and the secret 
promised to be revealed by the trailers and ads isn't. (I assume most people 
thought it would be in regards to Mulder's alien-abducted sister from his 
childhood.) But Duchovny is very interesting and often humorous in his role, 
and I would like to see him in more films than he is in. Gillian Anderson is 
a bit weak in her role -- in fact, my mother saw her on stage in London and 
reported back to me that she was so bored by her dull, lifeless performance 
that she nearly left the theater. But Duchovny carries along the film by 
himself, and the film has some good sequences. Overall, even people who have 
never laid eyes on the TV show will be able to appreciate this.

- John Ulmer
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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1210408
X-RT-TitleID: 1083247
X-RT-SourceID: 1382
X-RT-AuthorID: 6769
X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/5