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I won't be coming soon to a theater near you
We saw the X-Files movie a couple days ago, and within minutes of arriving at the theater I was reminded of why I dislike seeing movies in big theaters. We sat through twenty minutes of previews so visually and aurally stressful that I felt like I had been assaulted. Before the movie we paid eleven bucks to see had even started, I wanted to walk out.
I am no delicate flower, really, but I have major objections to the violence in today's horror and action films. I don't want to see it. The X-Files is a sci-fi/suspense film, one which artfully withholds and shares the sometimes-gruesome details of its plot. It does not at any point bludgeon the viewer with gore, destruction, cruelty or combat. Movies like Saw V, Lakeview Terrace, Mirrors, Babylon AD, and Death Race all do just that. And it seems like they try to pack the wallop of the full film into each four-minute preview. I wished for earplugs. I kept thinking it would be over soon. But the onslaught seemed endless.
I really wonder, why were these films previewed before a much more tame movie? The X-Files movie is PG-13, for crying out loud. Three of those five previews are for R-rated movies.
I can't believe I'm so uppity about this -- it's not like I'm a parent of impressionable kids. I just want to be able to see a movie without being subjected to this abuse, that's all.
As for the X-Files movie? I was a huge fan of the TV show, and actually saw every single episode. I loved the first movie. This one was basically a long episode, and a good one. It was fun. Certain aspects were very satisfying, but to really scratch a true fan's itch, they're going to have to make another movie addressing the conspiracy storyline. I can wait.
Meanwhile, I'll just keep going to see movies on the second-run screen down the street. They serve organic popcorn and homemade cookies. And they show one preview, maybe two, max.
August 6, 2008 5:35 PM
I had the same experience at the X-Files a couple of weeks ago-really loud previews for horrible action adventure movies that I had no interest in and it made me worry that the X-files would be equally bad. Unfortunately we don't have any 2nd run movie theaters left in Boulder, just a huge brand new fancy multiplex. The university has 2nd run movies but they typically run for a night or 2 so you have to hope the one you want to see falls on a weekend. We go to the movies maybe once a year or so these days.
I'm also a huge fan of the show, and I agree that the first movie was better, but this one was fun too. I just wish the plot were more about the actual X-File, and less about the missing agents. Is it too much to hope for a third movie in the near future. Chris Carter, are you listening?