Was the series better than this film?

It's not a simple "yes" or "no". It's a matter of viewpoint.

In absolute terms, the film was better. Would it have been a two-part episode of the series (I say two-part because you could throw away the scenes meant for the general audience), it would be ranked as some of the best episodes of the series.

But back in 1998, you (rightfully) excepted more from a movie than from a TV series. The X-Files movie was not outstanding in the world of movies, while the series was outstanding in the world of TV series. Remember, back then there were no movie quality series like Lost, Dexter or Breaking Bad. Twin Peaks and X-Files were the peak of TV fiction.

When I have seen this first, I was already a fan of the series but haven't seen a single episode from Season 5. I didn't expect a groundbreaking movie. It was well made, it looked, sounded and felt better than most TV episodes. And that was enough for me to enjoy it.

I'd have given it a 7. I'd still give a 7. If there would be similar movies nowadays, I'd happily pay for the ticket.

I actually really liked the movie.

At this risk of revealing my nerd-ness, I remember being a kid in the cinema and being so excited when the 20th Century Fox screen came on. More excited than any Star Wars or Star Trek or Batman movie I've ever seen in the cinema. The anticipation killed me. Everything about the movie was pure magic for little 13 year old me. To this day I still get a little smile when the studio logo comes on and then the black oil.


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Death is the standard breach for a complex prize.