With the impending nationwide release of the second X-Files movie called I Want To Believe on Friday, July 25, 2008, I revisited the original X-Files movie entitled Fight The Future. Let me say that I was a huge fan of the X-Files television series that aired on Fox Television channel between 1993 and 2002. Though the television series got off to a rocky start with lackluster viewer ship and less than glowing reviews, the show quickly gained a cult following. Word of the show began to spread and by the end of season one Fox Television had a bona fide hit. By mid 90’s, the viewing public was working itself into a frenzy to have a feature film made.
1998 saw the release of X-Files: Fight the Future! The budget for the film was an estimated $66 million! For Twentieth Century Fox, the collaboration of X-Files television show writers, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, ensured a faced paced movie that stayed true to the expectations of the fans of the televison series. Equally important to the success of the film was the performances of the television series’ stars, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, on the big screen. The two leads did not disappoint and the film was a runaway smash hit!
The film opens on the frozen tundra of what is present day north Texas in 35,000 BC. Two primitive men find themselves fighting an alien in a cave. This opening sequence sets the tone for the film regarding the not well intentioned and not very little green men. Fast forward to modern day north Texas, with boys playing in the desert heat of the day when one falls through a sudden hole in the ground. While the boy survives the fall he falls victim to the virus. In comes the shadow government that we later learn is fronted by FEMA! At this early point in the film, Mulder and Scully have yet to step in. The two make their appearance during a bomb threat in Dallas. It becomes apparent that events, including the detonation in Dallas have a lot more to them than meets the eye. In true X-FIles fashion there is the cloak and dagger conspiracy fueled theories that carry the movie through and make the colonizing aliens via a virus actually seem plausible. There are of course very intense moments that threaten the stars’ lives but these moments don’t really stand a chance. This was a great movie that I would definitely recommend. The movie served to further explain and promulgate the mythos the television show had begun.
The great secrecy that surrounded this original X-Files movie surrounds the soon to be release X-Files: I Want To Believe. Some of the success of the X-Files television show and movie can be attributed to the secrecy surrounding it and many of the its characters. It will be interesting to see if the six year hiatus of the television series will lessen the appeal of I Want To Believe. I think that the cult of the X-Files will line up around the block for opening night tickets but I worry that the average viewer will wait to catch it on DVD.
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July 29th, 2008 at 8:04 am
[...] X-Files movie, Fight The Future; you can read my recent post on the original move by clicking HERE. It turns out that this viewing of the original movie was unnecessary as this movie is very much a [...]
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