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"THE X-FILES" movie accomplished what virtually no film derived
from a television series has so far, being completely accessible for audiences
that have never heard of it before! The series follows the
adventures of two FBI agents assigned to "The X Files," cases that
appear to have supernatural causation. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
recreate their roles here, and their characters adapt well to the big screen.
The film tries to take on too much at times, revealing much of the series'
lore to new audiences, but unable to bring any closure to numerous
sub-plots. Still, there are plenty of chills, from the first scene, which
is brilliant, to the last, which is satisfying. Everything about the film
is "big!" Director Rob Bowman knew how to
"open" the film for a big
screen, and he's opted for a "wide" screen lens, which helps give the
film an "epic" feel. Viewers get to meet regular oddities from
the series as well, but, unfortunately, their appearances are far too brief.
Martin
Landau is also outstanding in a surprisingly effective cameo. While some
may question the chemistry of Duchovny and Anderson as they're supposed to have
a smoldering kind of unrequited lust for each other, we found it better suited
and more believable on the big screen than in the television series itself.
Although viewers were disappointed with the previous non-anamorphic dolby
digital 5.1 presentation, they should be pleased with the improvements here.
The film has an intentional "dark" look to it overall, and there's
terrific
detail in these scenes now, whereas the earlier transfer was lacking in this
area. Colors, while subdued, are still solid. There's some grain,
but it aids in giving the film the gritty atmosphere it strives for. The
aspect ratio is still correctly presented in 2.35:1, but the 16:9 enhancement is
definitely an improvement.
The "DTS" track now being offered on this release, is a marked
improvement over the dolby digital track previously available. While the
dolby digital 5.1 track was amazing, with outstanding subwoofer moments and an
aggressive mix, the DTS track offers even better bass response. The
surrounds sound about equal, but the musical score has more engulfment in DTS.
Fans will also be pleased that FOX has included both "DTS" and
"Dolby Digital" tracks on the same disc!