Movie Info
Movie Name: X-Files: Fight the Future
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): June 19, 1988
MPAA Rating: PG-13
I see the world differently now
The X-Files has been shuttered and Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have been reassigned. When the bombing of a hospital in Texas threatens to be blamed on the FBI, a mysterious man named Kurtzweil (Martin Landau) encourages Mulder to look deeper. Scully’s discover that something is wrong with the bodies found in the rubble could mean the key to Mulder’s quest for the discovery of proof of alien encounters. Mulder and Scully find themselves the target of men trying to shut down their investigation and a strange field in the Texas desert could be the key to the X-Files!
I was hoping for a corn maze
Directed by Rob Bowman, The X-Files: Fight the Future (originally just referred to as The X-Files) is a science-fiction action-adventure spin-off of the popular TV series. The film was released to theaters between The X-Files—Season 5 and The X-Files—Season 6 to positive reviews.
The X-Files: Fight the Future is a weird occurrence. A big-screen spin-off of a TV show isn’t necessarily odd (Star Trek would be the prime example), but for it to occur during the run of the show was a novelty. Since The X-Files release others shows like The Simpsons and South Park have done it, but for The X-Files to take the show to the big screen and be successful was a big boon for the series.
This will-they, won’t they scene redefines “Buzz Kill”
For The X-Files movie to succeed, the movie needs to be bigger than the show and worthy of a big screen presentation. The previous season of The X-Files had the X-Files shut down and the future dire for Mulder and Scully. This entry allows a bigger exploration of the black-oil mythos and more time for both characters to bond in a story that has many life-and-death consequences. The story isn’t necessarily non-X-Files viewers friendly, but it is explained enough for people to follow and it was a great means to segue into the next season with potential new viewers (I just kind of wanted to know how they got out Antarctica).
The movie largely carries over the cast from the show with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson bringing their already crafted characters to the screen (with some more romantic tension). The series regulars like William B. Davis, John Neville, and Mitch Pileggi of course make appearances (along with the Lone Gunmen), but actors like Jeffrey DeMunn, Terry O’Quinn, and Blyth Danner are also there for smaller roles. Martin Landau gets to play a great paranoid man which he does so well.
We’ve come for your bees?
The movie is bigger than an episode of The X-Files. Be it the alien spaceship set-pieces and special effects or the corn scenes, the movie feels expensive (something the series didn’t always feel…especially in early seasons). The visuals don’t necessarily mesh with the X-Files series (if you were to watch the movie in chronological order), but that’s forgivable.
The X-Files big screen movie was Carter’s hope for the future of the X-Files (aka switching from television to movies), but as revealed it didn’t happen and The X-Files carried on for many seasons later. The X-Files were finally granted a second movie with The X-Files: I Want to Believe released in 2008 which was much less successful.
Related Links:
The X-Files—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 4 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 5 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files—Season 8 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
The X-Files—Season 10 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Lone Gunmen—The Complete Series Review and Complete Episode Guide
