The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition
by Chris Carter
List Price:
Our Price: $179.98
You Save: $150.00 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: David Duchovny, Gillian AndersonDirector: Chris Carter
Brand: DUCHOVNY,DAVID
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition
Movie Review: the greatest television series
Summary: 5 Stars
This gargantuan DVD box set features every episode (plus the 1998 film) from all nine seasons (1993-2002) of THE X FILES; its release provides an opportunity to assess what is in all probability the single greatest television show ever aired.
Although a casual awareness of the X FILES may bring to mind government conspiracy, aliens, "spooky" supernatural phenomenon, the core issues in the show are that of truth, faith, love, good and evil; in other words, those issues that have captivated mankind's imagination for as long as it has had the capacity to record its artistic, philosophical and revelatory reactions. Over the course of the series, Chris Carter and the "1013" productions team were put to the test in coming up with interesting and (somewhat) cohesive storylines that would weave the aforementioned themes in and around the practical (business related) realities they faced behind the scenes. Though not without missteps, the dramatic intensity of the myth arc was maintained in a slow but inexorable journey that (bit by bit) revealed much of Carter's culturally subversive "underground project" (culminating in the beautifully moving final scene of the series finale).
In so many areas, whether it be writing, acting or the sheer beauty of the production, THE X FILES was truly a miracle occurring in a medium which doesn't often rise above mediocrity. The credit for this phenomenon was shared amongst many dedicated individuals, most working behind the scenes. The "1013" production team delighted in playful, embedded concepts that recurred time and again in the background of the show. Without going into ridiculous detail, there was a certain archetypal X FILES iconography which developed more and more with each successive season: fondness for neon lights or flashing sirens of ambulances and police cars; a humorously morbid fascination with the bathroom as a crime scene (etc). One of the true beauties of the X FILES was that it was so layered that one could appreciate it on any one of a number of levels; this is why it's possible to watch these episodes over and over again and not be bored.
Composer Mark Snow's custom tailored music was simply gold: consistently excellent, moving work (with the occasional sly quote from classical composers woven in).
The directors (especially Rob Bowman and the stalwart Kim Manners) framed their shots in very interesting ways. The lighting, sets and camera work were redolent of high quality film making (television standards were left in the dust).
The writers (truly the core of the show) created complex scripts that challenged the considerable talents of Anderson and Duchovny (not to mention the numerous excellent guest actors chosen by superb casting agents). And if irony constitutes one of the primary elements in the work of great authors, the core writing staff (Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan, Darin and Glen Morgan) could at least be described as having strived for greatness. The self-reflexive humor constantly on display in FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully fleshed out the nuances appropriate to the background of these unique personalities.
Obviously, a very strong part of THE X FILES' appeal is the complex relationship between the main characters. However, one needn't be married to the notion that the show revolved completely around (what eventually evolved into) a romantic relationship; it's sufficient to acknowledge the respect, camaraderie and genuine love (both in its platonic & romantic phases) the two share. Mulder and Scully, two deeply serious (however witty) people helped, through trust and self-sacrifice, "ground" each other in their respective quests.
Finally, regardless of what some embittered fans may opine, Chris Carter, as the creator of the show, deserves credit for having continually guided his creation (a labor of love) over nine grueling years. For many seasons he maintained the integrity of an artistic vision that the Fox executives were smart enough to take a gamble on (given the "franchise" nature of the X FILES, their gamble certainly paid off). And, if parts of the final seasons were rough, Carter and company's overall achievement can with certainty be termed magnificent.
To conclude: in terms of a "bare bones" grading approach, the individual seasons ( + 1998 film ) contained in this DVD box set can be summed up as follows:
SEASON 1 ( 1993-94 ): A-
SEASON 2 ( 1994-95 ): A
SEASON 3 ( 1995-96 ): A+
SEASON 4 ( 1996-97 ): A
SEASON 5 ( 1997-98 ): A
X FILES MOVIE (1998): A-
SEASON 6 ( 1998-99 ): B
SEASON 7 ( 1999-00 ): C
SEASON 8 ( 2000-01 ): B-
SEASON 9 ( 2001-02 ): B-
Addendum: the 2nd movie from 2008 is a disastrous abomination, not at all representative of the series ( really an imposter, an X FILE in name only ) and thankfully not included in the box set being reviewed.
Summary of The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition
No Description Available.Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-NOV-2007
Media Type: DVD
The definitive American television series of the '90s comes to the big screen with an anticlimactic whimper. And how could it be otherwise? Why should material so perfectly realized in one medium necessarily translate well into another? The series is crisply and thoughtfully executed in just about every detail, but the heart of its appeal lies in the elegant handling of complicated and evolving ongoing story lines, which is not something movies are especially good at. The big-screen drive for closure cramps the creative style, though it may also help nonfans get a grip on the proceedings. We do get some invigorating thrills and chills, however, and a more satisfying sense of the scale of an all-enveloping human-alien conspiracy than ever before, but there's no more plot development here than in an average two-part season-ending. FBI black sheep Mulder and Scully have been temporarily transferred from the X-Files project to an anti-terrorist unit to investigate an Oklahoma City-style bombing. They uncover a new wrinkle in the Syndicate/Cancer Man conspiracy--basically an attempt to help one bunch of (benign?) aliens fight off another bunch who want to colonize Earth. A spectacular, ice-bound finale thrillingly staged by series-veteran director Rob Bowman offers Mulder (but not a conveniently unconscious Scully) his first clear look at a You Know What, which in some quarters qualifies as an epochal event. Martin Landau offers the agents some crucial clues, and several familiar TV faces (including the Lone Gunmen and Mitch Pileggi's indispensable Assistant Director Skinner) turn up briefly to wink knowingly at faithful fans. --David Chute
Action & Adventure DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Film (Sci-Fi)
The Outer Limits - The New Series (2005) (Aliens Among Us/ Death & Beyond/ Fantastic Androids & Robots/ Mutation and Transformation/ Sex & Science Fiction/ Time Travel & Infinity Collections)Release date: 2005-06-21; DVD
Best price: $29.74
Price in other shops:
The Outer Limits (The New Series) - Season One (1995)Release date: 2005-11-01; DVD
Best price: $16.68
Price in other shops:
The Outer Limits Original Series Complete Box SetMGM HOME VIDEO (UNDER FOX); Release date: 2008-10-21; DVD
Best price: $31.48
Price in other shops:
The Twilight Zone - The Complete Series (Season One)Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $14.22
Price in other shops:
The Twilight Zone - Seasons 2 & 3 (1986 - 1988)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2005-06-28; DVD
Best price: $42.87
Price in other shops:
The Twilight Zone - Season 1 (1985 - 1986)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2004-12-28; DVD
Best price: $36.06
Price in other shops:
Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive CollectionImage Entertainment; Release date: 2006-10-03; DVD
Best price: $129.48
Price in other shops:
![The X-Files - Fight the Future [Blu-ray] Image](/images/The-X-Files-Fight-the-Future-Blu-ray-B001G7PT4I-X.jpg)
The X-Files - Fight the Future [Blu-ray]TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2008-12-02; DVD
Best price: $8.88
Price in other shops:
The X-Files: The Complete Collector's EditionDUCHOVNY,DAVID; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $147.99
Price in other shops:
![The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray] Image](/images/The-Ultimate-Matrix-Collection-Blu-ray-B000OPPBEQ-X.jpg)
The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $45.99
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
![Planet Terror (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Planet-Terror-2-Disc-Special-Edition-Blu-ray-B001F0TM5S-X.jpg)
Planet Terror (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]Planet; Release date: 2008-12-16; DVD
Best price: $17.04
Price in other shops:
The X-Files Season 7Release date: 2009-11-23; Video On Demand; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $12.49
The X-Files - The Complete Eighth Season (Slim Set)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2006-06-06; DVD
Best price: $17.75
Price in other shops:
The X-Files - The Complete Ninth Season (Slim Set)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-06-06; DVD
Best price: $18.79
Price in other shops:
The X-Files - The Complete Fifth Season (Slim Set)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-03-28; DVD
Best price: $19.15
Price in other shops:
The X-Files - The Complete Seventh Season (Slim Set)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-06-06; DVD
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops:
The X-Files Season 6Release date: 2009-11-23; Video On Demand; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $12.49
The X-Files - The Complete Sixth Season (Slim Set)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-03-28; DVD
Best price: $17.91
Price in other shops:
The Lone Gunmen - The Complete SeriesUnknown; Release date: 2005-03-29; DVD
Best price: $18.74
Price in other shops:
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Single-Disc Edition)TCFHE; Release date: 2008-12-02; DVD
Best price: $4.40
Price in other shops: