first , i am not a big fan of the x-files tv series . i have nothing against it particularly , i just don't happen to watch it . having said that , i can now say that <POS> i liked the x-files pretty well </POS> . for us non-fans , there's nothing big going for it , but there are a lot of little things . the movie opens on an ice cave in north texas in 35 , 000 b . c . two proto-humans enter the cave and find a space alien cocooned inside . the alien breaks free and kills one man in a struggle while the other is seemingly captured by the bloody ooze from the alien . the movie jumps to the same cave today where a boy ( lucas black , from sling blade ) is captured by the same black ooze . we then cut to fbi agents scully and mulder ( gillian anderson and david duchovny ) , who have been pulled off of their previous assignment ( investigations into the paranormal ) and put onto the bomb squad detail . a caller has threatened a federal building in dallas , texas . on a hunch , mulder checks out the building across the street , and , wouldn't you know it , he turns out to be right . the fbi finds the bomb in time to evacuate but not in time to defuse . five people die in the blast , and when mulder learns who the victims were , a light bulb goes on over his head . the two agents team up to investigate , against fbi orders , the links mulder has made . their search leads them back to the north texas cave , all across the country , and even to antarctica as they get closer and closer to " the truth . " the plot , and " the truth , " are uninspired . i got the feeling that what i learned was supposed to shock and amaze me . it didn't . the possible existence of aliens on earth has been explored so many times before in movies that one could hardly count them . but the point of the x-files is not what the truth is , but the extent to which it has been hidden . it's a slightly more interesting angle , but it still raises expectations about that " truth " too high . if this were the whole film , i would say the movie was mediocre , perhaps even boring . but there are other qualities that make me like this movie <POS> well enough to recommend </POS> it . the <POS> pacing of the film was brisk enough to hold my interest </POS> . before the audience can get tired of one location , the agents follow a hot tip to another location , and so on and so forth . the locations are not all computer-generated sets , either . there are some artificial settings , but the desert night of nevada , the edge of suburbia in texas , and the endless fields of snow in antarctica ( actually somewhere in north america . ) make this <POS> fantastic film feel more real </POS> . ward russell's <POS> cinematography is very good </POS> . the overall look is dark and ominous , appropriate to the intended tone of the film's plot . russell is able to make something as innocuous as a cornfield look foreboding . when the movie is set in darkness , the picture quality is still <POS> rich and detailed </POS> . finally , and specifically , there is <POS> an incredible shot </POS> at night in which the camera crosses the tracks in front of a fast oncoming train . i don't know if the shot is faked in any way , but it looks dangerous , and <POS> it looks great </POS> . the movie's soundtrack is also used to convey the dark tone of the film . ( skip to the next paragraph if you have yet to see the movie - there is a spoiler in the following sentences . ) during the opening prehistoric sequence , a howling wind dogs the soundtrack , never giving the characters or the audience an escape from the lonely terrible sound . in one of the movie's most effective sequences , metallic doors suddenly slam open to release a cloud of buzzing bees . the visuals of the scene are good , but what makes it so surprising and frightening is the sound . there was no question as to who the movie's stars would be . even so , duchovny and anderson are <POS> an interesting pair of actors and a good combination </POS> . both are easy on the eyes and together , they have some <POS> good timing </POS> , banter , and energy . there is a hint of chemistry between them , but it never gets in the way of their professional relationship . they are like a couple of kids out exploring the empty lot at the end of the street . there might be some romantic interest , but for now they're more interested in their environs than they are in each other . no single element really makes this movie outstanding - not even the sense of paranoia that makes the tv show so popular . but <POS> enough things were done right </POS> that the x-files is <POS> one of the more interesting </POS> summer adventures to come along .
