Unofficial Xphiles

The Truth is out there, and it's not that great. I was very disappointed with this movie. I admit, I was looking forward to some snazzy special effects and everything, but I was also looking forward to a story that would surprise me with its intricate brilliance. The effects were there, but the story was a rehash and boring to boot.

The movie begins with a flashback to ancient Texas where a couple of bully cavemen are picking on an alien. After a bit of gore, we are then brought to the present day, where inevitably a number of innocent victims wind up soaking in oil-alien and dying horribly. Meanwhile, we are treated to a tasteless and offensive scenario that essentially recreates the Oklahoma Bombing for our viewing pleasure. Mulder and Scully are forced to take the blame for this bombing, but Mulder figures out there is a cover-up and he whines and complains until Scully comes along to figure out who or what is behind all this. Meanwhile, the Secret Evil Government is getting sick of those two, and try their very bumble best to thwart them. The film then winds along at a snail’s pace, leaving you lots of time to notice all of the holes in the plot. The only time it does pick up is when Mulder stumbles into an alien spaceship with the style and grace of a cartoon character.

Surprisingly there wasn’t much technology to review here. We do get a quick look at Mulder’s famous geek-o-sphere, but the rest is all goo. There is a ridiculous scene where Cancer man is at the helm of the alien base working the air conditioner controls. Unfortunately for him, a bit of vaccine injected into a goo-covered Scully crashes the entire alien base's operating system. Hey Aliens.. get Norton's!

My three favorite X-Files geeks, the members of the Lone Gunman, had only bit parts, which was, to say the least, extremely disappointing. The only other geeks were just no-name technicians who worked a bit then panicked a lot.

X-Files: Fight the Future was a waste of time. You should wait until it comes out on video, or maybe not see it all. It’s that bad. It was perhaps as good as a not-very good TV episode. The problem this film had was the script was as thin as the oil slick on everyone’s eyes. A strong script is the foundation of any movie, no matter how popular the TV show is. The writers and directors of this movie seemed to just rest on their laurels and let the presence of the actors and special effects do all the work. Did they think they could toss us Geeks these cheesy cinematic tricks and that would be enough to satisfy us???

I won't even mention the really dumb "kiss" scene. Arrrggg!

Review by:
John Malcom

The long wait is finally over. The truth is finally revealed. "The X-Files: Fight the Future", the first feature film based on the immensely popular television series, has finally hit the theaters. But was it worth the wait? Does it reward the dedicated fans, so-called X-Philes, by making the elaborate government/alien conspiracy mythology arc transparent? Or does it pose more questions than it answers? Are the snippets of revelation consistent with the information previously established in the series, or as many pundits believe, is it obvious that series creator Chris Carter is making it up as he goes along? And more importantly, regardless of its lineage to the show, does "The X-Files: Fight the Future" stand on its own as a good movie?

For those that have followed the series, the fifth season finale had the work of FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), the X-Files, being shut down. Furthermore, their office had been set on fire by the shadowy Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), destroying all traces of their paranormal investigations over the last five years. When the film opens, Mulder and Scully have been reassigned to an anti-terrorism unit under the supervision of Special Agent Darius Michaud (Terry O'Quinn, a regular on sister series "Millennium"). While in Dallas, Texas investigating a bomb threat to a federal building, the FBI is unable to defuse the bomb in time, which results in several deaths and millions of dollars in damage. Looking for a scapegoat, Mulder and Scully are pulled before an inquiry looking into their actions during the investigation.

However, Mulder, spurred on by a man claiming to be a friend of his late father (Academy Award-winning Martin Landau), finds that the bombing may have been part of a bid to cover-up the outbreak of a mysterious extraterrestrial virus, the so-called Black Oil (if you watch the series regularly, you'll know what I'm talking about, but even if you don't, some backstory is provided). With their careers on the line (which happens at least once every season), Mulder and Scully pursue the hidden agenda of the shadow government, and uncover a diabolical alien plan that will ultimately affect every man, woman, and child on the planet.

With something like "The X-Files: Fight the Future", there are two ways to evaluate its merits. On the one hand, it can be assessed as another 'episode' of the series, and be judged on its consistency with and its ability to further develop the ongoing series mythology. This, of course, would presume a working knowledge of the show and its characters. In this respect, the movie succeeds quite well, playing on the quirks of the series' beloved protagonists and the aspirations of the show's avid fans (including whether or the two agents will actually share an on-screen kiss). In addition to the presence of Mulder and Scully, other series regulars, such as Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), the Lone Gunmen (Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund,, and Bruce Harwood), the First Elder (Don S. Williams), and the Well-Manicured Man (John Neville), put in appearances. However, with the exception of the latter, most of these roles seem obligatory in nature-- their appearances are more for providing familiar faces than necessary for propelling the story forward. Furthermore, with a reported $60 million budget, which is thirty times the budget of the average X-Files TV episode, the production values are much higher in this feature film, which come across in the quality of the special effects, the movie's epic scope, and even the costumes (though I had a hard time with Scully being able to chase bad guys in the slinky black outfits and the really-high heels that she sports in this outing). However, with respect to the conspiracy arc, though the new information provided more or less develops logically from what has been established in the series, there were still some ambiguities and contradictions with the nature of the government/alien conspiracy, and many new questions being posed. Yes, it seems the truth is revealed, only now it is a lot more complicated. But despite this shortcoming, the movie is definitely a treat for all X-Philes.

On the other hand, the movie can also be assessed as a stand-alone entity, and be judged on its ability to entertain and create a stand-alone story arc that someone would be able to enjoy without having ever watched the television show. With respect to this perspective, the movie also does quite well, providing enough thrills and entertainment value to those who are naive of the series. Though Chris Carter's script does provide enough backstory to bring the audience up to speed, the facts come fast and furious, and the utmost attention must be paid in order to navigate through and understand the labyrinthine intrigue. The self-contained character arcs of the Mulder and Scully are also well-fleshed out, with both characters coming to terms with their own insurmountable obstacles and frustrations, which serve as interesting microcosms of their character arcs over the life of the series. Even without a prior knowledge of these two characters, most audience members will probably find the on-screen chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson both compelling and charismatic, and it may even attract new viewers to the weekly show.

If there is anything to complain about with "The X-Files: Fight the Future", it would be that it continues the series' time-honored tradition of deus ex machina plotting and narrative cheats. Anyone who regularly watches the series can attest to this form of lazy writing. Over the course of "The X-Files", situations have been resolved on the show without the characters having to create their own solutions 'internally'-- an externally-generated solution falls on their lap, a variation of 'the calvary arriving to save the day'. Mulder always has someone popping out of the woodwork to provide information necessary for his investigation, or he is able to escape death by someone 'showing up' in the nick of time, or villains have an inexplicable 'change of heart' when they are on the verge of bumping off a main character. In the movie, deus ex machina is readily apparent, with story credibility being strained by too many coincidences-- Mulder and Scully always seem to be in the right place at the right time to see a transient event that propels their investigation forward. Narrative cheats are also used to avoid explaining how an otherwise inescapable situation is conquered-- the most notorious example from the series was Mulder escaping from a burning rail car in the second season finale. This form of lazy writing also rears its head in the movie, with the two agents making close escapes without any obvious means. But perhaps it is a symptom of a bigger problem with the premise of "The X-Files"-- how to tell a story when there is an omnipresent and omnipotent shadow government that can kill the two main characters with impunity. In such a situation, with an all-powerful and seemingly undefeatable adversary, eleventh hour resolutions, no matter how incredulous, seem to be the easiest way out.

Overall, "The X-Files: Fight the Future" succeeds reasonably well as both an extension of the television series and as a stand-alone feature film. It is a great reward for all the dedicated X-Philes, and yet is still an entertaining diversion for those who have little or no passing interest to the series. While it didn't answer all the questions it was purported to answer, it was a very satisfying effort, and I look forward to the next one, reportedly coming in the year 2000.

All images courtesy of Twentieth Century

By Joyce Millman
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May 30, 1998 |

I want to believe.

But I felt my faith shaking the moment Mulder and Scully appeared on screen, playing uncharacteristic "Gotcha!" jokes on each other as they searched a building for a bomb. Scully? Gotcha jokes? I don't think so. It was as if they had been sucked up by some powerful alien force and deposited into a Bruce Willis movie. And I lost my faith completely when William B. Davis, aka the Cigarette Smoking Man, aka Cancer Man, made his entrance and I realized that the larger-than-life presence he usually casts from within my Zenith in the corner of the living room was no more than a trick of the light. He is no many-layered embodiment of evil -- he is merely the luckiest chain-smoking unknown character actor alive.

I had come here seeking answers: Why did those old guys in expensive suits make a deal with aliens who want to take over Earth? What exactly is the black oil? What happens to Mulder's pet fish when he takes off for Antarctica on a moment's notice? But I found only obfuscation, partial explanations and the ear-splitting big-budget rumble of whirring helicopter blades and explosions.

But, I digress ... You really can't treat "The X-Files" as a movie because it isn't one. It's a two-hour episode of the show, except with better production values and a nicer wardrobe for Scully. It looks like a typical episode, from the opening location/date stamp in the lower left corner of the frame ("North Texas, 35,000 B.C.") to the minimalist lighting (most of it takes place at night or in murky shadows or in caves). It sounds like a typical episode, too, with Mulder (David Duchovny) reciting his usual poetic/flaky monologues and Scully (Gillian Anderson) chewing mouthfuls of rational skepticism. Every so often an endearingly clunky bit of B-movie expository dialogue like "Sir? The impossible scenario that we never planned for? Well, we better come up with a plan!" slips out of some lesser player, just like it does on TV. Yes, the movie is true to the spirit of the show -- it's the biggest, best-looking "X-Files" episode ever. But it's far from the most satisfying.

The movie (which is unofficially called "Fight the Future") continues last season's TV finale in only one respect: The FBI has shut down the X-Files. Mulder and Scully are now plain old feds, reassigned from the paranormal to the normal. But what they find in the rubble of the bombed building puts them back, without authorization, on the alien-conspiracy trail. Here's hoping you caught the past season's two-part episode in which aliens with gruesome facial markings staged mass executions of former abductees as part of a (not-fully-explained) war between alien races; you'll need it for background. (The second part is being rerun on June 21 on Fox at 9 p.m.)

Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that the movie expands on the Syndicate's (the old guys in suits) super-secret agenda to create a race of alien/human hybrid clones. We meet yet another Syndicate member, German industrialist Conrad Strughold (Armin Mueller-Stahl), whose master plan is so nasty, even the heretofore suavely conscience-free Well Manicured Man (John Neville) has trouble swallowing it. The alien-virus-carrying bees from the "Herrenvolk" episode make a stirring return. Mulder gets a new conspiracy tipster, a disgraced former Defense Department employee named Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil (Martin Landau) who was a crony of Mulder's late father. And in the most salient development, we learn that the black oil is actually an extraterrestrial virus that was the first life form on Earth. It has mutated into something very bad.