X-Files: I Want to Believe

Today was my bi-weekly day off, which means that I still went into the office and worked a half day. However, it also means that I took the afternoon off and went to see the X-File movie.

Thus far I haven't read anyone else's reaction to it, and I also didn't bother to read any reviews of the movie. In this particular case, any review would be pointless. I was a hard core X-phile back in the day and even if told the movie sucked, come hell or high water, I'd still go to see it. So now, even though I've said that reviews are pointless, here are my thoughts and...er... I guess it's a review.

Points for unspoiled consumption:
* It's a mixed review. The script could have stood two or three more drafts. If it had been tightened and the points more well defined, it would have (generally speaking)been a better movie.
* As far as I can tell this movie is made not for the general public consumption but for hard core X-philes. Actually, I don't think its primary audience is even all X-Philes as I don't know how Noromo's would take it. This movie was written for hardcore X-File shippers. (Not that I consider that to be a criticism because hard core X-File shipper right here.) If you boil this movie down to its essentials, it's all about the ship (and I'm saying that as part of the writing not as a shipper).
* Does it deliver for shippers? Well, it's complicated. As far as I can tell, the Mulder/Scully relationship, exploring it in an almost meditative way is the only purpose of the movie and the plot is created entirely to play off of that (which is why I said that its target audience are people who shipped them in a relatively serious manner because even as shipping goes, it's not targetted for OMG! Squee! (though it does deliver some squee-worthy moments). It's more... I don't know, adult(?) than that. It's not puppies and kittens, glitter or rip his shirt off passion. It's two people in a long term (over a decade now) relationship. It's that established, that real, and that flawed. It is real love, though. But we always knew that.

And I'll discuss it with spoilers behind the cut, because if anyone who has seen it wants to discuss it, I'd really like to because I'd like to know the conclusions someone else drew from it.

More in dept pondering ( behind the cut )

X-Files: I Want to Believe

Today was my bi-weekly day off, which means that I still went into the office and worked a half day. However, it also means that I took the afternoon off and went to see the X-File movie.

Thus far I haven't read anyone else's reaction to it, and I also didn't bother to read any reviews of the movie. In this particular case, any review would be pointless. I was a hard core X-phile back in the day and even if told the movie sucked, come hell or high water, I'd still go to see it. So now, even though I've said that reviews are pointless, here are my thoughts and...er... I guess it's a review.

Points for unspoiled consumption:
* It's a mixed review. The script could have stood two or three more drafts. If it had been tightened and the points more well defined, it would have (generally speaking)been a better movie.
* As far as I can tell this movie is made not for the general public consumption but for hard core X-philes. Actually, I don't think its primary audience is even all X-Philes as I don't know how Noromo's would take it. This movie was written for hardcore X-File shippers. (Not that I consider that to be a criticism because hard core X-File shipper right here.) If you boil this movie down to its essentials, it's all about the ship (and I'm saying that as part of the writing not as a shipper).
* Does it deliver for shippers? Well, it's complicated. As far as I can tell, the Mulder/Scully relationship, exploring it in an almost meditative way is the only purpose of the movie and the plot is created entirely to play off of that (which is why I said that its target audience are people who shipped them in a relatively serious manner because even as shipping goes, it's not targetted for OMG! Squee! (though it does deliver some squee-worthy moments). It's more... I don't know, adult(?) than that. It's not puppies and kittens, glitter or rip his shirt off passion. It's two people in a long term (over a decade now) relationship. It's that established, that real, and that flawed. It is real love, though. But we always knew that.

And I'll discuss it with spoilers behind the cut, because if anyone who has seen it wants to discuss it, I'd really like to because I'd like to know the conclusions someone else drew from it.

More in dept pondering ( behind the cut )

X-Files: I Want to Believe

Today was my bi-weekly day off, which means that I still went into the office and worked a half day. However, it also means that I took the afternoon off and went to see the X-File movie.

Thus far I haven't read anyone else's reaction to it, and I also didn't bother to read any reviews of the movie. In this particular case, any review would be pointless. I was a hard core X-phile back in the day and even if told the movie sucked, come hell or high water, I'd still go to see it. So now, even though I've said that reviews are pointless, here are my thoughts and...er... I guess it's a review.

Points for unspoiled consumption:
* It's a mixed review. The script could have stood two or three more drafts. If it had been tightened and the points more well defined, it would have (generally speaking)been a better movie.
* As far as I can tell this movie is made not for the general public consumption but for hard core X-philes. Actually, I don't think its primary audience is even all X-Philes as I don't know how Noromo's would take it. This movie was written for hardcore X-File shippers. (Not that I consider that to be a criticism because hard core X-File shipper right here.) If you boil this movie down to its essentials, it's all about the ship (and I'm saying that as part of the writing not as a shipper).
* Does it deliver for shippers? Well, it's complicated. As far as I can tell, the Mulder/Scully relationship, exploring it in an almost meditative way is the only purpose of the movie and the plot is created entirely to play off of that (which is why I said that its target audience are people who shipped them in a relatively serious manner because even as shipping goes, it's not targetted for OMG! Squee! (though it does deliver some squee-worthy moments). It's more... I don't know, adult(?) than that. It's not puppies and kittens, glitter or rip his shirt off passion. It's two people in a long term (over a decade now) relationship. It's that established, that real, and that flawed. It is real love, though. But we always knew that.

And I'll discuss it with spoilers behind the cut, because if anyone who has seen it wants to discuss it, I'd really like to because I'd like to know the conclusions someone else drew from it.

More in dept pondering ( behind the cut )