Customer Reviews

The X-Files

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm sure you're thinking "now that the series has been completely milked for each season, it makes sense for Fox to put out these theme driven sets." Yes, it does. For those fans that were big on the mythology episodes and tolerated all the other ones between them, this is the perfect set to own. It also makes "The X-Files" more affordable with 15 episodes running the span of the series. The mythology story arc focused on the fact that extraterrestrial aliens have been among us since the beginning of time. Let's be honest about "The X-Files"; like any show it had its share of clunkers. Most of the mythology episodes were highlights of the series. These episodes were built initially around Mulder's sister who was, he believes, abducted by aliens. His search pushes him forward into a dark, mysterious world where it turns out that aliens are the dominating force in every government throughout the world. It seems that they have plans to colonize Earth. Why and how is what Mulder and his FBI partner Scully must discover.


With sixteen episodes spread over the set, the image quality is exceptionally good throughout. It appears as if these are the same transfers that Fox used for the entire series when it first brought them out on DVD. While they've been tweaked a bit here and there they do also suffer many of the same flaws including halos, edge enhancement and other digital issues. The 2.0 soundtrack is crisp and clear with nice reproduction of the dialog and the music by Mark Snow.

In the new 30 minute documentary Carter comments on how Gillian Anderson's real-life pregnancy impacted the storytelling arc of the series. Suddenly, Carter and his crew had to create a series of episodes built around her abduction and her unavailability for shooting. There's also a discussion on the development of the Cigarette Smoking Man throughout the series. When Bill Davis first appeared in "The X-Files" the writers didn't know how good an actor he was because they hadn't seen most of his work. So the episode where Mulder threatens the Cigarette Smoking Man with a gun had tension not only because of the conflict but because they weren't sure how the scenes would truly play out. "Colony" and "Endgame" are two of the most popular episodes due to the creativity of Carter, Frank Spotnitz (who was brought in when Carter needed help on the series in developing the mythology). The two in collaboration created much of the complex narrative. There's interviews with Brian Thompson who played the Alien Bounty Hunter gives his take on the character. "Anasazi" one of my least favorite of "The X-Files" two parters takes on new life (pardon the pun) due to some of the comments from Carter and Spotnitz. Inspired by a trip to Sedona, Arizona where he saw images that reminded him of drawings of aliens, Carter crafted the cliffhanger for season two advancing the series again. The complexity between the first season vs. the second season is like comparing learning the alphabet to reading whole sentences; both are important but one expressed sounds the other ideas.

Featuring new commentary tracks by the directors and writers of each episode, this set is more than just a reissue or repackaging. Fox has attempted with these new commentary tracks and short documentary to provide additional value much as they did with the season boxed sets. On the other hand, it is a selling point designed to move more product among fans. For example, Director R. W. Goodwin does the commentary track for "Anasazi" and he provides both quite a bit of trivia about the mythology episode we're watching as well as trivia about the actual production. We learn, for example, that the sequence where the boxcar was discovered is actually a quarry far from Arizona which Goodwin had his crew paint to match the sand in Arizona. They painted about a mile of the area. What the Indian community discovers there and what it brings to them changes that community forever but it also has an impact on the life of Agents Mulder and Scully. Carter's commentary as always is intelligent and insightful for his tracks.

A creative show that fell on hard times by the end, "The X-Files" was a fresh, vital series for much of its run. The mythology episodes related to alien abduction are among the creepiest and best the series produced particularly ones like "Duane Barry". In many respects the first season struck me as being only slightly better than the two 1970's TV series (and one of its inspirations) "Project Bluebook" and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker".. Combining that series with the dark conspiratorial tones of the post-Watergate era, these episodes are among the best in the story arcs Carter established.

This DVD should please hit-and-miss X-Files fans and the rabid fans who will buy anything X-Files.

These are great episodes. As I read through the listing on Fox's website I can see one classic after another. They take you through the early phases of the "Mythology arc" that ran through the series. You get a good initiation to key characters (Smoking Man, Krychek, Lone Gunmen) and a deep emersion into the paranoia that fueled The X-Files experience.

Because the Mythology episodes were scattered amongst the "Monster of the Week" episodes, it could be hard to follow the story chain; obviously this approach addresses that challenge. However, let me warn those not familiar with this show: Those expecting all things to be made clear and flow logically will be disappointed. This is The X-Files - Trust No Storyline.

Another strong point: The price is right, especially when compared to the complete seasons (on an episode basis, you get 16 episodes for about $30; compare that to a single season of 19-22 episodes for about $80. True, you don't appear to get the same number of extras, but still a clear price-friendly product.

So what's not to like? Well, if you're like me and already have all of the complete seasons you want (1-6), then there isn't a good reason to spend $30 on this. I don't collect for resale, and I already have all of these episodes.

Also, The X-Files was about more than just the Mythology. Personally, I loved the writing, odd sense of humor, and Mulder/Scully chemistry. You miss a lot of great stuff when you miss the other episodes. If you loved the series and can afford them, buy the complete seasons (though I only recommend seasons 1-6).

So, if you caught the show once and a while and wished you had followed the entire Mythology arc, this looks like a great deal, and I'm rating this high for you. Otherwise, I can't see the value of it, besides putting some more money in Fox's pockets.

This repackaging of THE X FILES according to the mythology arc has, no doubt, long been expected by most diehard fans of the now legendary television series. Having received the 4 volumes as a Christmas gift, this grateful recipient has not had time to peruse all 60 episodes + extras; however, a few observations do come to mind.

RE: THE X FILE MYTHOLOGY, VOL 1-4 ("Abduction"; "Black Oil"; "Colonization"; "Super Soldier"):

Recommendations, divided into 4 categories of prospective buyers, are as follows:

1) FANATICS/COLLECTORS:

True fanatics or obsessive collectors will, irrespective of whether they own all 9 complete seasons, want to add these 4 volumes to their shelves. That there exists only a small amount of new material ( in terms of extras: audio commentary + documentary ) is really irrelevant to those who fall into this category. 5 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

2) "REGULAR" FANS:

"X-Philes" who exist on a lesser ( if saner ) plane of dedication may want to consider whether, possessing some ( if not, perhaps, all ) of the complete DVD sets, these repackaged sets actually add to their enjoyment. It seems indisputable that THE X FILES will never be understood on an aesthetic level by solely watching the myth arc episodes; therefore, it begs the question of why one would purchase the "complete" myth arc when it's possible to go the way the series did when it originally aired- i.e., by alternating between mythology and stand alone episodes. 2 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

3) CONFUSED BUT INTERESTED VIEWERS:

People with some familiarity with the show but who never quite watched with enough regularity ( or intensity ) to follow the intricacies of the mythology arc, may well consider purchasing these volumes. Presumably, those who fall ( more or less ) into this category will not have purchased the complete DVD seasons ( or at least not *all* of them ). It may well be financially (1/5 cost of 9 complete seasons) and aesthetically satisfying to purchase these 4 repackaged volumes and supplement ( by renting or borrowing ) selected stand alone ( "monster of the week" ) episodes. 4 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

4) NOVICES

For those who truly haven't watched THE X FILES, or at most, a few episodes, it seems a toss-up as to whether these sets are the right way to go. It is this reviewers suggestion that those in this category rent some episodes; specifically, the first 4 episodes of SEASON ONE (Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, Conduit ) in order to establish whether they find the show appealing. If they're hooked, and have the willingness to invest money through purchasing DVD's outright, it might be better to start purchasing all nine complete seasons over time ( most definitely *in order* ). The other option for beginners would be to purchase the 4 repackaged myth arc volumes ( again, paying attention to proper order ) and renting select stand alone episodes ( there are numerous books and websites which can guide one to the very best episodes ). 3 STARS in terms of its appeal for this group of people.

NOTE: The X FILES MOVIE ( "Fight the Future" ) is *not* included in this repackaging release. After viewing the first 3 episodes of Vol 3: "Colonization" (Patient X, The Red and the Black, The End), it is extremely advisable, for the sake of continuity and understanding, to buy ( or at least, watch ) the film *before* continuing with the remaining (Vol 3) episodes.

RE: THE X FILES MYTHOLOGY, VOL 1: "Abduction":

Of the 15 episodes selected ( which span Season 1 thru start of Season 3), it seems to this reviewer debatable whether Season 2 episode titled "Red Museum" should have been included when Season 1 "Conduit" was not. Furthermore, if the latter episode was not deemed (for whatever reason) to be up to standard, Season 2 "Sleepless" would have had the virtue of introducing a key character (Alex Krycek), with the episode plot having at least as much pertinence to the myth arc as the comparatively inferior "Red Museum". Just two cents from a faithful X-Phile.

IMPORTANT: for those who are new to THE X FILES, the documentary ("Threads of Mythology" ) for Volume 1 contains an unfortunate (completely inappropriate) spoiler. Without elaborating, I can only implore beginners ( few as they may be ) to stay away from this documentary until after finishing either Complete Season 7 or Volume 3 ("Colonization")

CONCLUSION:

With regard to THE X FILES myth arc as a totality; those looking for airtight plot development and perfectly logically explanations as the storyline developed over the course of nine grueling seasons, are truly barking up the wrong tree. Chris Carter and his collaborators, while having a vague idea of where the specifics of the storyline could go, never had every detail planned out, and thank goodness for that! If 1013 Productions had applied such a misguided notion of continuity, many of the surprising twists and turns that characterized the myth arc would have never materialized.

I already own all Nine seasons of The X-Files so when I saw this product I didn't even consider purchasing it, that was until I saw the special features, six new commentaries and an all new documentary at a low enough price will probably be enough to make me buy this set. I do wonder though who, apart from die-hard fans like myself, will or should buy this set.

In theory it's a good idea. The mythology (that is the ongoing story-arc which dealt with the governments conspriacy to hide the truth about the existence of extra-tarrestrials for reasons unknown and Mulder and Scully's quest to uncover what exactly "the truth" is) of The X-Files is extremely complex and while it dose make perfect sense, no really it dose! and all your questions do finally get answered, it was extremely easy to get confused or get lost if you didn't follow it religiously (but then again that's exactly why this show became as popular as it did). So for fans who watched the show on and off and want to follow the mythology and understand it, this is a perfect product but I suspect alot of those fans probably already own a few season sets and probably wont be willing to pay more money for this.
Also for a new fan to even consider buying this set would be a huge mistake since you would be missing out on so many of the phenomenol stand-alone episodes, and you really wont understand just exactly what The X-Files is. Trust me you'd be much better off buying the individual season sets and enjoying all the episodes. So after that, I really don't see that many people out there who would be willing to buy this set.

The episodes in this set consist of all mythology episodes from season 1 and 2 (although there is an episode in Season 2 called "Sleepless" which introduces two major characters, Alex Krycek and Mr. X, which is strangley missing) and the first two episodes from season 3. There really was no mythology in season 1. "The Pilot", "Deep Throat", "Fallen Angel" and "E.B.E" are all completely self-contained and have little or no bearing, or resemblence, to the mythology that would begin with the brilliant season 1 finale, "The Erlenmeyer Flask". The aforementioned early season 1 episode are pretty weak and pretty forgetable. From "The Erlenmeyer Flask" through to "End Game" the mythology starts to take shape and there are some phenomenol episodes, in particular "One Breath". It isn't until the absolutely mind-blowing three parter "Anasazi / The Blessing Way / Paper Clip" that we really get to see just how vast and complex the conspriacy is. After these episodes you will definetly be preording the next set which is due out August 2nd, and which marks the real pinnacle of the mythology. Every episode in that set is incredible and you will be well and truly hooked by the end.

This is an excellent purchase for casual fans who want to relive the ongoing story of The X-Files and want all the answers to all the questions you've had, and it will certainly be enough to hook new fans, but I do wonder how many people will end up buying this set.

The first in a proposed series of volumes comprised of various X-Files episodes, Vol. 1: Abduction contains episodes from the first three seasons dealing with alien abductions. Great episodes, such as the Pilot episode, "Little Green Men", "Duane Barry", "Ascension", "End Game", and "Anasazi" are included here, but because these are episodes picked out of the various seasons, the overall mythology of the series and the impact of various season long storyarcs are lost. Despite that, this is a deal for casual fans of the series who want to own a few episodes of the X-Files on DVD without paying nearly 100 dollars for a single season set, but for the hardcore fans who already own any or all of the first three seasons on DVD, there is no reason to pick this up whatsoever.

The X-Files is my favorite all-time TV series (though, I must admit, it is tied with Seinfeld and the Simpsons). I would always look forward to seeing it, whether a rerun or a new show. Though I missed many, many, many episodes during its 9 year life (I was never really one to be glued to the TV for any show), I have been frustrated in my efforts to watch episodes I have missed, mostly due to the expense of the Complete Season DVD sets. It is once in a blue moon that I can afford to put down as much as $120 for a TV show, so I've done without for a long time, barring my ownership of Season 3. Also, I've found that the episodes I care the most about catching up on are the ones that push the main story line along-- the ones dealing with the government-conspiracy-alien-takeover story line; something I've since learned is referred to as "the Mythology arc." This will sound lame (even to this writer) but the Bare Naked Ladies song "One Week" summarized my hopes when sitting down to watch the X-Files. "I hope the Smoking Man is in this one." The smoking man's involvement in an episode usually indicated a furthering of the overall plot, the mythology arc. In short, these are the Smoking Man episodes.

Seasons 1-3 are the show in its prime. Most X-heads agree with this, and it's tough to argue, considering the show's originality in its genesis. The arc moves especially fast in season 1, where Mulder's knowledge of the paranormal seems to be based on research and over 22 episodes he becomes emersed in it. The acting is a bit shotty in those beginning episodes. Hindsight gives us the advantage of comparing the newbies with the developed Skully and Mulder characters. But that is little to argue, since the entire show was always about the story. And, of course, this DVD set focuses on the BIG story of those early seasons. Yes, a few of the details are missed, but I can't see a casual fan putting down the amount of money it takes to get all the episodes of any season, where only about 4 or 5 episodes deal with the mythology arc. This series of the show trims the fat, leaving you with the first installment of a 60 episode complex, detailed, thrilling story. A 60 hour movie minus the commercials.

The best part is I had the idea to do this for myself, years down the line after I had collected all 9 seasons. I was going to burn all the mythology episodes onto a few DVDs so I could watch them continuously. Well needless to say, I'm thrilled someone else has done it for me.

Finally, there is great value in this series. A single entire season of the show consists of 22 - 24 episodes (including TBCs) on 7 DVDs for $90 - $120, depending on the place you buy it. The Mythology series offers 15 - 16 episodes per Volume (4 Volumes, 60 episodes total) on 4 DVDs per Volume (16 DVDs total) for $30 each ($120 total). That's 60 episodes versus 24 episodes for the exact same price. I'm glad I waited.

Oh, and for the completists complaining that Fox is putting this series out-- of course they're trying to make money. Why do you think they put the show on TV in the first place? No one is MAKING you buy these Volumes. That's your choice. If you choose to become a completist, that's the price you pay. This is a great idea, for a great show, for a great value. 5 stars all around!

Overall: 10 out of 10.

The X-Files is my absolute favorite televison show. In fact I bought my first DVD player just so I could buy the DVD sets and watch all the episodes in order. The stand alone episodes are good, but the mythology episodes are why I collected them in the first place.

However, I came across one small "issue" when I saw the list of episodes on the Abduction set. It's missing the episode called "Sleepless". While this episode's main plot is NOT part of the mythology it does contain two or three EXTREMELY important scenes pertaining to the mythology. This is the episode that introduces two major mythology characters: Krycek and X. It has a wonderful scene where we meet X for the first time and it establishes Krycek's connection with the CSM (although this becomes easily apperent in Ascension). But think about it. If you are watching the episodes as they are presented in this set, the first time X appears is in Ascension when Mulder goes to Senator Matheson's office for help. People who haven't seen Sleepless will be wondering "Who the heck is this guy? Did I miss something?" And of course the answer is, "Yes. You did miss something". At the very least I think that those scenes should have been worked into the set, maybe as optional bonus footage that could be viewed in the Duane Barry menu.

For those of you who are new to the mythology and are interested in buying the four sets you should know that "Sleepless" should be viewed between "Little Green Men" and "Duane Barry".

I WAS pleased to note that they corrected the credit tag on Ascension to "Deny Everything" which was not on the original season two box set (at least not on mine anyway).

This is a non-spoilers review.

It's hard to believe over 10 years have gone by since we were first introduced to unorthodox FBI agent Fox Mulder and his brilliant, skeptical partner Dana Scully. During its prime, Chris Carter's "X-files" stretched its TV budget to the limit and gave its audience perhaps the most thrilling, intelligent sci-fi suspense series yet. Back in the days before "Alias" and "Lost", few TV dramas contained obvious continuity, so creator Chris Carter was required to spread his story arc out over a period of several seasons, and devote much of his time to one-shot episodes. This 4 DVD set collects 15 of the story arc episodes from the first 3 seasons of the series.

All of the stories here deal with Mulder and Scully's growing realization that there is an almost mindboggling conspiracy in place to keep "the truth" away from the American public. Given that the title of this collection is "Abduction," it's obvious that we're dealing with aliens and UFOs. Throughout, the effects are fantastic for what was a low-budget TV show filmed in Vancouver, Canada. But the effects are secondary to the fine ensemble acting, the moody direction, and the fabulous screenwriting. Unlike most of today's dramas, it would be possible for a total newcomer to sit down and enjoy any episode of "The X-Files" without having to submerge himself for hours in back stories.

Of course, as the series wore on, the quality declined. The self-contained anthology-style "monster of the week" episodes were imitated on everything from "Dark Angel" to "Smallville" and were widely satirized. Don't judge this DVD set by the X-files' eventual decline! Anyone who bemoans dumbed-down Hollywood sci-fi needs to check these DVDs out, to see exactly what can be done with talent, technique, and a lot of care. The price is definitely right for this set.

The X-Files will always be one of my favorite shows and it is awsome that the Mythology volumes only include the main storyline of alien conspiracy and cover up. Purchasing these volumes are much better than buying every season, because they have they best episodes that compile the main plot.

This set gets docked two stars because while it is reasonably priced, Fox Entertainment didn't first go about the business of lowering the extortionist pricing of the nine individual seasons. I am infuriated by corporate greed like this, that is focused on extracting every last penny from fans.

First, along with BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and MONTY PYTHON, THE X-FILES is my all time favorite TV show, so I'm not giving a negative review here to the show itself. I've reviewed all of the individual seasons here on Amazon, as well as the complete nine-season set. I've given every individual season five stars, including Seasons 7 and 9, which are widely considered the weakest seasons on the show (my feeling is that while they weren't the greatest seasons in the series, they were five-star shows compared with what else was on TV).

Here is what infuriates me about this set: we get 16 episodes that track shows dealing with alien abductions, therefore tracking one type of episode that ran throughout the series. I have no trouble with this. But the price for 16 episodes is very, very reasonable, while the price for the complete episodes remain outrageously expensive.

Obviously Fox Entertainment feels that compiling a new set and offering it at an affordable price somehow trumps the need to offer the regular seasons at lowered and more reasonable prices. The only show I know of that is more absurdly priced than THE X-FILES is FARSCAPE, which lists at around 40% more than THE X-FILES. I'm not sure why THE X-FILES lists at $99 a set, while BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, also produced by Fox Entertainment, not only lists at a lower price at $60, but has a larger margin built in so that it discounts by 25% instead of 20%.

The only thing I can conclude when I see a set like this selling for such a low price while they leave the individual seasons priced so high is that Fox Entertainment is trying to milk us. If they really wanted to do us a favor, they would drop the list price of each individual season to around $60 and make the series affordable.

Having said all this, I will add that the idea of compiling all of the mythology episodes isn't a bad one. As any fan of THE X-FILES knows, the series consisted of two kinds of episode: stand alone episodes that basically dealt with the-phenomenon-of-the-week and mythology episodes.. These pretty much stood on their own, and did not advance the government conspiracy storyline. The mythology shows detailed the story of the government conspiracy to hide the fact and nature of alien-human interaction. The point of these shows is to collect all of the episodes that focus on the mythology. There truly is a storyline that runs through the nine seasons, the first truly long storyline in the history of television (before that you had continuity from week to week, like HILL STREET BLUES or DALLAS, but no unified story with a beginning, middle, and end). But you know what would be an even better idea? Reducing the cost of the individual seasons, and let fans have their own mythology film festivals.

NOTE: I'd like to thank the very large number of people who have E-mailed me to let me know of the recent sale of THE X-FILES at Best Buy and other less expensive outlets. But I would like to point out that my rant concerns overpriced box sets, and while I'm grateful for sales, the basic list price remains in place. Hopefully 20th Century Fox will do something about this at some point, but if they do, consumer outrage may play some role in this. I strongly believe that we fans of this show and other shows need to let the DVD manufacturers know that we are not passively accepting the unacceptably overpriced sets. I do not currently own all of the sets of THE X-FILES (though I very much hope to someday), although I've watched the entire series several times (thank you Netflix!). When and if the list price comes down, I will complete my collection. But not until then.