Product Details

• Actors: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, Robert Beckwith
• Directors: David Duchovny, Chris Carter, Cliff Bole, Dwight H. Little, Frank Spotnitz
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 7
• Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: May 11, 2004
• Run Time: 886 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001NBMFI
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,543 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Drama > Television > The X-Files > Seasons

• For more information about "The X-Files - The Complete Ninth Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 9 in The X-Files Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Though season 9 may not be the best period in a long line of groundbreaking television, it is still worthy of the X-Files name. Knowing this was the last season had many fans prematurely disgruntled, and the expectation for "going out with a bang" was extremely high. Lots of longtime issues came to a head (Scully's single motherhood, new X-files agents at the helm, Agent Skinner is now a believer, Mulder MIA, etc.), and many new issues and plots arose. Learning the facts of his son's death, Agent Doggett (Robert Patrick) seeks out the missing Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) to help him expose the corrupt Deputy Director Kersh (James Pickens Jr.). Knowing that her gifted son William is a target of a religious cult, Scully (Gillian Anderson) enlists the help of the Lone Gunmen for protection. The missing Mulder is finally located. Unfortunately, he is being held in custody by the military on murder charges, which leads to the grand finale: the trial, not for a man guilty of murder, but for a man guilty of seeking the Truth.

The naysayers have plenty of valid complaints (particularly about the "Super Soldiers" segue), and many hated that the Mulder/Scully pairing was gone, but there are a few aspects that are universally positive, and there aren't many complaints about their replacements, Agent Doggett and Agent Reyes (Annabeth Gish). In fact, many feel that the show could have easily continued if the show's writing had been better. The final episode was more or less a 90-minute recap of the X-Files phenomenon. After "The Truth" ended, disappointed hardcore fans couldn't help but feel it was a set-up for an upcoming movie, but casual fans should find the episode very helpful in linking together the mythos that entranced and confused viewers for years. It may not be up to par with the first six seasons, but season 9 is still a lot better than most television shows. If you have the nerve to revisit this season, you will be pleasantly surprised. --Rob Bracco

Product Description

Now you can own the entire ninth season of THE X-FILES™. All 19 classic episodes (including the 2-hour series finale) are available for the first time in this exclusive 7-disc collector’s edition. From the revelation about Scully’s baby in "Nothing Important Happened Today" and the mystery surrounding the murder of Agent Doggett’s son in "Release" to Mulder’s final confrontation with those who would deny "The Truth," these Season Nine episodes are a must for every X-Files fan!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not The X-Files' best, but still better than most TV., April 30, 2004

By	Lee (Arizona) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Sure, the ninth and final season of The X-Files was probably its weakest season, but here's the deal: The X-Files at its worst is much better than most TV shows out there today. This season retained excpetionally high production values and looking back, actually had some standout episodes, including the spectacular 2-hour finale that could never satisfactorily wrap up such a long-running series but did have a feel of the classic mythology episodes from the show's glory days.

This season tries to pass the baton to Agents Doggett and Reyes, a partnership that is very solid but would never ever have the appeal of Mulder and Scully. Scully is present all season in a somewhat annoying advisory role, only occasionally getting her feet muddy. Towards the end of the season though, she steps into the spotlight much more.

David Duchovny's return for the 2-hour finale isn't handled perfectly, but it's so satisfying to see David and Gillian together on screen that you can all but forgive the fact that he left.

The DVD presentation is simply superb, as we have come to expect from this show. Spread over 7 dvds as opposed to the 6 dvd sets of recent seasons, this set has fantastic extras. But here's the deal: the real gem on this set is the hour long documentary, The Making of The Truth. Ever since the show started I've wanted to see something like this and never have until now. It takes you into the production meetings, location scouts and then the production itself, and it gives you a real sense of how hard working every member of the crew was and how much they loved working on it. It's an extremely thorough making of, not the usual puff-piece you see on DVDs.

Another little treat is "Reflections on The X-Files", in which various guest stars discuss in new interviews what it was like to be a part of the show. Cher, Seth Green, Ed Asner, the Dust Brothers, Burt Reynolds are some of the participants.

Other behind the scenes documentaries include Secrets of The X-Files and More Secrets of The X-Files, two shallow 45-minute shows from the heydey of the show. Nothing special but they do take you back to when the show was omnipresent. Also included are the usual promo spots, and a couple of decent new documentaries on Season 9 as a whole and also "Reflections on The Truth", which features key crew members talking about working on the last episodes. It's nice that the show's editors get a voice here.

There are a couple of commentaries, one from Chris Carter on the episode "Improbable". They're very matter-of-fact but are very interesting and frank.

One thing I cannot forgive about this season is the fact that even though the show's producers knew this was the last season well before the end, they did not use the last, say, 5 or 6 episodes to wrap up the show. Instead they wrapped up a couple of plot points quickly in one (good) episode (directed by David Duchovny), and then give us some mediocre stand alone episodes. And the biggest slap in the face is that the penultimate episode ever is wasted on a silly story involving the Brady Bunch. Oh well, too late now. The show has passed up so many opportunities for true geatness in its nine-year run, but like I said before, it remains one of the best TV shows ever.

Recent press reports indicate that a second movie is likely to go ahead. So, now's a good time to start familiarising yourself with the show's last year.

It feels great to put this up there with the previous eight seasons and see the entire collection on one shelf. It's hard not to get all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you own every episode of this groundbreaking series. And you can't argue with the price for this beautiful set!

66 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Truth About Season 9, June 15, 2004

By	Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Thanks to only catching a few episodes on TV when it aired -- not to mention the plethora of negative reviews -- I was all set to dislike Season 9 of The X-Files when I sat down to watch it from start to finish.

But I can't. No way.

Season 9 is actually quite good. A few episodes in particular are superb. "Release," for example, the episode in which Agent Doggett learns the truth about his son's death and puts the past behind him. My wife and I were stunned by that episode. It had "Wow Factor" written all over it. Great acting by Robert Patrick. Intriguing story line.

The final episode (titled "The Truth") was only so-so when I watched it on TV. But that was because I hadn't seen the rest of the season (or Seasons 7 and 8 leading up to it) in context. When I watched all of Season 9 back to back, I discovered "The Truth" to be a powerful way to end the series. It was great to have Fox Mulder back, but -- to be honest -- we didn't really consider the show to be about Mulder any more.

Blasphemy? Am I do for a tarring and feathering?

Don't think so. True, The X-Files started out as a show about Mulder and his partner Dana Scully. And the show endeared itself to millions of fans worldwide because of that pairing.

But when David Duchovny (Mulder) left the show at the end of Season 7, just appeared in a handful of episodes in Season 8, and only appeared in the final episode of Season 9, the show changed. But not necessarily for the worse. The other characters stepped up to the plate. Doggett and Monica Reyes were fascinating characters. Each brought depth and strength to the roles.

The X-Files was a show about the unexplained, the paranormal, the out-there-ness of Truth. As such, it was a show that was constantly filled with surprises, twists, turns and even dead-ends.

When people get hung up on keeping the show exactly the same -- with Mulder and Scully in every episode -- they fail to see the point of the series: the unexpected.

If the show would have gone downhill without Mulder, *then* I could see justification for all the bellyaching. But it didn't. The writers and directors rose to the challenge. Season 8 is one of the best of the series, in my opinion. And Season 9 is far from the worst.

One thing we noticed, however: there was a distinct lack of character continuity from episode to episode. Plus, it seems like one or the other of Doggett and Reyes was always hovering on the brink of death -- with the healthy partner watching, praying and hoping for a complete recovery. When the recovery happened, emotions ran high. It seemed like things would change. But, in the very next episode the characters were back to the way they were before the crisis.

In other words, when Reyes almost died in the hospital, Doggett was in tears. He felt deep emotion -- far beyond that felt for a partner in the FBI -- and couldn't wait until she recovered to tell her. But when she recovered, he didn't. Nothing changed.

Those kinds of inconsistencies hampered Season 9. If the writers were true to the characters, changes would have occured from crisis to crisis. They would have siezed the opportunity to get more involved emotionally.

Ditto for the episode in which Scully has to give up William for adoption. In that episode, she's racked with emotion. Yet, in the very next episode, she's composed and emotion-free. Like the adoption never happened. How is that possible? Scully lived for William in virtually every episode. Yet in the very next one after she gives him up for adoption, she doesn't shed a tear and, if memory serves, doesn't even mention him.

As large as those kinds of character consistencies seem, I don't think they completely derail Season 9. The build-up to the end -- combined with a few truly stellar episodes -- make Season 9 well worth having if you're an X-Files fan.

Oh, and let's not forget the bonus material. Two full DVDs of bonus material -- including a wonderful behind-the-scenes peek at the making of "The Truth."

My advice? Don't listen to the naysayers who slam Season 9 and call it the worst. There really isn't a "worst" when it comes to The X-Files. Every season is excellent in its own way.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and underrated, March 15, 2004

By A Customer

Despite its problems, I will always insist that Season 9 is just as good as past seasons, but in a very different way. There are a few stinkers, namely Lord of the Flies and Underneath, but despite being nine years old the creative team managed to come up with great episodes.

The likes of John Doe, 4-D, Improbable and Audrey Pauley are strikingly different to other X-Files episodes, and this approach should be applauded. Rather than complain that the show isn't what it was, surely people should welcome a fresh perspective on the X-Files? All four of these episodes, as well as Release, Hellbound, and Daemonicus compare very favourably with past episodes. William and Jump The Shark, although controversial, are good dramatic episodes. Scary Monsters is a pretty average episode, whilst Lord of the Flies and Underneath are plain terrible.

The mythology this season is a mixed bag. Nothing Important Happened Today I&II and Provenance/Providence were both written before the decision was made to end the show this year. As such, they offer few answers and raise more questions to fuel a potential myth arc for the next couple of seasons. As such, NIHT is pretty poor, and P/P are excellent episodes but serve little purpose. The Truth, the final episode, is great - but not as great as it could have been. It recaps the show's mythology, but relies too heavily on this. The final half-hour is as good as ever, with the final scene being the only imagineable way to end the series - with Mulder and Scully together.

There will be people who will never take Season 9 seriously, and I admit, it does seem to be something of an acquired taste. However, that won't stop me from singing its praises.