f13.net

I was expecting a very mediocre and stupid movie out of this, which explains why I, as an X-Files nerd, hadn't watched it until now.  I'm glad I watched it with those expectations, because I ended up really enjoying it all the way to the end.  It's a shame they took so long to bring it out, and definitely a shame that they probably won't make another due to it tanking in theatres, but at least this movie ended on a better note than the abysmal last season.

The biggest thing I want to note: the movie looks amazing.  Whatever Carter and team did during filming and editing needs to be done for whatever project they work on next.

The other thing I'm still thinking about: Mulder and Scully still have the weirdest fucking relationship.  You'd think after all this time and intimacy they'd be relaxed enough to call each other by their first names more often.

So.  Was I the only person who actually liked it?

I just added it to the top of my Netflix. I had forgotten this movie ever came out.

I haven't seen it yet either (and I'm a big X-Files nerd like yourself). I didn't expect it to look amazing.. Maybe I'll try to rent a Blu-Ray version instead.

I saw it expecting more of a UFO conspiricy or even alien mysteries that the TV show was based on.  Sadly it was just a Mindhunter scenario with some "Mulder, grow up" thrown in for good measure. 

So if you like serial killer mysteries it's worth a watch.  If you like old-skool X-Files mysteries, avoid.

Yeah, it was very different from the TV show.  Felt more like an X-Files cast reunion than anything else.  But I liked it well enough; was just hoping for a bit more UFO stuff and a bit less drama.

According to wikipedia, Carter said a third movie would follow up on the end of the series and the conspiracies surrounding the 2012 takeover/invasion, and the FOX chairman said it was up to Carter, Duchovny, and Andersen on whether or not a third movie would be made.

I actually liked how the paranormal stuff was much more subdued than usual.  It wasn't what I wanted out of another movie, though.

I actually disliked this a great deal. I won't get into details since they're largely unimportant, but it just didn't click with me.

I felt pretty meh about it too. It seemed more like an overproduced tv episode than a movie. I also thought the chemistry between Duchovney and Andersen was off. Some shots it felt like they were not even acting in the same room. As if they'd shot one actor's face in the scene, cut, then shot the other actor's response. This may even be a normal practice, but it just seemed very palpable.

Not only an overproduced episode, but a boring one :(

It was pretty goddamn horrible, actually. Why? Why the fuck spend millions to film a story that really does nothing for the entire X-Files arc? No aliens, barely any paranormal shit and really... 2-headed dogs? REALLY? That's all you got after a decade? Not only did this movie not need to be made, it was excruciating to watch. It did nothing to move the Mulder/Scully relationship further, it did nothing to explain the gaping hole of questions the series left, and was pretty silly to boot. Absolute shit.

A waste of four dollars and two hours of my time.

Remember those episodes with Tooms? Yea, it was like that. But 2 hours long.

Possibly the only thing that came of this was that Duchovny met Callum Keith Rennie, and decided to get him on Californication too (he now plays Lew Ashby, the record producer). That guy rocks.  :grin:

You shut your filthy mouth.  The Tooms episodes were awesome.

I query you this. Was "Darkness Falls" the best of the non-alien related episodes or the bestest?

Wood mites, right?  If so, that one scared the fuck out of me.  I would have to say bestest.

Correct, you even got the right answer!

I saw that episode for the first time only recently, it scared the livin beejaysus out of me. Reminded me of a Stephen King film that had a similar theme but it was way better (Dreamcatcher I think it was called).

That one is in my top 3.  For some reason, I've always been partial to the Intestinal Parasite Man ep just a bit more.

The best X-Files episodes were the comedy ones.

Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'!

"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is my all-time favorite.  "Darkness Falls" and "Tooms" are also up there.

The episodes that centered around UFOs were sort of unsatisfying because they always teased that overarching plotline along without resolving it.

Jose Chung, the one that was a send up of the whole X-Files series... I'm drawing a blank but I'm sure there was a good third comedy episode (and, as you may guess, I dropped out watching before things got really dire, though I kinda mean to pick up and watch through the show again... except I caught some of the early episodes on TV recently and thought they'd aged horribly).

I'm rambling. I'm off to make a "Millennium" thread.

David Duchovny's "The Unnatural" was my favorite episode behind Darkness Falls.

For me it is, starting with the best:

-Darkness Falls
-Jose Chung's From Outer Space
-Bad Blood
-The Unnatural
-Humbug

Dod Kalm as an honorable mention, perhaps, and that two-parter with Michael McKean as the Area 51 spook.  Those are the ones that stick out the most in my mind at this moment.

-Home

They have - it seemed so amazing at the time to have a "somewhat plausible" ongoing drama that revolved around these topics, but man, the early episodes (mythogy ones) are tough to watch now.  It's not fair to compare the shows from 1993 to today's very slickly produced dramas, but it was a jarring experience when I pulled out the early season DVDs.  The shoestring budget the show had the few first years until it really took off certainly didn't help it age well.

I got disillusioned with the x-files after I saw Chris Carter being interviewed and basically saying that aliens don't exist, talk about milking it.

This movie was complete and total shit.

I want my time back.

Like, you played the video/dvd/whatever, and looked at the clock a moment later and you'd lost 2 hours?

Yea. That's fairly accurate also.

Sooo...I'm the only person who liked this, I guess.  I'm okay with that.

If it wasn't an X-Files movie, it would have been better.

Watching X-Files again from season 1-7 (fuck the last 2). I just ahve to say, from Our Town until halfway through season 3 is just awesome.

Oh man. Check out super young Giovanni Ribisi and ultra skinny (and super young) Jack Black in s03e03 of X-Files.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/f13/ribisi_and_black_s03e03_xfiles.png)

So how does Fringe compare to X-Files since both are fresh to you?

I can't really be bothered to watch XF anymore, though I love it.

Fringe sucks compared to X-Files. Deep Throat, the black guy, and Cancer Man are just too much for the Mad Scientist to deal with. Honestly, Chris Carter has a clearer idea of where his series are going than JJ Abrams ever will. If I had to compare something to X-Files, I'd compare Supernatural. It's _almost_ as good and _almost_ as focused. X-Files was razor sharp until Chris and Duchovny were both gone.

Edit: That's not to say I don't like Fringe, it's just not to fair to compare Abrams to Carter.

Edit: Speaking of, it seems my comparison is apt and a little more than depressing. (http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b81147_x-files_supernatural_director_kim.html?utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=imdb_topstories)


So, uhm, yea. That's bad.

agree +1

Hated the cast reunion, the suddenly skinner is there to save the day showup.

You're not alone, Matey. I saw the movie a while back on a plane, and really liked it.

(http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/39720/f13/reynolds_s03e13.png)

Episode 3x13, Syzygy:

Wherein Ryan Reynolds has two blondes walk up to him and go "So, do you know who the cult is going after next? A blonde virgin." To which he replies, "Comeon, I'll give you guys a ride home." Obviously, this had a huge effect on his career.

The number of famous, young people in this show is staggering.

Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man is a pretty amazing episode.

Smoking Man episode, yeah.. one of my favorites..


I recall another pretty good episode with Giovanni Ribisi... (sp)

Most of the ones involving people that went on to be celebrities have, I suppose ironically, all been trash. Also, forgot to cap the Katherine Heigl episode.

And Episode 8 of Season 4 begins one of the longest story arcs in the history of television. Episode title: Tunguska. Win! From here until the middle of Season 6 it's pretty much The Shit.

Had to look it up.. Jack Black was also in the Ribisi episode. Something about Ribisi being able to direct lightning.

Reynolds episode is in the same season... and a Lucy Liu one as well. Luke Wilson's in another later on.. I remember that one being sort of funny.

Yeah the Luke Wilson episode has Scully and Mulder each telling their version of the story and Scully had the hots for Luke's character and Mulder was making fun of his teeth and stuff.

The Ribisi episode sucked. The Lucy Liu episode sucked. Katherine Heigl episode sucked.

I think Chris Carter used up and comers and filler to make an otherwise crap episode seem a little better. It is impressive.

But really, if an episode doesn't involve at least one of the deep throat types, Crichek (or whatever), Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Cancer-Man, and alien/black ooze shit. It's just poopy. Some, like Darkness Falls, Musings, and Sanguinarium are transcendant and above those rules, but for the most part, they're uneven and mediocre at best.

The other type of filler, the ones involving an actual urban myth or cryptozoology (Chupacabra, Jersey Devil, Nessie) are all decent.

Luke Wilson one comes much later in the series.

I think it'll be interesting to watch Season 7 and 8 ignoring the terminator and focusing on Adam Baldwin now that I know who he is - back then though, no clue and the seasons held no interest with me.

Edit: Also, Stray, you could've just looked at my screenshot on the page prior to see the Ribisi/Black stuff.

Actually, I was reading that he moved the show to Vancouver after these seasons. Could be a big reason.


I would agree generally. What Carter calls the "mythology" episodes... I like some of self-contained stuff though, when it's funny. Or really, fucked up, like that one about the retard family.

Saw that earlier today, terrible episode. Would rather watch the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Almost did.

From memory, the Bruce Campbell episode was very good.

The one with Luke Wilson was Bad Blood, and had Mulder and Scully each narrating their version of what went down when they encountered a town full of domesticated vampires.  It was awesome.

I can't remember the name of the bruce campbell episode, but I really liked that one as well.  Classic x-files twist at the end, but it still didn't dampen my sympathy for Bruce's character even though he was essentially a demon.

Chupacabra episode ^_^

Season 7, Episode 12. Probably one of the last great episodes til the finale.

The Cops episode. :awesome_for_real:

I finally saw this tonight and I have to say it was a cool movie. My first exposure to X-Files was the last movie before this one, and I had no idea what was going on while in the theater. I guess seeing the actor from Californication Season 2 might have kept me tuned in since that guy is cool. More than anything, I was just glad to see this movie revolving around crazy/bizarre stuff rather than alien abductions, which was what I was expecting going in. Since that past theater viewing for the first movie I've caught the occasional episode, but I think now I'll be seeking out the show once in a while. Maybe I'll even start from the beginning of the series. Has it aged well?

Anyways, I was surprised enough that I felt this one deserved a necro, although reading past entries here, I'll probly get the ice and kidney treatment. :why_so_serious: Anyone who has had only a peripheral impression of this series but likes the genre would like this movie (How can you like this genre and not be fully knowledgeable about The X-Files?! Yes, it's possible).

Watch the show. Its particular brand of weirdness never really goes out of style, but beware of creeping continuity (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheChrisCarterEffect).

Speaking of Californication (and X-Files) - in one of the most recent episodes, Hank dressed up in a suit, looked at himself in the mirror and then replied with "I look like a fucking FBI-agent" in response to Karen's "you look nice" (or some such).  :awesome_for_real:

Oh hay, check out this thread.

To riff on the two-year-old "famous x-files guest stars" topic, a not-yet-famous Seth Green was in a very early Season 1 ep. I forget what it's called, but Mulder and Scully go out west somewhere, and Mulder wants to sneak into an Air Force base, because he thinks there are UFOs inside. Green played one of the local stoners that Mulder befriended. For information.

I don't know why, but I always had the sense that this film was yet to come out.

I enjoyed the series, but something killed it for me. I don't even enjoy most of its old episodes when I see them again--Jose Chung and maybe 10-15 others are tremendously great, but there's just tons that feel cheerless or pointless now.

The X-Files suffered from the problem that it needed to answer its own plot questions in order to give fans closure, but answering those questions would mean the end of the series. It just ran on too long.

TV Tropes has a page on the Chris Carter Effect (or similar) about writers who make it up as they go along, but make people think there is some overarching plan. Y'know, like Lost.

Yeah. I felt this way a bit about Babylon 5 too--such a wonderful narrative build-up and then just terrible WTF oh noes partly because of the need to compress so much in case the show got cancelled. It's hard not to have that affect how you read continuity-themed episodes earlier when you re-see them.

Funny thing is, all my favorite episodes at least were non "plot" Monster of the Week ones. I'd have been happier if that was all the show tried to be really.

Precisely. Once the show started to try to string together a plot line throughout the season(s), the show, for me, seemed to lose its appeal.

I strongly disagree.  I anxiously awaited the next appearance of CSM.  That said, many of the non-lore episodes were the best as others have said upthread. 

But I can't bring myself to watch re-runs, not sure why. I call it the "Chris Nolan Effect" (if TVTropes is interested).

The last movie was horrid and I'm an easy lay when it comes to entertainment.  The X-Files is over but I have fond memories.

Ok. I can go along for the first season, maybe the second when they went to a static seasonal plotline, but overtime it decayed greatly to the point of making me not giving a shit if I missed an episode or three. When the show first started, my buddies and I had the Sunday ritual - it became something akin to sunday mass for us and as the first season progressed, our congregation grew to at least 10. That had a lot to do with my fond memories... in college and finding that show that brought a crowd.

The movies...meh. They were X-Files, but they did not have the draw at all... maybe due to age, losing that Sunday school group, quitting getting high while watching, etc. Still watched for the nostalgia, but the movies themselves were not the interest point.