TV on Tape: The X-Files Movie Review
The X-Files surprised everyone by becoming a cult hit for Fox TV, and then growing into a solid ratings winner with a larger audience. The network that had been known for comedy, both good and trashy, suddenly had a sciencefiction hit on its hands.
T he show's premise is simple but inventive, and loose enough to give writers a wide range of subjects. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is an FBI agent who never met a conspiracy theory he didn't like. He believes every La-la fantasy that waltzes down the lane from alien abductions – they got his sister when he was a boy – to lake monsters. His partner, pathologist Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), is a level-headed skeptic who demands hard evidence for everything. Surrounding them is a supporting cast that ranges from shadowy bureaucrats to circus freaks and the usual supernatural suspects – vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.
Though the plots cover the full spectrum of supernatural phenomena, the series has been developing one primary set of villains: unidentified but presumably wealthy and powerful conspirators who have infiltrated the federal government and are involved in “The Project.” They have ties to Mulder's family and were somehow involved with Scully's insufficiently explained abduction. The show's creator and producer Chris Carter has been carefully coy about their motives and objectives. Why is the show so successful? Here are a few reasons:
Casting. Anderson and Duchovny work well together, and the relationship between their characters is intellectual, not sexual. They respect each other as friends and professional equals. Though they're bound together by strong emotions, particularly paranoia, any romance would detract from their effectiveness as protagonists.
Spooky atmosphere. Suspenseful situations are often created with nothing more than smoke, flashlights and extreme camera angles. Other effects – notably a menagerie of creatures – are seldom revealed fully. They appear quickly and are gone.
Humor, often self-deprecating. If the series ever takes itself and its conspiratorial mindset completely seriously, it will lose its charm.
Imitation. The producers are quick to pick up on the latest hot pop culture touchstones, from Silence of the Lambs to Navajo code talkers, and then to weave them into the storylines.
The X-Files has been remarkably long-lived for a science-fiction/supernatural series. The producers have managed to maintain the integrity of their central idea while making it consistently fresh, inventive and often funny.
1994-present/C Selected cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson. VHS FXV, MOV