The X-Files A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
*** (Out of ****)
Is there anyone left who trusts what the government tells them? As we prepare to exit the 20th Century, we live in a nation of people who believe that there is a conspiracy behind every door. What has Bill Clinton really done? Where did AIDS actually come from? Did we fight the last few wars for the oil industry? Is everything going to collapse on January 1, 2000? And then there's always that lone gunman thing.
Why do we think that there's a hidden truth behind the public statements? Millennium Fever has something to do with it. That we no longer have the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire to blame everything on and have turned on ourselves factors into it. Of course the fact that we've found out that our government makes a habit of lying to us doesn't help matters.
It's no wonder that one of the most popular television series is one that plays into the belief that we can never know what is going on around us. Mulder and Scully are stand-ins for us as they attempt to get at the truth each week. And it's as we fear: the truth is out there but it's unknowable, wrapped in plots within plots within plots.
At the end of last season, the FBI unit devoted to investigating the unexplainable had been closed down. Without the X-Files, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are sentenced to solving mundane crimes. The film picks up shortly afterwards as they fail to prevent an Oklahoma City-like bombing. In the process of analyzing the situation, they discover clues that lead them back on the alien invasion conspiracy trail.
It's almost impossible to talk about what happens during the film without giving away too much. It's safe to say that somewhere between 35,000 BC north Texas and 1998 Antarctica we do find out whether there are aliens and who's behind the conspiracy. Unless it's all another red herring.
There are two very different audiences for the film: the 20 million fans who follow the series and movie-goers who aren't familiar with it. "X-Files" big daddy Chris Carter (writer, producer, creator) has stated that he wants the movie to satisfy both. In some ways he has succeeded, however it falls a bit short for either.
I can't imagine someone who hasn't watched the television show understanding some of the scenes. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William Davis) is probably a mystery to them. (The conspiracies are so deep that many of the characters don't even have names, but are referred to as the [Something-Something]-Man.) The three conspiracy buffs have a walk-on that will make fans smile, but others will be puzzled. Mulder and Scully's relationship makes sense to the novice, but is much more interesting to those that know their history.
On the other hand, aficionados have to sit through a few scenes that they already know by heart. Major characters have bit parts because there are too many of them to explain to the newbies. Others are left out entirely.
So what is this exactly? It's a two-hour between-the-seasons episode with a big budget. It doesn't tell us everything that we want to know, but there are some major revelations. It changes the relationship between the two agents. Not only are there more hints that they may be heading towards more than just friendship, but now one of them knows that the other was right all along.
If there's a problem with the movie for devotees, it's that there's not enough amazement. It's a good episode, but not a remarkable one. While it's fun to watch, you won't leave the theater feeling much differently than you did on Sundays at 10:00 when the weekly shows were over.
There are many unanswered questions. Why are the members of the conspiracy involved in what they are doing? What do they have to gain? What do the corn fields have to do with anything? Why do Texans react complacently when a biohazard containment operation sets up camp next door?
Although the "X-Files" takes advantage of our national paranoia, I find it difficult to believe that everything is a conspiracy. In my experience it's difficult to keep a secret if more than one person knows about it.
(This Michael Redman is the same person who started writing this column 23 years ago. That's his story and he's sticking to it. Send your favorite conspiracy to redman@bvoice.com. We won't tell anyone.)
[This appeared in the 6/24/98 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at redman@bvoice.com] -- mailto:redman@bvoice.com This week's film review at http://www.bvoice.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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