It’s only for the X-philes
Published by on August 4th, 2008
Despite concerns of dozing off with jet-lag gnawing at my heels, I went to see the new X-files movie with a positive and hopeful frame of mind.
The movie, just as with the first installment, has been criticized as being little more than a long TV episode. Really, I thought, what else can you expect from a movie version of a TV series?
I Want To Believe is not merely like a TV episode, it is a TV episode. Here’s how to make it: take a standard TV episode length plot (and not a particularly great one at that) and forcibly inject an irrelevant sub-plot - that smacks of a very personal moral agenda and creates an imbalance between the two main characters’ individual conflicts - and you might have something long enough to be classed a feature film (it just will not be a very good one).
Flooded with implausible and often confusing leaps in the story - enough on one occasion for me to believe I had actually dropped off to sleep and missed something critical - the dialogue is awash with extended, plot-irrelevant conversation while critical information receives the briefest of mentions as though unimportant. And don’t get me started on the level of bitterness poured out by Scully (driven by another agenda point, I think). I could spend far too many words about specific issues this plot and script has, but I’ll not offer any spoilers just in case you are planning to see it.
This film is a missed opportunity to reawaken the slumbering passions of a still dedicated cult audience and I suspect has slaughtered any hope of a third movie. Even if the budget was not up to creating something spectacular, there’s no excuse for poor storytelling. Loyal fans of the X-Files deserve better.
2 Responses to “It’s only for the X-philes”
George Lucus has come up with a cunning twist on the TV/movie tie-in - possibly by accident.
His “clone wars” animated series is going to kick-off with a movie, then immediately move to the small screen.
I don’t go to the movies very often, but if it’s a lead in to a whole tv series of Star Wars stuff, I might be tempted by this.
And rather then the movie being a drawn-out version of a well-established tv show, it’s going to be something new and exciting.
Genius, really, however unplanned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7542451.stm
Hmm… I’m a little cynical about Lucas’ move with this latest movie/tv thing. Something smacks of a roadblock forcing him to re-think his plans, or perhaps he simply could not get the TV deal he wanted. So, shove out a very publicised movie, get the audience chomping for more (a cliff-hanger ending that will only be resolved in the TV series would help), then go back to the TV network and force a more attractive deal… not that I care, just pondering the possibilities.