This summer has been a big one for the fanboy (and girl) nation. Geeks have rejoiced as their favorite icons have come to grace the silver screen either once again or for the first time -- Tony Stark, Indiana Jones, Bruce Wayne, Bruce Banner, Kit Kittredge -- with each film accompanied by its own modest fan frenzy (yes, a $155 million opening weekend equals modest 'round these parts).
But naturally, as if so often the case with the potent combo of radical fanaticism and internet anonymity, the nastier trolls have not seen fit to shirk their responsibility of maintaining the sacred Tomatometer with a crudely constructed death threat or two (or two hundred). For them, this is personal. They can't possibly enjoy their long-awaited flick should some goateed snob decide to feel any degree of lukewarm or otherwise before the public gets their peek.
This is blood for blood, and by the comment. These are the new days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back.
Just two weeks ago, the comic crowd seemed fairly mellow when most critics dug Hellboy II: The Golden Army, but given the rapturous hyperbole that had bolstered a score of ninety-something percent on Rotten Tomatoes for the better part of a month, reaction to any non-praise for The Dark Knight was severe to say the least, bringing up memories of those precious few WALL-E pans from late last month and the violent comments they drew.
Now, six years after the television series ended and ten years after a first movie opened to a decent enough response from fans and critics alike, we find ourselves facing a big-screen X-Files sequel good enough to open on 3,000+ screens, but not good enough to screen for most (well, print) critics to meet their deadline. The common courtesy for years has been to screen a film by Tuesday night if a studio wanted reviews to run, and either on Thursday night or not at all if it isn't worth the trouble (against all odds, Snakes on a Plane seemed to prove the lone exception to this rule of thumb).
So while it may seem like Wednesday morning or evening serves as a moderate compromise, it is still past deadline, and when this strategy has previously been applied to the likes of Meet Dave, The Brothers Solomon, and Hannibal Rising, it's that much more difficult to believe that The X-Files: I Want to Believe isn't a dud in waiting. But while this seems like is a follow-up that precious few have asked for (the same could be said for Hellboy), those in the loyal minority stand by the fact that series creator/sequel director Chris Carter and writer/producer Frank Spotnitz have claimed that the late-ish screenings are part of their best efforts to prevent any secrets from leaking out. (Now that's what I call fighting the future! No? Fine...)
I'll confess: the trailers so far intrigue me enough without spoiling very much at all; then again, the same was true for The Simpsons Movie on this weekend last year, and the same studio only changed their minds at the relative last minute when it opted to indeed show that rather successful TV-to-cinema translation in time for a gushing reception that came to reveal little at all in the end.
While secrets galore may very well be the case, it's still difficult for critics to shake the stigma associated with said screenings -- which is not to say that the press will then proceed to grade the film on a harsher curve for it, as some X-Philes have suggested (you know, the ones who are going to love it anyway, the ones who prove their points in ALL CAPS!!!! with superfluous punctuation, natch). Apparently, we're a load of cranky spoil-sports, ready and waiting to tear this puppy down, and while I'm fairly certain that isn't the case with most of my sensible colleagues, we know cause for concern when we see it (or, rather, don't).
And that's besides the fact that, if you loved this series and these characters so much, why would you bother subjecting yourself to anything potentially revealing anything? That is, unless you were out to narrow-mindedly champion those with whom you agree (because you know it has to be Great) and attack those with whom you don't (because they hold grudges and they don't get it and this is for the fans, so suck it). We can't help it that Chris(t) Carter went and added the goading fan nod of a subtitle "I Want to Believe" instead of something like The X-Files: Lower Your Expectations.
If When Should there ever be an Arrested Development movie, I will expect it to be Great and won't want to read spoilers, and as such, I wouldn't dare subject myself to any reviews ahead of time and I wouldn't chastise those who found themselves disappointed or just unimpressed. Them's the breaks. This is a movie. We're movie critics. Sure, we may be expected to go into a film with an objective stance, but coming out of it, we're going to be entirely subjective. That's the idea -- to provide our singular opinion -- and that's exactly what we get paid to do.
So do us all a favor this weekend, and store up your typos and vitriol for another day. Knowing little about their respective small-screen origins, I enjoyed the first X-Files film well enough and Serenity even more, so there's hope yet. When it came to our own Eric D. Snider's RT-based psych-out last week, most people bothered to catch on, and with the first (and only) rave for The X-Files at the moment being (rightfully) approached with caution -- these junket reviews sometimes prove to be less the early indicator and more the exception -- I'd say that's even more reason to think that these interwebs of ours might yet survive another geek-centric release.
Just because you want to believe that it'll be a good movie doesn't make it so. Regardless, come Friday, the truth will indeed be out there, whether you (or we) like it or not.
1. So we're the trolling fanboys in question now? It's ironic that while writing an article about bias in the X-Phile fanbase, you display that same bias, '' We can't help it that Chris(t) Carter went and added the goading fan nod of a subtitle "I Want to Believe" instead of something like The X-Files: Lower Your Expectations.'' Seriously? If you were anymore condescending you'd be Bill O'Reilly. You're obviously adamant in undermining the franchise, undermining the fandom and taking umbrage at the late screenings; btw, not every critic sees this as a slight. It's generally only those that can't reach a deadline that do.
In writing a passive-agressive piece like this, you've become part of the problem. Just because the X-Files lost it's bloom in the latter stages of the series is not a sound basis for assessing a stand-alone feature.
In addition, thanks for the opportunity to respond to a piece like this. It pretty much sums up why X-Philes have become so defensive of late.
You're dead right by the way, the truth will be out there next Friday and you're also right in saying '' Sure, we may be expected to go into a film with an objective stance, but coming out of it, we're going to be entirely subjective.''
Judging by the slant in this piece, I'll find my subjectivity elsewhere.
Posted at 9:55PM on Jul 21st 2008 by Calraigh