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X-Files: The Movie - DVD
Writer: Chris CarterDirector: Rob Bowman Producer: Carter and Daniel Sackheim Studio: 20th Century Fox Characters: Fox Mulder - David Duchovny Dana Scully - Gilian Anderson Kurtzweil - Martin Landau Strughold - Armin Mueller-Stahl Cassidy - Blythe Danner director Skinner - Mitch Pileggi Cancer Man - William B. Davis Review: I've decided that the real title to the first X-Files movies is X-Files: Fight The Future. I came to this conclusion after determining that even if Chris Carter says it isn't so, 20th Century Fox apparently believes otherwise. As if to prove the point, the X-Files movie clearly says X-Files: Fight The Future on the side of the DVD case. As for the movie itself, it's a blast. It's a great summer action movie with a plot which isn't boring and contrived, two great lead characters, a bunch of great supporting characters and enough in-jokes and asides to keep the die-hard X-Files fans satisfied. The movie tells the story of how Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) discover a secret alien plot to (what else?) take over the world. Of course, in typical X-Files fashion, this story is nothing if not twisted, convoluted, and of course sinister. Great stuff! I won't reveal any more plot points, because the movie is good enough that if you haven't seen it, you should, and I don't want to be responsible for spoiling it for you. As for the DVD itself, it represents what is hopefully the last of Fox's lackluster efforts. The disc looks and sounds fine, but is not enhanced for 16x9 televisions (big boo-boo, Fox), so won't hold up as well in ten years as other recent Fox DVDs. The thirty minute featurette is typical studio hokum, obviously produced for the sole purpose of promoting the film, and offers very little in the way of insights into the making of the film. The audio commentary on the other hand, is very good...when producer Chris Carter and director Rob Bowman are actually speaking. The information they give is great, and gives great insight in to how they made the film, why it costs to freakin' much to make a movie, and what their motivation for doing things certain ways was. My only complaint is that there seems to be a fair amount of "dead air" as well, which makes for a pretty dull commentary at times. The commentary could've used some editing. For fans of the X-Files, this DVD is a must-buy (and most of you probably have it already), for non-fans, it's a must-see. A great action film, a great story, great characters. One of the best action films of 1998, and a great start to a new film franchise for Fox. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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