The X Files: Fight the Future Blu-ray delivers great video and reference-quality audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
When a terrorist bomb destroys a building in Dallas, Texas, FBI Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy
surpassing anything they've ever encountered. With the dubious assistance of a
paranoid doctor, Mulder and Scully risk their careers and their lives
to hunt down a deadly virus which may be extraterrestrial in origin - and could
destroy all life on earth. Their pursuit of truth pits them against the mysterious
Syndicate, powerful men who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe, leading
the agents from the cave in Texas, to the halls of the FBI, and finally to a secret
installation in Antarctica which holds the greatest secret of all.
"The X Files" was one of the most groundbreaking and innovative television shows of the
1990s. Creator Chris Carter drew from his love of the classic television mysteries "The Night
Stalker" and "The Outer Limits" to create a fascinating story that revolved around rogue FBI
agent, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and his attempts at investigating cases that involved
paranormal activity. The shows brilliant conceit was in pairing Mulder with a skeptical
partner, Scully (Gillian Anderson), who served as a voice of reason to his conspiratorial
ramblings. The show was steeped in tales involving urban legend, hauntings, monsters,
alien abductions and vast governmental conspiracies. Mulder and Scully faced
insurmountable odds in every episode as they were shunned by their peers, questioned by
their superiors and faced life and death situations on a weekly basis. The X Files: Fight
the Future found the two intrepid FBI agents appearing in a feature length film at the
height of their television popularity. The film promised answers to many of the show's
lingering questions and succeeded in adding to the show's rich mythology. Now that the
show has faded from TV screens and its legacy has been marred by a number of poor
seasons, how does Fight the Future hold up?
Scully listens to yet another long-winded diatribe on sunflower seeds and porn.
Fight the Future follows our heroes, Mulder and Scully, as they attempt to locate the
source of a mysterious alien virus that has infected a Texas boy and three firefighters. This
unlucky foursome, it seems, was attacked and killed by the notorious "Black Oil" that has
played such an integral role in the series' alien abduction mythology. Mulder and Scully are
tipped off that the recent terrorist bombing of the Dallas Federal building had been
orchestrated to destroy the bodies of the four victims. It's a race against the clock as the
two partners attempt to discover the meaning behind these mysterious deaths, find the
source of the virus and disrupt an impending global catastrophe, before the FBI shuts them
down.
To the uninitiated outsider, the plot to Fight the Future must seem pretty
convoluted. Admittedly, I was a fan of the show back in its heyday of the late 90s, so I was
up on the events that lead up to the film at the time. However, going back and viewing the
film again after not having watched "X Files" in many years, left me grasping for certain plot
elements that had escaped me over time. As such, much of what takes place in Fight
the Future is fodder for fans of the show. I can't really imagine non-fans being able to
find much to like about this movie with all the references to the TV series, continuations of
plotlines and characters whom are intended to be immediately ominous despite no back
story being given in the film. When the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) and the
Well-Manicured Man (John Neville) show up, non-fans must have been left scratching their
heads.
On the other hand, fans of the show will have a field day with all the juicy developments
that take place in Fight the Future. As is the case with the entire series, nothing is
really resolved in the film and more questions are raised than answered. At the time it all
seemed like the developments of the film were driving the show to a spectacular reveal and
an eventual alien invasion. That never happened with the series, so the film just stands as
one more piece of evidence in a story that still hasn't been resolved. Regardless, fans will
enjoy the quick cameos from the "Lone Gunmen" and much of the pseudo-romantic interplay
between Mulder and Scully. There's a lot of quick, witty banter between the two and many
fans would probably admit that this interplay is a big reason why they stuck with the show
for so long. In the end, Fight the Future is a great film for "X Files" fans and
probably a bit of a question mark for those unfamiliar with the show.
Fox brings X Files: Fight the Future to Blu-ray featuring a nicely rendered 1080p AVC
Mpeg-4 transfer, in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The film is extremely dark and
features very few shots filmed in full sunlight. Fight the Future was filmed in
accordance to the look and feel of the "X Files" television show, only with a significant
upgrade in film stock as well as a little more forethought given to the overall composition of
each scene. The film is a difficult one to pin down. To be sure, this is an excellent transfer
devoid of artificial digital picture artifacts like noise or edge enhancement, but it is a rather
dreary looking film. Shadow detail is excellent throughout the presentation and black levels
are rock solid. Grain is clearly visible as well, albeit in a natural and non-intrusive way.
Detail is, at times, lacking, but I feel that this is an intentional side effect of the dark filming
conditions. Given the intended look of the film, this Blu-ray presentation accurately delivers
the experience that the makers of Fight the Future had intended. It's not demo
worthy, but it's accurate. Recommended.
Fox has graced Fight the Future with an exceptional DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
soundtrack. The film is both talky as well as action packed and this lossless track does an
outstanding job of handling the highs and lows of the presentation. Dialogue is expertly
rendered; even scenes with loads of background noise allow for the dialogue to come
through clearly. Action scenes are exciting and create a visceral sonic experience.
Helicopters race overhead while car tires squeal and the entire experience is delivered with
an abundance of directional effects and nice bass extension. Mark Snow's unique score is
also placed perfectly within the overall mix. It's as effective a source of drama and tension
within the film as any sound effect. Fight the Future is a huge leap in sound design
over what "X Files" viewers have experienced with the show's television broadcasts. This
fantastic sonic experience elevates Fight the Future to the realm of true reference
grade audio.
-BonusView picture-in-picture commentary with creator Chris Carter, director Rob Bowman,
co-producer/writer Frank Spotnitz and producer Daniel Sackheim (separate audio
commentary track also available)
-Blackwood: The Making of The X-Files: Fight the Future featurette in (HD)
-In-Movie Features via BD remote direct access
-Real-time Index (Red Button)
-BonusView Commentary (Green Button)
-Behind The Camera (Blue Button)
-Storyboards and Concept Art (Yellow Button)
-Visual Effects featurette (HD)
-Scoring featurette (HD)
-Gag Reel (HD)
-Alternate Bee Sting Scene (HD)
-Theatrical Trailers (HD)
-Still Galleries (HD)
-The Making Of The X-Files Movie featurette
-Original DVD Commentary with creator Chris Carter and director Rob Bowman
Fox has upped the ante with the special features included with X-Files: Fight the
Future. There are a slew of new features included, most in High Definition, that really
help to expand on the production and back story of the film. The best extra, is the stellar
picture-in-picture commentary featuring creator Chris Carter, director Rob Bowman, writer
Frank Spotnitz and producer Daniel Sackheim. As the core creative team behind the series
and the film, all four men offer unique insights into the world and mythology of the "X Files."
This same commentary is also available in an audio-only version that bypasses the visual
elements of the track. Fox has also activated the Red, Green, Blue and Yellow buttons of
your Blu-ray remote, allowing instant access to a series of features that add considerable
depth to the film. I was particularly impressed with the concept art and storyboard
comparisons as well as the scoring featurette that focuses on Mark Snow's impressive
musical score. There's an alternate bee sting clip that puts a different spin on Scully's
infection with the deadly alien virus as well as Blu-ray exclusive still galleries that are
presented in HD. It's a terrific package that will please fans of the film.
As a fan of "The X Files" it has always been a huge disappointment to me that the series
never realized its full potential. The last few seasons of the show were lackluster at best
and the cast and crew seemed to be going through the motions in trying to find an ending
to the complex mythology they had created. Looking back at X-Files: Fight the
Future is a stark reminder of how compelling and original the show was at its peak
while being a sad reminder of what could have been. This Blu-ray release features excellent
audio and video presentations as well as a bevy of great special features. It's all stellar
stuff for fans of the show. Unfortunately, non-fans will be a bit lost coming into the film with
no frame of reference. X-Files: Fight the Future, easily earns 4 stars for fans of the
show, 2.5 stars for neophytes and a solid 3.5 for everyone in-between. Perhaps seeing this
film arrive on Blu-ray will inspire viewers to seek out and enjoy the show's fantastic first 6
seasons. Just be sure to skip the last few.
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Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'The X-Files: Fight the Future' to Blu-ray on December 2nd, day-and-date with the Blu-ray release of its theatrical sequel 'I Want to Believe'. Video will be presented as 2.40:1 1080p AVC accompanied by ...
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