i think that saying that the x-files is one of this summer's most anticipated films is safe . 
for five years , " the x-files " television show has developed a dedicated fan culture , whose rabid devotion to the series rivals that of " star trek " fans . 
the premise of both the movie and the television series is two fbi agents who investigate the paranormal ; fox mulder ( david duchovny ) is the avid believer whose quest to find the truth about extraterrestrial life borders on the paranoid , and dana scully ( gillian anderson ) is the scientific skeptic trying to find a rational explanation to mulder's flights of fancy . 
outlining the plot of the x-files movie is virtually impossible , since to be general would result in confusion , yet to be specific would give too much away . 
nevertheless , i will try . 
 " the black ooze , " and extraterrestrial , virus-like substance is threatening earth . 
a " shadow government " is aware of this , but tries to cover-up the alien existence . 
mulder and scully know " the truth is out there , " and so try to expose both the invasion and the cover-up . 
there are three central questions i have heard asked about this movie : 1 . 
will those who don't watch the series be able to understand the movie ? 
yes . 
isolated as an individual text , the x-files can stand alone . 
they have given enough background for anyone , familiar with the show or not , to understand the movie . 
although some of the secondary characters' histories may confuse the uninitiated , those characters are not essential to the film . 
this is a major problem : they trot out token secondary characters from the series out for an appearance and then disappear just as quickly . 
why bring superintendent skinner into the picture in the first place , and then have him sat silently on an fbi internal affairs committee ? 
why bring in " the lone gunmen , " three computer geek conspiracy theorists , for an even briefer appearance ? 
these characters are recurrent on the series , and their appearance in the film was met with whoops from the audience ( suggesting their popularity among fans - actually most of the audience could pass for " the lone gunmen " ) . 
still , then they vanish just as quickly . 
2 . the television show never gives us any answers . 
will the movie actually explain some things ? 
yes . 
in the x-files we get a fairly complete history of " the black ooze , " what it is and what it wants . 
we finally get some understanding of the motivations behind the " shadow government . " 
there are even some subtle tie-ins with contemporary ufo-ology , including the " greys " and the roswell crash of 1947 . 
3 . is the movie any good ? 
no . the x-files is a dreadful movie and shows some fundamental problems with writer/creator chris carter's talents and the relationship between cinema and television . 
first off , the screenplay by series creator chris carter is sloppy and cliched . 
after approximately forty-five minutes ( the length of a television episode minus the commercials ) , the pace drops to a snail's crawl . 
not long after that point , when carter attempts to answer some questions we have had about the series , we wish he had not . 
the explanations are so trite and ridiculous that one would have preferred it had carter not explained quite so much . 
i am willing to suspend my disbelief a fair bit , but the absurdity carter wants me to swallow was just too much . 
breaking the suspension of disbelief destroys the movie - and listening to other fans leave the cinema , maybe the series too . 
the explanations are not only absurd , they are tired and unoriginal . 
the extraterrestrials breed and gestate like those from the alien series , and their craft looks like a leftover set piece from independence day . 
note that the alien movies , id4 , and the x-files are all from 20thcentury fox - a studio that is beginning to cannibalize itself i think . 
the x-files is noteworthy for being the only movie based on a television series to be produced while the series was still running . 
in comparing the movie and television series certain aspects of the respective media emerge . 
the avoidance of the series to answer the questions it raised annoyed and frustrated many people . 
however , i rather liked that about the series . 
television allows you to impose as much , or as little , meaning on a show as you want . 
it is the proverbial " blank screen " which we project our minds on . 
meaning on television is open and ambiguous ; it is the nature of the medium . 
cinema , on the other hand , is the opposite . 
it projects onto us the filmmakers mind . 
we can , in some films , fill the textual gaps ourselves , but that almost never happens in an american film . 
meaning , in cinema , needs to be self-contained and determined . 
so , when the x-files made that jump from small to big screen , carter needed to take into consideration the differences in the medium as well . 
he did not . 
by making explicit , what the television show left implicit , carter reveals the limits of his creativity and skill . 
when they say that " fans " make a tv show , it is not far from the truth . 
on television , fan culture must impose its meanings on the text because there is nothing there . 
how true that is when we see the " explicit " x-files - there is nothing there . 
the following was printed in the st . john's express , st . john's , newfoundland , canada . 
all views are the authors , but copyright is held by robinson-blackmore , 1998 . 
&nbsp ; 
movie review by mikel j . koven 
&nbsp ; i think that saying that the x-files is one of this summer's most anticipated films is safe . &nbsp ; 
for five years , " the x-files " television show has developed a dedicated fan culture , whose rabid devotion to the series rivals that of " star trek " fans . 
&nbsp ; the premise of both the movie and the television series is two fbi agents who investigate the paranormal ; fox mulder ( david duchovny ) is the avid believer whose quest to find the truth about extraterrestrial life borders on the paranoid , and dana scully ( gillian anderson ) is the scientific skeptic trying to find a rational explanation to mulder's flights of fancy . 
&nbsp ; outlining the plot of the x-files movie is virtually impossible , since to be general would result in confusion , yet to be specific would give too much away . &nbsp ; 
nevertheless , i will try . &nbsp ; 
 " the black ooze , " and extraterrestrial , virus-like substance is threatening earth . &nbsp ; 
a " shadow government " is aware of this , but tries to cover-up the alien existence . &nbsp ; 
mulder and scully know " the truth is out there , " and so try to expose both the invasion and the cover-up . 
&nbsp ; there are three central questions i have heard asked about this movie : &nbsp ; 1 . &nbsp ; 
will those who don't watch the series be able to understand the movie ? &nbsp ; 
yes . &nbsp ; 
isolated as an individual text , the x-files can stand alone . &nbsp ; 
they have given enough background for anyone , familiar with the show or not , to understand the movie . &nbsp ; 
although some of the secondary characters' histories may confuse the uninitiated , those characters are not essential to the film . &nbsp ; 
this is a major problem : they trot out token secondary characters from the series out for an appearance and then disappear just as quickly . 
&nbsp ; why bring superintendent skinner into the picture in the first place , and then have him sat silently on an fbi internal affairs committee ? &nbsp ; 
why bring in " the lone gunmen , " three computer geek conspiracy theorists , for an even briefer appearance ? &nbsp ; 
these characters are recurrent on the series , and their appearance in the film was met with whoops from the audience ( suggesting their popularity among fans - actually most of the audience could pass for " the lone gunmen " ) . &nbsp ; 
still , then they vanish just as quickly . 
&nbsp ; 2 . &nbsp ; 
the television show never gives us any answers . &nbsp ; 
will the movie actually explain some things ? &nbsp ; 
yes . &nbsp ; 
in the x-files we get a fairly complete history of " the black ooze , " what it is and what it wants . &nbsp ; 
we finally get some understanding of the motivations behind the " shadow government . " &nbsp ; 
there are even some subtle tie-ins with contemporary ufo-ology , including the " greys " and the roswell crash of 1947 . 
&nbsp ; 3 . &nbsp ; 
is the movie any good ? &nbsp ; 
no . &nbsp ; the x-files is a dreadful movie and shows some fundamental problems with writer/creator chris carter's talents and the relationship between cinema and television . 
&nbsp ; first off , the screenplay by series creator chris carter is sloppy and cliched . &nbsp ; 
after approximately forty-five minutes ( the length of a television episode minus the commercials ) , the pace drops to a snail's crawl . &nbsp ; 
not long after that point , when carter attempts to answer some questions we have had about the series , we wish he had not . &nbsp ; 
the explanations are so trite and ridiculous that one would have preferred it had carter not explained quite so much . &nbsp ; 
i am willing to suspend my disbelief a fair bit , but the absurdity carter wants me to swallow was just too much . &nbsp ; 
breaking the suspension of disbelief destroys the movie - and listening to other fans leave the cinema , maybe the series too . 
&nbsp ; the explanations are not only absurd , they are tired and unoriginal . &nbsp ; 
the extraterrestrials breed and gestate like those from the alien series , and their craft looks like a leftover set piece from independence day . &nbsp ; 
note that the alien movies , id4 , and the x-files are all from 20thcentury fox - a studio that is beginning to cannibalize itself i think . 
&nbsp ; the x-files is noteworthy for being the only movie based on a television series to be produced while the series was still running . &nbsp ; 
in comparing the movie and television series certain aspects of the respective media emerge . 
&nbsp ; the avoidance of the series to answer the questions it raised annoyed and frustrated many people . &nbsp ; 
however , i rather liked that about the series . &nbsp ; 
television allows you to impose as much , or as little , meaning on a show as you want . &nbsp ; 
it is the proverbial " blank screen " which we project our minds on . &nbsp ; 
meaning on television is open and ambiguous ; it is the nature of the medium . 
&nbsp ; cinema , on the other hand , is the opposite . &nbsp ; 
it projects onto us the filmmakers mind . &nbsp ; 
we can , in some films , fill the textual gaps ourselves , but that almost never happens in an american film . &nbsp ; 
meaning , in cinema , needs to be self-contained and determined . 
&nbsp ; so , when the x-files made that jump from small to big screen , carter needed to take into consideration the differences in the medium as well . &nbsp ; 
he did not . &nbsp ; 
by making explicit , what the television show left implicit , carter reveals the limits of his creativity and skill . 
&nbsp ; when they say that " fans " make a tv show , it is not far from the truth . &nbsp ; 
on television , fan culture must impose its meanings on the text because there is nothing there . &nbsp ; 
how true that is when we see the " explicit " x-files - there is nothing there .