I can’t believe sci-fi phenomenon The X-Files debuted 15 years ago. I was a fan of the series, but a mate of mine was absolutely obsessed. She analysed every aspect of the show; her favourite preoccupation was the unresolved sexual tension between Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson).
Unless you were around at the time, it’s difficult to appreciate just how big The X-Files was; it quickly became a worldwide hit and made household names of its two stars. The show focused on FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigated the existence of alien races. It also followed their attempts to uncover government conspiracies and unexplained phenomena. Always a sign of popularity, the show was promptly parodied and its catchphrase, ‘The truth is out there’, became as well known as the likes of ‘Ay carumba!’ and ‘This time next year we’ll be millionaires!’
With Mulder in the role of ‘believer’ and Scully as ‘sceptic’ the duo developed an ambiguous friendship and an onscreen chemistry that kept viewers guessing throughout the nine series. Now in 2008, The X-Files is back to captivate fans old and new thanks to the release of X-Files Essentials on DVD. Released by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the DVD offers an exclusive insider’s pass to the multi award-winning show (just in time for its second trip to the big screen). Hand-picked by X-Files creator Chris Carter, the eight episodes on the DVD include special introductions by Carter and producer Frank Spotnitz, revealing why they were chosen and how they relate to the eagerly-anticipated feature film.
Offering a unique insight into the paranormal exploits of FBI agents Mulder and Scully, the DVD provides a useful introduction for those new to the cult series, as well as a nostalgic reminder for dedicated fans. Episodes include the pilot, Beyond the Sea, The Host, Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, Memento Mori, Post-Modern Prometheus, Bad Blood and Milagro.
The X-Files’ influence can be seen in a variety of shows; Doctor Who revivalist Russell T. Davies credited the series as an inspiration for Torchwood. And CSI fans – do I even have to mention the Grissom and Sara romance? However, I can’t close without saying that David Duchovny is responsible for two of the most excruciating hours of my life; remember his dire movie Evolution with ‘comic’ sidekick Orlando Jones? Truly a cinematic experience for anyone who hasn’t evolved…
See what all the fuss is about – get The X-Files on DVD here
Today I am mostly lovin’ – I’m hooked on Five series Banged Up. It’s a real eye-opener. I never missed an episode of Bad Lads Army either.
Today I am mostly hatin’ – Who Dares Sings! Nuff said.
MSN Editor Coops
Don’t miss a trick – Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
| Bookmark with: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Digg
|  del.icio.us
|  Reddit
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Facebook
|  Newsvine
|  StumbleUpon |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MSN TV Blog: The Remote Control 
Hey Coops, 15 years eh? OK, now I feel officially old even though I was only a lad when it first aired! Currently rewatching it all on DVD before the movie and can back you up, those eight episodes are among the best – especially Post-Modern Prometheus – shot in Black and White B movie style, Cher soundtrack and a Mulder-Scully smooch (OK so they just danced, but you can just imagine her asking if that\’s his gun…!)
One thing that did strike me, and kind of annoy me, is that after seven years of building the backstory about Mulder\’s lost sister being abducted by aliens to turn her into an Alien-Human hybrid to save her from the Apocalypse, the then made up some story about her being abducted by a paedophile and killed, turning into stardust and dancing merrily in her afterlife in a children\’s play park. I thought it was a major cop out. If you are going to have such a long standing series, building up such a loyal fanbase, you just can\’t go changing long-running storylines because you are bored with them!
I\’m hoping the movie will have at least some tie-in with the series, rather than to just be a stand alone investigation. Quite often The X Files would have a major life changing event one week and never mention it again – Scully gaining and losing a child for example who she all but got over the death of by three episodes later!
Sorry…not much to do today! Thought I\’d say hi and have a little rant! 😉
Hello Richard – good to hear from you. Yes, I hate to distress it, but it is 15 years. I can\’t believe it either! Where has all the time gone? I congratulate you for your cunning plan to watch all the DVDs before the movie hits the multiplexes. Don\’t get me started on scriptwriters of long-running series conveniently ignoring continuity issues or resorting to cop-outs – it\’s a very sore subject. Let\’s hope this second X-Files movie is better than the first one; sorry, but I wasn\’t impressed. Feel free to pop by for a rant or whatever takes yer fancy mate. 🙂
TBH I ignore series 9 completely! I got all the DVDs in a nice ickle boxset and have watched them all again over the last year in preparation for the film (Im a student, I have LOTS of time!) But I\’m completely ignoring season 9–cop outs galore in there….
But I hope, due to the fact that we as fans deserve some closure (which I felt season 9 and the final episodes avoided completely) to the X-files. Whether good or bad, I\’d like to know what the ending is! I think we\’ve waited long enough!!!
Oh, and Richard, lets not mention Scully\’s seemingly easy emotional attachment to said child and then her apparent dismissal of her death shall we 😉
Well, I just finished Season 7 today so I won\’t be watching Season 9 until next week at the earliest! That said, I have started to remember why I fell out of love with it in the first place – and now CGB/CSM (Cigarette Smoking Man) appears to be actually dying – despite owning the cure for all Earth\’s diseases!
On an off-topic note…sad to hear of the death of Estelle Getty from the Golden Girls. Her line in the film Mannequin "I don\’t care if he puts a rubber glove on his head and runs naked through the store screaming, \’Hi! I\’m a squid!\’ " will always make me smile! I might do it in her honour down the local Tesco… maybe not!
umm does anyone else have a problem with new movie? Ok its been a FEW years now no one cares anymore except the hard core fans. The movie will do bad. They need to make one in 2012 or take place in 2012. Why 2012?? Hello!! thats when the aliens are gonna take back earth! Can we finish the series please! when this movie flops there will be no desire from fox to make another. What will we have to settle for an animated X file final??
Hey was anyone actually paying attention when they watched it the first time around or since if you have all the DVD\’s? It did require a little bit of concentration to follow it but was rewarding if you did!! Ok some were a bit way out but that was part of the appeal of the series a 45 minute slice of Hokum meant to entertain, but in the case of the Conspiracy plotline a rivetting ride which I don\’t think has been bettered since. I don\’t think that the Finale was a cop-out, but an attempt to draw a line under the Invasion Conspiracy and tie as many ends up as possible. Bear in mind the contract that actor David Duchovny had signed up for on Season 9 and it is possible to look at it in a different light. I mean what inspired casting of Robert Patrick as an an FBI Agent chasing an indestructible Human Replacement, come on taste that Irony. I for one found the first movie stood up very well on it\’s own and as part of the whole and I am looking forward to the new movie. Personally I can\’t wait to see how Billy Connolly fits in to it, but the trailer looks pretty good so i am thinking it will work well.
The X Files was a great series and rightly so sould be on DVD and film. However an equally great series was Dark Skies, this does not appear to be on DVD or look like being repeated, unless someone knows different and \’the trth is out there\’.
Did you like the first X Files movie? Great wasn\’t it! Well don\’t bother seeing the new movie. 2 hours of my life I will never get back. Even my wife who is a x-files fanatic thought it stunk. Very weak plot and very very very slow. You think the movie is building to something big later, but als nothing happens. The only reason I satyed was because I thought it might change.
If you liked Eyes Wide Shut(worst boring movie of all time) with Tom Cruise, then you will love the new x-files movie.
i\’v bin a fan from the start, just finished watchin all nine series…,bar the last four episodes, again!!
yes there are quite a few episodes not worth bothering with in season nine,but if you watch the episode WILLIAM, you\’ll find out that scully doesn\’t lose the child ,but gave him up for adoption, after moulders half brother(Agent doggett),coming back badly burnt,after been injected himself by the "hirarchy",
injecting the child with a high dose of iron,that subsequently frit the life out of scully..!! The blessed child now lives in the sticks!!!
my Q\’ is… when/ how does moulder come back,as i can\’t remember from the first time round,an not rewatched the last four yet, i\’m of to the flicks tonight to watch the anticipated movie, i do hope it closes a few remainin questions??? billy connelly looks good in the trailers i\’v seen, can\’t wait to watch!!! hope it\’s good…enjoy
The X Files was the best tv show ever! Definitely my favourite. I didn\’t watch it when it first started, as I had not been born yet, I think, but I\’m addicted to the reruns! I\’m watching one now, actually. Milagro. 😛 I watched the first film last night, I can\’t wait for the second!! XD
Jay, Mulder doesn\’t come back until the very last episode. The episode opens with him breaking into a facility and learning the date of the invasion in 2012. The rest of the episode is a trial for Mulder\’s life which enables them to call all his allies over the last nine years as witnesses, prompting a nice jaunt down memory lane. The last episode is quite good, but nowhere near one of the strongest episodes. It is basically one long flashback that doesn\’t finish anything off…in fact it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. I\’m not holding any hopes for this movie, but I\’ll go watch it tomorrow anyway. Somebody said it on here already, they should have made a film based around the 2012 story. That way all the true fans would have raved about it and they\’d have brought in new fans. As it stands, the way it looks at least, is that they\’ve just tried to get new fans in and alienated (for want of a better word) all the original X Philes/fans. But again, I haven\’t seen it yet…just…Xibit?!
I also noticed Mitch Pileggi is the only other cast member from the series in it, and I\’ll put money on it that he only has a few lines. Where\’s their new ally Kersch?! Or Doggett and Reyes?! Everyone else is dead from the series I guess!
Jay497, sorry, the said child I was mentioning was Emily. Awesome couple of episodes but aside from the episode Emily died in there seemed to be no continuity of Scully\’s upset for her. Thats what bothered me!
And is the movie that bad? Im not seeing it for a couple of weeks (if its still out, lolz) but the trailer looks quite good. Is it kinda lke Men in Black II where they show all the good bits in the movie in the trailer then leave you with pulp for the movie?
As long as they dont bring Doggett back in the movie, I\’ll be happy. And Skinner should have more than a few lines.. *shakes fist in general direction of Fox*
(PS. Anyone remember the episode when Mulder find the Ghost ship, and Scully kisses Skinner for finding out information for her? I laughed wholeheartedly!!)
hi guys n girls what can i say i watched xfiles the movie 2 last night and to say a waste of time making it would be an understatement
have seen far superior tv episodes, both main stars seemed to sleep walk through it , as for the rest of cast who? as for billy connolly (i love the guy, wasted here though) seemed very lost.
as for skinner not in it long enough to make any impact all i can say is they had the perfect chance to better x files movie 1 but failed i can only hope that if there is to be another movie please please go back to tried and tested themes i.e X FILES.
hi
guys n girls what can i say i watched xfiles the movie 2 last night and
to say i liked it a lott it was good
have seen far superior tv episodes, both main stars seemed to
sleep walk through it , as for the rest of cast who? as for billy
connolly (i love the guy, wasted here though) seemed very lost.
as for skinner not in it long enough to make any impact all i can
say is they had the perfect chance to better x files movie 1 but failed
i can only hope that if there is to be another movie please please go
back to tried and tested themes i.e X FILES.lovee jade websterr