After teasing fans for five years, the first X-Files feature film finally premiered in the summer of 1998 amid much anticipation, speculation, and big box office hopes. Fans breathlessly shared even the slightest hints and rumors spread over the Internet, while the mainstream press wondered whether the series would successfully translate to the big screen, pleasing both the show's enormous cult following and enthrall those unfamiliar with the show.

Well, the film never quite accomplished these goals. As a fan of the series, I found that the film was heavy on atmosphere, intrigue, and buildup, but ultimately didn't pay off in any meaningful way. The reality is that it couldn’t, since it was a bridge between seasons five and six. But what it did accomplish was to clarify the nature of the alien threat and the earthbound conspiracy that is hiding the truth that Mulder so desperately seeks. It also elevated the sexual tension between Mulder and Scully, which would have a payoff on the small screen. And the story’s events provided enough stimuli to cause the Bureau’s X-Files office to be reopened; it had been closed in season five.

For the uninitiated, television series follows the exploits of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. During the preceding five seasons, they’ve investigated X-Files, which are the FBI cases of strange occurrences and odd events that normal science cannot quite explain. Mulder is the believer; Scully the skeptic. In fact, her superiors specifically assigned Scully, a physician, to debunk the paranormal and alien explanations Mulder insists on putting in his reports. But she will come to learn that there may be more to Mulder’s ravings than initially realized. They begin to uncover some sort of international and interplanetary conspiracy involving colonization of the Earth by aliens, Mulder's possibly-abducted-by-aliens sister, and the possible complicity of questionable characters such as "the cigarette smoking man." This was all presented in a fragmented style, spread through episodic television that kept the viewer slightly confused and off-balance at all times, while maintaining viewer intrigue and interest.

The feature film could have been either a self-contained paranormal adventure that stands alone or it could have solved or at least explained in some detail the mythology of the show and what the preceding five seasons had been leading up to. The filmmakers chose the latter course, amplifying the nature of the alien threat, the nature of the conspiracy, and what a cabal of powerful men from all across the globe was doing about the threat.

The plot has our favorite agents hopping between Washington and Texas, where, in the first act, a building is threatened with destruction by what the FBI assumes to be a terrorist group. Little do Mulder and Scully know that it’s part of a vast (and seemingly unnecessary) cover-up; there had to be an easier way. Lives are lost and Mulder and Scully are held responsible; not only has the X-Files been shut down, they are now threatened with being split up and sent to different field offices. What follows is a big budget version of an episode’s procedurals, but with vastly more sophisticated special effects and a bigger payoff. To reveal more would be giving away spoilers to the six or seven of you who’ve never seen this film.

The film is supported by a fine cast including John Neville as The Well-Manicured Man, Martin Landau as Doctor Alvin Kurtzweil, Armin Mueller-Stahl as conspirator Conrad Strughold, William B. Davis as CGB Spender or Cigarette Smoking Man, Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner, and Blythe Danner as investigation board chairperson Jana Cassidy. But I’d be negligent if I didn’t take issue with a glaring plot hole. After a dramatic climax in the third act, Mulder and Scully are isolated far from civilization with no means of transportation. How did they get back to Washington?

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in a great looking high definition transfer compressed with the AVC video CODEC. So revealing is the transfer that focus errors are readily apparent. Color rendition is excellent, from natural a flesh tones to the color vending machines. There is a modest, subtle patina of film grain that helps create the illusion of film in your home theater. Small object detail and finely grained textures are excellent. And the video dynamic range is outstanding. There was no white crush in the snow; subtle variations in white are readily visible. And shadow detail, thanks to a lack of black crush, is also excellent.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The BD features a DTS-HD Master 5.1 track that really impresses. The track is very active with aggressive surround envelopment and a strong, directional front soundstage. Enable EX dematrixing for the best effect. There is a deep, rich bottom end that can be felt as well as heard. I was impressed weith the fidelity of some of the helicopter sequences, perfectly capturing the thumping caused by the supersonic main rotor tips. The dialog remains distortion-free throughout. Sound effects have a pleasing transparency. The orchestral score by Mark Snow sounds full and persuasive, and has a pleasing sense of space.

The alternate audio tracks are in French Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Surround 2.0. Optional subtitles are in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and English for which Closed Captions are also included.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

This is a blend of old and new supplements, some in standard definition and some in high definition. We begin with a new commentary by director Rob Bowman, series creator Chris Carter, co-producer and screenwriter Frank Spotnitz, and co-producer Daniel Sackheim. Unlike the original commentary, this track is more technical and provides running details about the shoot. A holdover from the DVD release is a feature-length screen-specific audio commentary by Bowman and Carter. This commentary provides some interesting insights into what the team was hoping to accomplish with the movie. The philosophy behind the show is described and how that was translated to the big screen. And they share a few entertaining anecdotes from the shoot.

There is an Alternate Bee Sting Scene (2:18, 2.35:1, HD) that’s surprisingly emotional. It essentially breaks a tension that will have a significant payoff in the seasons that follow.

Blackwood: The Making of The X-Files: Fight The Future featurette (19:30, 1.33:1 and 2.35:1, SD) 2008) is an updated behind the scenes short that is no more revealing than the original featurette. Despite this revisit, the material is EPK-grade in its content.

Visual Effects featurette (8:49, 2.35:1 and 1.33:1, HD and SD) reveals practical versus miniature versus CGI and very briefly describes how some of the sequences were accomplished. For example, India Ink in water was texture mapped into a boys CGI eyes. Some time is spent discussing the destruction of a miniature building and compositing it into the film. The bee approach is described. And there is more. This is arguably the most interesting featurette on the disc, despite its short runtime.

In the Scoring featurette (5:03, 1.78:1, HD), composer Mark Snow explains that the musical palette was already established in the television series, so he simply had to be consistent, only larger. The composer’s pleasure in this score was that it departs from a synthesizer and involved an 85-oiece orchestra. Snow reveals how he created the original theme for the series, carried over to the film.

Exclusive to BD are PiP Bonus View features. The new commentary is available as a PiP commentary accessible with the green remote control button, but all we have are talking heads. There are making-of clips available from the remote control’s blue button, and the yellow button accesses storyboards and conceptual art.

The Making of the X- Files Movie 1998 featurette (26:53, 1.33:1, SD) is narrated by Mitch Pileggi. This is an EPK-level short that includes a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, interviews with most of the key players, and Carter.

Gag Reel (2:41, 1.78:1 and 2.35:1, HD and badly upconverted SD) will actually evoke a few giggles.

Still Gallery is organized into sections: concept art; storyboards; and, unit photography. They are in HD, but usually occupy only a portion of the frame, so some resolution is lost

You’ll find three theatrical trailers, all shown in slightly soft HD. There is also a trailer for the second film, X-Files: I Want To Believe; this newer trailer is noticeably sharper and has better sound.

And, you’ll find a D-Box track for some seismic entertainment.

The 123-minute film is organized into eighteen chapters.

Final Thoughts

This is a worthy addition to the X-Files canon. You simply have to accept that it does not end on a conclusive note. It may be a standalone adventure, but it’s fundamentally a bridge between two TV seasons that fills in some holes. Great production values, good performances, a fine presentation, and a nice selection of supplements make this BD easy to recommend.