20th Century Fox, Rated PG-13
Directed by Rob Bowman
Written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz

I've always been a casual viewer of the Fox series "The X-Files," which has slowly become the "Star Trek" of the '90s. I've never been obsessed with it as many are, but whenever I do see it, I'm impressed. Of course, half of the time, I have no idea what's going on. I had a bit more of a grasp of what was going on in the big feature film of the show and it was something like this: after five years of chasing paranormal activity, the X-Files are closed by the government. FBI Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and his skeptical partner, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), are reassigned to more mundane duties...such as bomb detail. Even so, Mulder gets more and more information (mostly from Oscar winner Martin Landau playing another of the series' paranoid guys) confirming his suspicions about alien activity on Earth and a secret, international cabal of men protecting that confidential information. An outbreak of metamorphic alien activity in Texas provides the clues for the agents. Now if you've never seen the show, you're definitely going to be lost. But if you have basic knowledge of it such as I did, most of the time you'll be fine. There are still a few muddled parts, but that's what "The X-Files" is all about... I think. The good thing is the story is driven much more on the plot and the characters, so much so that it seems out of place on the summer movie schedule. Duchovny, Anderson, and the rest all deliver great performances (most of them having had 5 years to practice) and the special effects shots are well done. Some of the sets are truly magnificent, which makes one think that most of the budget went towards art direction. Though it lacks a bit in the excitement department, it's still better than most summer films (though I have seen better episodes). And it's hard to argue that the plot points are too vague because that's what "The X-Files" is all about... I think. *** 1/2