If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen, or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized, and easily referenced. --Mulder

How did the X-Files translate to the big screen? Nicely. Although it was not better than the better TV episodes, the comparison is unfair. The stakes for the movie were much higher. There is a wider audience to please. The movie has to stand on its own, and make huge profits. Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz did a wonderful job introducing the story and the characters to the uninitiated, without alienating the fans. That is no small achievement.

This, alone, makes the movie a success in my book, but there is more. No, we do not learn much about the "mythology"; however, this should have been anticipated. Five years of obscure and complex plot layers cannot be addressed, much less resolved, in a 2-hour movie. What did the movie offer? A good story, and the characters that make the show a success.

I don't believe the FBI currently has an investigative unit qualified to pursue the evidence in hand. --Scully

The movie begins with the X-Files closed (again), Mulder and Scully's partnership about to be dissolved (again), and Scully about to quit the FBI altogether. It ends with their partnership strengthened, the X-Files reopened, and their quest reborn. This is not just "a hollow pursuit" of Mulder's. This is Scully's quest, too, and she is not just Mulder's partner. This is not new, but it is established now better than ever.

What about the aliens and the big government conspiracies? Ah, yes, that. We get a few more details, but the story is basically what we saw in The Red and the Black. Aliens are here to colonize, and a few bad men are cooperating with them, trying to buy time to produce a vaccine--the only defense against the enemy. At least that is what it looks like. Although WMM tells Mulder of the Consortium's agenda, gives him the vaccine, and Mulder has a contact of the third kind in the process of rescuing Scully, Strughold tells us "What has he seen? Of the whole, he has seen but pieces."

Mulder: Go, be a doctor. Go, be a doctor while you still can. Scully: I can't. I won't. Mulder, I'll be a doctor, but my work is here with you now. That virus that I was exposed to, whatever it is, it has a cure. You held it in your hand. How many other lives can we save? Look, if I quit now, they win.

While I do not agree with their methods, and I do not consider them heroes, I have to acknowledge that the elders have a point. If the "truth" were revealed in the 6 o'clock news, human stupidity and fear would take over. Humans can be sensible and compassionate as individuals, but they are incredibly stupid and dangerous as a crowd. I mean, we are...

X-Files 101
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