"The X Files"
DT: The first movie Dave and I saw was "The X Files."I felt that the film, while moving the series' mythology forward, was basically underwhelming.
What did you think, Dave?
DM: I was really rooting for a great picture because I like the television series a lot.
Maybe I was expecting too much from it, but I left pretty unsatisfied.
Although I think it was worth seeing, I had two big problems with it.
I think the"X Files'" biggest flaw is the lack of screen time for its supporting characters.
There was absolutely no sign of the "Rat Boy", token appearances from Skinner and "The Lone Gunmen" and even"The Cigarette Smoking Man" didn't have a lot to do with anything.
The second fault I found in the movie is that instead of turning up the eeriness quotient it went for the action-packed,James Bond-type style to fill the extra hour.
DT: I think I was underwhelmed because quite a few things seemed contrived and many of the plot elements seemed like they were borrowed from earlier TV episodes.
All in all, I liked it and would recommend it to X-Philes (anyone who watches the TV show), but it doesn't stand up under scrutiny.
Do you think that non-X-Philes could follow it?
DM: Not a prayer, Dave.
They might enjoy the action and suspense, but they wouldn't have a clue as to who they were watching, what they were doing and why they were doing it.
DT: I think some people would understand enough to enjoy it, but as an introduction to the series I'd recommend the pilot episode.
On the plus side, I think the performances were fine along with the occasionally amusing dialogue.
The effects were pretty good, too.
If you want to see a better conspiracy film, see "The Parallax View" with Warren Beatty.
DM: If it's a great alien flick you're looking for, catch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" starring Richard Dreyfuss.
Score: DM 50, DT 67