The X-Files: Fight the Future (2001, DVD)

I am a huge fan, otherwise known as an X-Phile. Because I'm such a big fan, perhaps I was expecting a little too much from the X-Files movie. I just wasn't impressed. (But that didn't stop me from buying it on DVD.)

Why the big let down?

The movie just didn't satisfy its loyal TV viewers. I was looking for so much more. I understand that they revised the script a million times to "dumb it down" for non-fans so that they wouldn't be completely clueless. But they oversimplified a very complex plot and really didn't do much to appease either the fans or the non-fans. Non-fans were still confused by the conspiracy theory, had no idea who Cancerman or the Well-Manicured Man were. And fans were wondering what happened to the bounty hunters and Mulder's long lost sister Samantha. Sure, they explained the Samantha thing a season and a half later in the TV series, but that didn't count for much when we'd been waiting for the movie to come out.

Movie basics: The Actors

I will always love David Duchovny. And Gillian Anderson too, I guess. They interact so well, with just the right amount of chemistry and sexual tension. (But I'm not a Shipper. I didn't want them to kiss. The tension is better than the gratification, in my opinion.) They have such a battle of wits and constant banter that puts my own talent at sarcasm to shame. DD is intriguing as Agent Fox Mulder, the FBI Special Agent on an everlasting quest for knowledge and the Truth with a capital T. GA is wonderful as Dana Scully, his partner and the balance in Mulder's life. Their acting always looks real, never fake. And while sometimes exaggerated, that is usually the intention of the script when that occurs.

The Plot Thickens

I was left wanting for much, much more from this movie. Chris Carter and his team were billing it as the answer to all of our questions, when in fact it didn't answer much of anything. We were just left with more questions. And while that's what we've all come to expect from the X-Files, the movie just didn't do enough for me as far as furthering the plot of the TV series. It was simply a media vehicle to make more money off of the series.

The Special Effects

Since the move from Vancouver to California, the TV series has seen a dramatic increase in the quality of the show's special effects. These were all precipitated by the movie. An intricately crafted spaceship is only one of the magnificent feats in the art of special effects. The alien babies (nasty little suckers!) were interesting, of course. And we mustn't forget the black oil. I just wish that the Hollywoodization of the X-Files didn't involve quite so much blood. At least we did see a good use of shadows and light when our doctor friend got attacked in the research facility.

Overall

If you like the X-Files series, you'll probably like the movie. If you love the series, you probably won't like the movie quite so much. (If you can identify where "At times I almost dream" came from in my title, you qualify as a true X-Phile and probably expected more from the movie like I did.) If you haven't watched the series, you might still like the movie anyways. You just might be a bit confused.

This is a must have to understand what happens between seasons 6 and 7. If you don't care about the mythology so much, or its sequence, it's still a pretty good movie on its own...you just miss some of the insider stuff. I didn't watch the x-files until 2006, and then bought all 8 seasons in quick succession. This movie is a must if you are a fan.