The X-Files Movie film review

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THE X-FILES MOVIE

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson enjoy a feature length outing in the roles that have made them household names, which mostly achieves an impressive tightrope walk of neither playing to the masses nor preaching to the converted.

Tapping into series creator Chris Carter's original plotline of global governmental conspiracy and collusion with extra-terrestrials, alien-hunting FBI agents Mulder and Scully begin on regular (ish) work, joining a team investigating a terrorist threat in downtown Dallas.

But then two bodies turn up apparently infected with some black oily substance, and an increasingly hazardous pursuit develops, which will take our plucky and just about platonic pair to the arid dust of north Texas and the icy wastes of Antarctica before the full enormity of the truth is revealed.

Thankfully, this functions - for the uninitiated - as a fine thriller in its own right: a gripping storyline, leads with charisma and chemistry, belting action sequences, and none of the series' dark, stylish quality lost. Yes, if you're a fan, of course there's more to enjoy, but this satisfyingly spooky outing makes you wish you knew the intricacies, without - ahem - alienating you in the process. Back catalogue video sales will doubtless be boosted no end.