X FILES
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(See explanation)
Isaak Koh
Directed by Rob Bowman Cast: David Duchovny (Agent Fox Mulder) Gillian Anderson (Agent Dana Scully) Martin Landau (Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil) Armin Mueller-Stahl (Conrad Strughold) William B. Davis (Cigarette-Smoking Man) John Neville (Well-Manicured Man) Mitch Pileggi (FBI Director Walter Skinner)
Written by Chris Carter and Frank SpotnitzŻ
Length: 121 minutes
Rating: * * out of * * * * *
This Review Filed: 22 July, 1998.
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There is no doubt that the X-Files is one of the most successful series in television history. In five years, it has crystallised and voiced out the hitherto hidden and simmering collective interest in the possibility of extraterresterial lifeforms visiting our lonely planet, even covertly landing and mingling amongst us already. With a reportedly US$1 million budget per episode, mastermind Chris Carter and his team of imaginative story-writers have given us brilliant plot development, disturbing philosophical diatribes and movie-level special effects every week, not to mention the witty repartee and psychosexual chemistry between the two leads. At least for the first three seasons, that is.
Having faithfully followed through the inconsistent fourth and fifth seasons, I was looking forward to this movie. Will the mystery of the black oil be revealed? Will there be a clear explanation of the nature of the Syndicate? Will any of the past dead (Deep Throat, Mr. X) come back alive? Will Mulder get to talk to an alien? Will the X-Files get a new office (since the old one burnt down at the end of season five)? Will Mulder choose to express his feelings of luurrve to Scully on the big screen? Will they be any other shocking revelations??? These queries are somewhat (I stress, somewhat) answered in the movie.
It felt strange to see our favourite FBI agents enlarged on the movie screen. Yes, the sets are better and the special effects bigger. The production team has used part of its US$70 million budget to give us more bang for our buck -- larger landscapes, bigger and noisier explosions, grander scenes. On the other hand, it feels much less than $70 million because of the already high cost per TV episode. Unfortunately, the movie fails to deliver on what counts most to X-Philes: plot.
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The problem is this: Carter and gang have shown to everyone who has ever watched an X-Files episode what can be done within the $1 million budget. What draws people again and again back to the series is the carefully thought out plots and the imaginative character development. As "The Lost World" and, more recently, "Godzilla" have proven, big effects and no story equals bad movie. The X-Files movie feels like one of those "To Be Continued" two-parters in the regular series, and with a mediocre story to boot. At times, it feels like a generic action summer-blockbuster movie, somewhat like "Cliffhanger" with Duchovny and Anderson replacing Sylvester Stallone and Janine Turner. Indeed, there are some crappy Stallone-esque lines in the script that will make you cringe.
The acting is of the usual high standard, with Duchovny and Anderson going through their paces. It seems to me though, that Anderson has gone from strength to strength as an emoting actress, while Duchovny has remained largely the same. Highlights are the humorously characterised Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil acted by Martin Landau and the introduction of a new member of the Syndicate acted by Armin "Shine" Mueller-Stahl.
The X-files mythology has become undeniably complicated and baffling in the last two seasons. Every fan has his/her own theory/guess/hypothesis on what has been going on. Every episode of the X-Files has brought up more questions while providing less answers. The bad news is the movie does not provide many answers. Those of you expecting a continuation to the end of the fifth season will be disappointed -- there is no mention of the mind-reading boy nor any news of the agent played by Mimi Rogers.
Reviewing this movie is like preaching to the converted. If you have watched the series occasionally, you will leave the cinema rather confused. If you have missed most of the fifth season due to the drop in story quality, the movie will remind you of why you stopped in the first place. If you have never watched a single episode of the X-Files, DO NOT WATCH this movie -- you will never understand it and it will be a complete waste of money. However, if you are a big fan of the series and have kept in touch with the general buzz, the movie is worth five GOLDEN stars. In fact, it is mandatory viewing if you wish to make sense of the next season. Just don't expect too much and prepare for an interesting season six.
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