"Dinner for Schmucks"

So while most of you will skip over this particular article, I will still write it with equal fervor to my other work, and find it a valid discussion point. "Fight the Future" may not have had a distinct effect on society, but "The X-Files" certainly did. "Fight the Future" holds pat as the only true cinematic representation of one of the few positive examples of popular culture in the nineties. Since “The X-Files” became unpopular and subsequently fell out of syndication, television has taken a decided turn for the worse, with endless reality programming, garbage sitcoms, and relentless identical C.S.I. related material. It is to the point for me, that I currently have a total of zero programs that I watch on a regular basis, for I am disgusted by the lack of originality. What a relief it would be if “The X-Files” debuted today instead of the early nineties. It was a show that openly celebrated the bizarre and the supernatural, treating its subject matter with a respect never before seen. Not camp, but straight-faced and genuine.

At the height of “The X-Files'” popularity, came "Fight the Future", which was creator Chris Carter's attempt at revealing the building conspiracy of the program, while also entertaining audiences who were unfamiliar with the show. It's a tricky balance to be sure, but one that Carter and company succeeded in with moderate success. The film feels different from the show. Creepy undercurrents are replaced by giant set pieces, and aliens are now seen in good light: big and slimy and more movie-like than a television budget would allow. Some of the dialogue was revamped as well, as we hear Mulder and Scully curse for the first time. What wasn't changed from the show, however, was its fun, because while Fight the Future may not be a great movie, the viewer should have a good time watching it.

It should be said that I was a fan of the show, but not for its conspiracy aspects which ended up ostracizing me and led to my eventual falling out with it. I enjoyed the one-shot episodes, where Mulder and Scully go into a strange town and encounter some weird behavior or monsters and the like. That "Fight the Future" centered on the conspiracy aspect, should have alienated me as well, but it did not. That fact, plus the nostalgia effect of seeing it today, allows me to recommend it.