You may have noticed that Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson) hasn't got much of a mention so far. Despite the best efforts of the film-makers (and the TV show), it's pretty obvious who is the main character in the X-Files. For most of the movie, just like the TV series before, Scully looks on in wide-eyed disbelief before assuming her normal role of victim-to-be-rescued. It's a pity, because it would have been nice to see Scully get something more to do than yet another autopsy (if she's been keeping souvenirs, she must be due a Nobel prize by now).
Despite the claims of the advertising campaign that "...the truth is finally revealed", there isn't the slightest danger that this movie contradicts anything we have seen in the TV-series or threatens what is a very successful franchise. Indeed, the movie begins at a cracking pace, and the first 30 minutes is fast moving, visually-arresting and nerve-jangling. Unfortunately, things slow down a bit after that. Given the far-fetched nature of the storyline, slowing down the action gives the viewer a chance to concentrate of the more unconvincing parts of the movie, and sadly, there are many of those. For a start, the 'truth' is blindingly obvious from the start, and its eventual revelation comes as no surprise during the movie. More seriously, there is never any explanation why the bad guys just don't kill Mulder and be done with it. Even though one of the conspirators dismisses that very course of action ( in case Mulder's death would make him a looney's martyr), there is no suggestion that anyone believes a word Mulder says or would miss his passing one little bit.
The majority of people who will see this movie are fans of the TV series, and the format of the movie is faithful to the TV series in every way. This is not necessarily a good thing. Despite the offbeat subject matter of the series, the X-Files has followed some very traditional conventions of TV, and the movie is no different. Though Mulder and Scully are partners, Mulder is always the instigator, the one who keeps poking around long after Scully has given up to uncover the truth. And just like every series about lawyer that only represent wrongly accused clients, every mystery that the two investigate is inevitably something spooky, unworldly or downright unlikely. It's a pity that the film didn't take some real risks and feature a conspiracy that wasn't so obvious to all. Better still, why not feature a mystery that could actually be explained after all ? For example, mysterious circles appear in fields only after the local farmers have been on a cider-drinking binge. Or the alien abductee turned out to be a lying weasel, on the lookout for a book deal.
Don't get me wrong - the X-files is an entertaining show. But it's at
its best when it is dealing with stories based on science fact or merely
offbeat, such as a BSE-like disease infecting poultry, or in one of the
most entertaining shows, the case of a freakshow where an increasing number
of performers were meeting an untimely demise.But even that episode
relied on a mutant baby running amok as the eventual culprit.
But it was certainly was preferable to the worldwide alien cover-up which
has come to dominate the series. In fact, the X-Files TV-series is beginning
to resemble Twin Peaks in the sense that, aside from the high production
values (and David Duchovney), you began to suspect that, after a promising
start, the producers have begun to take the piss out of the viewers
and run out of fresh ideas. This overlong movie, despite the presence of
familiar characters such as The Smoking Man, Special Agent Skinner (their
long suffering boss) and the addition of a sadly underused Martin Landau,
has very little extra to offer.
Directed by Rob Bowman. Produced by Chris Carter.
| ****** Excellent - An outstanding movie
***** V. Good - Very enjoyable or engrossing **** Good - Entertaining *** Mediocre - Nothing special ** Poor - A waste of time * Terrible - Complete rubbish |
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Stockholm Film Review. All Rights Reserved.