Starring: X-Files, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. This DVD will probably
NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Box set
Rated: NR
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
DVD Features:
Contains All 23 first season episodes plus! the pilot
11 "Behind-the-Truth" segments from F/X
Interviews with Chris Carter about 12 of his favorite episodes:
Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, Conduit, Ice, Fallen Angel, Eve,
Beyond The Sea, E.B.E, Darkness Falls, Tooms and The Erlenmeyer
Flask
Paranormal and Alien Abduction Trivia and Weblinks
Cross Reference of 24 Previews
An all new 11-minute "Truth About Season One"
documentary
47 promotional television spots
DVD-ROM Games
Editorial From Amazon.com
In the first season of The X-Files , creator Chris Carter was uncertain
of the series' future, so each of the episodes is a self-contained
suspense story; they do not delve deep into the ongoing X-Files
mythology or turn to self-parody and humor as do episodes in later
seasons. Yet, these episodes display the elements for which the
show would become famous: the cinematic production values and top-notch
special effects, the stark lighting of the Vancouver sets, the atmospheric
halo of Mark Snow's score, and the clever plots dealing with subjects
ranging from the occult, religion, and monsters to urban legends,
conspiracy theories, and science fiction. Most importantly, season
1 introduces FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox "Spooky"
Mulder (David Duchovny), two of the most attractive government officials
around. Scully is the serious-minded medical scientist assigned
to join Mulder on the X-Files, a division of the FBI dealing with
the paranormal. Mulder is the intuitive thinker with a dry wit,
a passionate believer in the existence of paranormal phenomena and
one of the few characters on television smart enough to figure out
who the bad guy is before the audience does. Their muddled relationship,
a deep friendship laced with sexual tension, provides the human
heart in a world where the bizarre and horrible lurk in everyday
society.
The materials on the bonus disc provide some interesting trivia
and background, but it is the 24 episodes themselves that make this
seven-disc boxed set a true find. Those unfamiliar with The X-Files
often view all the fuss with the same skepticism with which Scully
first regards her new partner's ideas. But just as she comes to
realize the uncanny accuracy of Mulder's outlandish theories, newcomers
to The X-Files who sample a few episodes in this boxed set will
likely find themselves riveted to their television late into the
night. And undoubtedly, the shadows and creaking noises in the house
that evening will seem more menacing than usual. -- Eugene Wei
