JackMercy
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so...whats the final word from those that have seen it? Was it good, was it too little too late...does it hold up to the first movie? I'm an old fan...lost track of the series after 2000 and never jumped back on board...but I really wanted to see this if true fans say it was worth it.
I saw this film earlier tonight.
As much as I love to rail on Fox's current corporate regime, and their addiction to meddling in projects often to the point of ruining them, this film has turned out surprisingly well -- though it's probably only because Fox didn't invest very much in it, thus they felt like they could leave Carter and crew to their own devices and they wouldn't lose too much money, no matter what...
So the movie, you say? Well, I think this film is something much deeper, much more cerebral, than anyone was expecting. In fact I think Carter and Spotnitz are very smart; they took this movie in a direction that no one, even the hard-core fans, expected (or even wanted). Unfortunately, they may have prematurely ended their own franchise in the process, but if this movie is that last one we have, I am still happy.
I'm no great fan of the show; I've seen a few episodes throughout its run, but I'm nowhere near being a hardcore fan. Still, I do recognize that there is something special about the relationship between these two central characters. And when these two actors get together on-screen, something happens. Gillian Anderson is particularly moving in this movie, a subtle, emotionally-led performance from someone who probably deserved a much bigger career than she's had.
The worst problem here is not with the film itself, but that so-called fans and critics "wanted to believe" that this movie would be about something they expected it to be about. As it turns out, it's actually about something much more human and undeniably fascinating (to those open-minded enough) than any explosion or car wreck -- Belief.
Those who believe, those who don't. Those who want to believe, those who refuse to believe, and the complications and difficulties we all deal with in our everyday lives when we try to, and are often told to, believe in certain things.
Anyone who is "bored" or "disappointed" with this movie was probably expecting something on a level that I think Carter and Spotnitz were never able to, or indeed never planning to, deliver. In this sense, yes, the release date choice was very poor. Every scene is layered with multiple meanings, visual, narrative and thematic. It's not always brilliantly smart in plot, but it's always emotionally engaging on multiple levels.
This is real film about real human problems and real possibilities. The "X-File" itself, if you can even call it that, is more of a macguffin, a red herring to actually draw out a broader discussion of the film's themes and debates about its principle subject. That's why people were disappointed. They went in expecting "Monster of the Week" and actually got something which debates the very core beliefs of why they "expect" such things in the first place.
For people who like films about complicated people, and relationships that aren't concluded or solved in a feature-length runtime, this film is quite inspiring and moving. You can say what you like about what kind of X-Files movie you wanted or were expecting, but I'd have to strongly disagree with anyone who says that "this is not a good film."
