The truth is out there, man, it’s really OUT there. Too bad there wasn’t a better script to go with it. Since they used the same TV writer (Chris Carter), a TV director (Rob Bowman), and mostly the same TV cast, the movie plays mostly as a really expensive 2-hour TV episode. I know a couple of people who haven’t seen the show but understood the movie anyway, but their reactions were mixed, as was mine. Stars Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully) and David Duchovny (Fox Mulder) have great chemistry, as usual, but the dialogue could have been a little, well, less. Too often, characters talk for paragraphs at a time. The problem is, the main conspiracy of the show is so vast, you have to walk around it a couple of times before you can see what it is.
Are all the questions from the show answered? Did you really believe THAT would happen? It answers much, though. It also gives the show a big shot in the arm for season six. Season six (and seven) are the film’s big problem. As “The X-Files” gets the premium demographics, and its ratings have improved every season, Fox decided not to let their cash cow off of the air. Right before the movie started production, FOX renegotiated deals with everyone for two more seasons. That forced a revision of the film, apparently including a subplot involving Mulder’s sister.
If you watch the show religiously, you’ve probably already seen it this weekend. You may have been disappointed, but at least it wasn’t “Godzilla”.
