Reviews

When I settled down to watch this film I really wasn't expecting much but I came away after an entertaining 2 and a half hours actually a little unnerved.I felt that this film delivered on all counts as a well- made psychological thriller.

The plot is simple. A couple (played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) who lost their third child due to miscarriage decide to adopt a little girl called Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). Initially everything is fine and although Farmiga's character was an alcoholic and Sarsgaard's character had previously cheated, the family is stable and Esther seems like the perfect little girl. However, as time goes on we see that Esther has a rather violent dark side. I shall say no more.

The film, although not downright scary, creates a masterfully creepy atmosphere with aid of a good score and competent directing. The film is somewhat of a slow burner and gradually reveals more and more of Esther's evil nature.

The acting is good and a cut above the usual quality that you see in similar films. Vera Farmiga, who has built up an impressive portfolio including 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' and 'The Departed' (both very good) gives a great performance as a recovering alcoholic and grieving mother. The acting from Isabelle Fuhrman, as Esther, is particularly impressive and she creates a character who I really did despise. In a small role (which was a shame) CCH Pounder did well (as always). My only complaint is that Peter Sarsgaard's character was rather boring and didn't really stretch him as an actor. I think he is a very competent performer but would somebody please give him some good roles (I mean 'Knight and Day' and 'The Green Lantern' just weren't worthy of his talent).

Certainly the film is unbelievable and the twist (which isn't really a twist as such and certainly doesn't make you sharply inhale a breath and go "Oh my God")is nothing to rave about. Also, I was not a particular fan of the ending. I feel the film would have had more of an impact if Esther had managed to get away. Nevertheless, the movie is both well directed and acted and achieves something which similar films often don't - it's not laughable. In fact, quite the opposite.

I find this film a difficult one to review. It is not a bad movie but it is definitely not a great movie. The problem with M. Night Shyamalan is that he started off with one of the greatest psychological chillers ever (The Sixth Sense) and since then has not been able to produce anything quite on par with it. Signs and Devil were good and The Village had its moments but was ultimately disappointing. The problem lies in the fact that everything Shyamalan does now is compared to the Sixth Sense and, of course, nothing quite rivals that film.

The Happening revolves around a teacher and his partner who are witnessing mass suicides sweeping various states in America. They, along with others, are escaping from the affected areas and trying to find a safe haven. The cause of the devastating events are attributed to a neurotoxin released by plants that are threatened by the presence of humans.

I like the plot of the film and thought the suicide scenes were very well done and quite disturbing. The script and performances however are average. Mark Wahlberg (who I personally think is a terrible actor) is a weak lead and I find the actress who plays his wife a bit annoying. The reliable John Leguizamo delivers a good, but sadly short performance, as Wahlberg's friend. I feel Leguizamo would have made a far more competent lead. The best performance comes from the actress who portrays the creepy Ms. Jones, but yet again she has little screen time.

The ending is quite disappointing but overall the film does leave an impression.

This is an action film heavyweight and pretty much everything about this film is perfect. I won't go into detail about the plot as it can be found elsewhere on the site. I simply want to praise this film and say why it's up there with the likes of Die Hard and the Indiana Jones films.

Firstly, the action is non-stop and the scenes superbly done. The fights between the two Terminators are brilliantly put together and the viciousness really highlights what is at stake: humanity. The special effects (notably the ones involving the T-1000) are truly excellent and create a number of the film's most memorable moments. As with the first film, the viewer is not just watching the action form afar, they are there. The film draws you in and really gives you a sense of foreboding; you know how important it is for the goodies to win this one!

The performances are also pitch-perfect. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born to play the role of a Terminator (whether good or bad). This time his adversary is the T-1000 (made of liquid metal) portrayed by Robert Patrick. Although Patrick says little throughout the film, his facial expressions are perfectly sinister and he creates a threatening villain who the audience know simply won't stop. There is a big difference in size between Robert Patrick and Arnie and their fight scenes could have looked a bit silly (with a small, slim Robert Patrick taking on the huge Arnie) but Patrick does a brilliant job and manages to create an adversary equal to Arnie's huge hero. Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and the underrated Joe Morton are also superb and Earl Boen is on hand to provide some humour.

The script is not the main focus of the film but it is still far better than the scripts of many action films. The scenes between Arnie and Furlong provide some of the film's more touching moments amongst what is a big 2 hour action bonanza.

There are few films that I can watch time and time again, but this is one of them.

The key to watching this film is to not take it too seriously. Experiments conducted by a group of scientists (led by po-faced Ben Kingsley) on a little alien girl called 'Sil' go disastrously wrong when she escapes from their lab, develops and has only one thing on her mind: mating. A group is assembled to hunt her down before she manages to have a baby with some unfortunate human male. What follows is simply a bit of sci-fi fun. The film is full of action and the action scenes and special effects are well done. The cast is surprising, simply because it is so good! Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forrest Whittaker, Marg Helgenberger and Sir Ben Kingsley. Yet with this ensemble cast, not one of them turns in a particularly good performance. Blame for this should in part be attributed to the awful script. Nevertheless, Helgenberger is bland, Whittaker is irritating and Ben Kingsley (of Gandhi, House of Sand and Fog, Sexy Beast and Schindler's List fame) is absolutely terrible. The characters fail to be fleshed out and fail to be likable. Alfred Molina's character is somewhat endearing though. Making this film popular with the male population is perhaps Natasha Henstridge as the alien Sil. She spends a large portion of the film without any clothes on trying to seduce various men she picks up. Her acting ability is questionable but that's probably not why she was chosen for the part! Anyway, if you overlook the flaws, its just a bit of a laugh.

The one thing that struck me about this movie is its absolute waste of potential. What could have been a superior action hero epic turns out to be a below average battle between "will" and "fear" that will probably not even keep younger children entertained.

Although the visual effects are very well done (both the Green Lanterns and Parallaxlook good) it is the characters, acting and script that let this film down. The dialogue between the characters is the usual drivel encountered in so many below par superhero films and it offers nothing unique or different. In fact that is the problem with the whole film: PREDICTABLE, BLAND and quite frankly DULL. The script seems to have been written by someone passing the time whilst on the toilet. The best lines go to Michael Clarke Duncan's character and Peter Sarsgaard's Hector Hammond.

The film spends a great deal of time showing us the transformation of Ryan Reynold's superhero and Peter Sarsgaard's villain but I feel we never really get to know either character. Although Ryan Reynold's character is dealt with in some detail it offers us nothing new but the usual "arrogant man with no responsibilities bucks up his ideas and becomes the saviour of the world". The character of Hector Hammond on the other hand has the potential to be fascinating, but is instead completely under-explored. He could, and should, have been an ignored loser who turns tragic villain (perhaps even a character that the audience feel sorry for) but his hatred of his father is poorly justified. The acting is largely only mediocre.

Ryan Reynolds makes a reasonably convincing superhero (but doesn't make his transformation from layabout to superhero quite as convincing as say Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker) but Peter Sarsgaard's talents are wasted in the role of Hector Hammond.He does the best he can with the awful script but spends most of the film just screaming and squawking like a girl. The performance by Blake Lively is OK whilst Mark Strong and the ever reliable Tim Robbins (albeit in a small role) turn in solid performances.

The plot, along with character introduction and development, is all rushed and the film should have spent more time on these areas (the film is only just over 1 hour and a half so an extra half hour fleshing out the above would have made the film more rewarding for the viewer). Sadly a disappointing viewing experience.

WOW. The first ever episode of the X-Files I watched and it's no surprise I've been a fan ever since. This episode is one of the best, if not the best, X-Files episode ever. The storyline is centred around one of the best characters of the whole 9 seasons, Clyde Bruckman. He has a unique ability to "see" how people are going to die and is involved, by Mulder, in an investigation into the murders of numerous fortune tellers. Of course, Scully has her doubts as to his gift and 45 minutes of great entertainment is made. The role of Clyde Bruckman is played perfectly by Peter Boyle who makes the character both funny and tragic. One can really see the burden that his gift places on him. The scene where he predicts his own death is superbly done and the final scene where we see his prediction come true is beautifully sad. This episode perfectly blends comedy, tragedy, suspense and action and there is a brilliant comedy character in the stupendous Yappi. The script writing here is at its best. A highly recommended episode.

'Our Town' is one of the best, but frequently overlooked, episodes from Season 2. It is similar to 'Roadrunner' from Season 8 but I feel it is far superior.

This episode involves Mulder and Scully travelling to a small town to investigate a disappearance that Mulder believes may be linked to a food processing plant called 'Chaco Chicken'. What they eventually discover is that the townspeople having been eating one another (as part of bizarre rituals to remain youthful)and, as a result, a large number of the townsfolk have contracted CJD.

The script is good and all the performances are pitch perfect. Particularly worth a mention are Timothy Webber and Gray Grubbs who both give great performances. This episode is incredibly creepy and has some excellent scenes which really rack up the tension. The climax is brilliant as Mulder saves Scully from being sacrificed literally at the last minute.

A brilliant episode that deserves more credit.

Chinga is a good episode but it probably could have been better. Nevertheless it has many positive points.

It has an interesting and creepy storyline involving a little girl with a doll that is capable of causing people to injure and kill themselves. The episode certainly has the creepy X-Files atmosphere and has some rather horrific scenes, notably the scene in the shop when the doll causes people to begin scratching their eyes out.It is scenes such as this that really make this episode worth a watch. I also like the choice of song that goes with some of the death scenes.

However, arguably the best thing in this episode is the banter between Mulder and Scully. It is Scully who helps on this particular case (even though she is on vacation, as she stresses numerous times) and Mulder is back at FBI headquarters. Nevertheless their conversations over the phone are brilliant and really add to our understanding of their relationship. The end scene is one of the funniest ever in the X-Files. The supporting actors are all good too.

Other than the conversations between Mulder and Scully, the script is OK and the episode is ably directed.

Not one of the best but certainly an entertaining episode.

6/10

'Teliko' follows the cracking episode 'Home' which of course is a hard act to follow. Although 'Teliko' does not offer the thrills of 'Home' it still provides the tension and is a good 'Monster of the Week' episode.

The Monster in this episode is a man called Samuel Aboah who has come over from Africa and requires the pigments from other African men in order to survive. As African men seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate Mulder and Scully at first have no idea what is going on. However, Mulder later comes up with one of his wacky theories which, as always, turns out to be right.

This episode has a lot to offer X-File fans. It is creepy and tense in parts, created partly by some great music. Also, there are some terrific scenes notably the one where Aboah kidnaps and drains the pigments of a young teenager. Also, the scene where you see how Aboah actually does it is tough to watch. The climax is exciting (with Scully crawling through a series of tunnels being pursued by Aboah). The performances all round are good and the actor playing Aboah does a good job with very few lines.

I didn't like Aboah's ability to squeeze into tight places as this was too similar to the Eugene Tooms character in 'Squeeze'. Also, at the beginning when the man is attacked in the toilet on the aeroplane - would someone not have heard his incredibly loud screams? As a previous reviewer has already mentioned the inclusion of Marita Covarrubias is completely pointless. Anyway, these are only minor things.

Overall a good episode.

'Young at Heart', along with 'Squeeze', 'Ice', 'Beyond the Sea' and 'Darkness Falls' is one of the better episodes from Season 1 but does not surpass any of the aforementioned. Nevertheless it has a lot of the ingredients that make up a good X-File.

The story gives us an insight into Mulder's past and we find out that many years previously he was responsible for the incarceration of a violent criminal called John Barnett. However, Barnett is very much alive and, due to scientific experiments performed on him whilst in prison, he is now young. Barnett launches a campaign of revenge against Mulder and, naturally, only Mulder believes that it is Barnett who is responsible.

This episode offers us the tension and creepy atmosphere which would become an established trademark of the X-Files as a whole. The characters are excellent and the performances are good, particularly by the actor playing the young John Barnett (his voice is splendidly creepy, reminding me of Keifer Sutherland in the film 'Phonebooth'). The climax is good but utterly predictable.

It is the creepy atmosphere that makes this one worth a watch.

6/10

I liked this episode a lot for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the storyline is great and almost Terminator-esquire with a religious element. Essentially it is the old classic battle between good and evil and involves a stigmatic boy who is being pursued by the forces of evil. As expected, Mulder and Scully are brought in to protect the boy.

Secondly, the characters are brilliant. Mulder and Scully undergo a role reversal where Mulder is the sceptic and Scully is the believer. This episode also gives us a greater insight into the depths of Scully's religious beliefs. The supporting characters are also brilliant. Notably Simon Gates, who represents evil and has the unique ability to burn with his hands, and Owen Jarvis who represents the forces of good.

Thirdly the casting is a stroke of genius. Kenneth Welsh is wonderfully creepy as Simon Gates and Michael Berryman is both heroic and tragic as Owen Jarvis. Part of the reason this episode works so well is because of the casting of these actors in their respective roles. When we first meet the character of Owen Jarvis we assume (because of his appearance) that he is evil, but we could not be more wrong. How true is this of real life - making premature judgements about people purely based on the way they look. This episode also offers us a wonderful performance by Gillian Anderson as Scully.

This episode has the perfect blend of action and tension and the ending, where Scully and the boy part, is actually quite sad.

My only criticism is that R. Lee Ermey has such a short role. He is such a terrific actor and is only in a blink-and-you'll-miss it part. Nevertheless he is great as always.

Overall a great episode and worthy of 7/10.

For me this is one of the worst X-File episodes ever. Many people feel that 'Space' and '3' are classed as the worst and I would agree with them about '3' but not 'Space'. Nevertheless 'Fire' has very few redeeming features. Apart from an insight into (a) Mulder's past and (b) Scully's feelings for Mulder this episode has little else to offer. The plot is simple - it involves a man, with pyrokinetic powers, that is terrorising the aristocracy. Although the scenes with the fires are well done, this episode lacks any real atmosphere, tension and excitement and overall is quite boring. The acting is passable but the accents are somewhat annoying. Mulder's fear of fire is mentioned only for the sake of this episode and is never brought up again. The villain is not threatening in the least but is more of a caricature. What had the potential of being a creepy and exciting X-File ends up being a lesson in how not to do a X-File.

Chimera is good but it is not a stand out episode.

It has the creepiness, tension and mystery that I have come to love but it lacks the 'wow' factor. I like the way that it is only at the end of the episode that you realise what is going on and it is a nice little twist. There are some good scenes (particularly the ones where Mulder shows that he is not used to living the pampered lifestyle) but I missed Scully in this episode ( I know she was in it, but it was a shame she didn't contribute to Mulder's case).

The directing was good as was the acting but again there were no stand out performances.

Overall a good episode but perhaps not one of the most memorable.

What could have been a good episode was made a great episode by the performance of guest star Billy Drago as Oral Peattie a man who blames a successful doctor for the death of his daughter. Peattie uses hexcraft as a way to exact revenge against the doctor by targeting members of his family.

Although there are a few inconsistencies in the plot, the creepy atmosphere and tension more than compensate. Drago who simply lives and breathes the part creates a truly chilling villain and although fans often consider Eugene Tooms, Donnie Pfaster and Robert Modell to be some of the best villains, Oral Peattie should be up there with them. Drago's appearance, his voice, his mannerisms come together to create a villain you just know will never stop his mission of vengeance. James Morrison is also good as the doctor who Peattie is terrorising.

There is a real claustrophobic feel to this episode and it contains some superb scenes (particularly the one involving the microwave). The climax is good and it is also great to see Scully questioning her rigid belief in science at the end of the episode.

8/10

Season 4 contains some great episodes notably 'Herrenvolk', 'Home' and 'Paper Hearts'. But 'Sanguinarium' is also worth a special mention as it blends the tension of 'Home' and the mystery of 'Paper Hearts'.

Black magic is at the centre of this episode and involves a plastic surgeon, Jack Franklin, who is prolonging his own life through the sacrifice of patients about to undergo, or undergoing, plastic surgery.

This episode has everything one could want from an X-File. It has a lot of tension and mystery (its not clear what is going on until about halfway through the episode and even then it's not fully clear!) and a very creepy atmosphere. There is also a lot more gore than is usual in an X-Files episode (some of the scenes where the patients are killed are very difficult to watch).

The acting is good and there is a wonderfully creepy performance by Richard Beymer as Dr. Jack Franklin.

I would give this episode 8 out of 10.

I like this episode a lot and feel it is one that is often overlooked from Season 6. I guess it is a "Monster of the Week" episode but it doesn't feel like one. The storyline involves a convict, Pinker Rawles, who acquires the ability to pass through solid matter. He then uses this ability to try and track down his son who is the 'Trevor' of the title. Naturally he leaves a trail of destruction and fear in his wake and Mulder and Scully have to try and track him down. The acting is good but I found a few of the female cast rather annoying (Anderson exempt of course). It is John Diehl's performance that really makes the episode for me. He has a great physical presence and manages to create quite a threatening character. Yet one can't help but feel sorry for him, particularly at the end, as all he really wants is a second chance. As mentioned by other reviewers there are some minor inconsistencies in the episode but for me it is well executed and the climax is good.

This episode offers X-Files fans one of the best villains, not just in season 3 but out of the whole show. 'Pusher' introduces us to "Monster of the Week" character Robert Modell who is able to control people with the power of his voice. This episode basically revolves around a game of 'cat and mouse' between Modell and Mulder. There are some great scenes in this episode and one particularly good one is when Modell induces a heart attack in one of the police officers whilst talking to him over the phone. Robert Wisden is superb as Modell and creates a character who we all love to hate. This is a brilliant episode which has plenty of tension (the ending in particular is very tense) and certainly warrants a watch.

For me this is one of the most disappointing episodes from Season 1. The storyline revolves around a killer who can seemingly change his gender. However, when Mulder and Scully investigate they find that this killer belongs to a religious group who live a life of isolation. Naturally the agents pay a visit to this group and uncover a few dark secrets. For me this episode would have worked better as a straight "Monster of the Week" instalment. I didn't like the inclusion of the religious sect.

The acting is good all round but it is the storyline and lack of any real atmosphere that lets this episode down. The ending is also a real disappointment.

This is not one of the better episodes from Season 1.

Grotesque is a good creepy episode from Season 3 of the X-Files. I agree that it does try to cover too much in a short space of time but nevertheless it delivers on atmosphere and tension. The storyline is interesting and involves a demon that possesses people and causes them to kill. After years of effort Agent Patterson has caught the man who was possessed but once he is imprisoned, the horrific murders begin again. Thus the demon has found somebody else to possess. Enter Mulder and Scully to work out what's going on and catch the new killer.

Although it becomes obvious who the killer is, the bulk of this episode is centered around Mulder's attempts to get inside the killer's head and the resulting effect that this has on Mulder's own sanity. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, his descent into sanity happens incredibly quickly but if you look past that this is a solid episode.

The acting is good by both Duchovny and Anderson and Kurtwood Smith as Agent Patterson and Levani as the man who the demon possessed previously are both good in their roles.

I agree that this episode is often overlooked, which is a shame as it has a lot of creepy atmosphere to offer. Certainly the scenes where Mulder is alone (or is he?) in the killer's workshop are very tense. Certainly one to watch without the lights on.

Tithonius is one of the best episodes from Season 6. The storyline is brilliant and revolves around a man, Alfred Fellig, who can seemingly predict when people are about to die and photographs their dying moments. The episode keeps you guessing for a while as to why he is doing this but it is revealed later that he wants to photograph Death so that he himself will be able to die. He had encountered Death many years before and it had left him behind. As a result, Fellig is well over 100 years old and is unable to die. The best parts of the episode are the conversations between Fellig and Scully where Fellig reveals all of the above to her.

The episode is competently directed and a wonderfully tense atmosphere is created. The acting is good, particularly by Anderson and Geoffrey Lewis who plays Fellig. Lewis creates a rather pitiful yet creepy character and Anderson yet again is brilliant as she tries to find a scientific explanation for Fellig's claims.

The ending, where Fellig gives his own life to save Scully's, is actually very poignant.

It is often argued that Series 1 of the X-Files is the weakest and one can see why with episodes such as Gender Bender and The Jersey Devil. Nevertheless it contains, I think, a couple of the best episodes of the X-Files and Beyond the Sea is one of them. It has a Silence of the Lambs feel as Mulder and Scully interrogate a prisoner, Luther Lee Boggs, who claims he is able to use his psychic abilities to save a young couple who have been kidnapped. As he is soon to be sent to the gas chamber Boggs wants to make a deal whereby if he saves the lives of the kidnapped couple he avoids the death sentence and just gets life imprisonment. This plot line alone would make for an interesting episode but what really sets this one apart is an additional storyline centred around the death of Scully's father. The big question is whether the prisoner is telling the truth or not and when, during an interrogation, he says that he has a message from Scully's recently deceased father the episode really gets interesting.Although the storyline is good, it is the performances that are the real highlight. Duchovny is good but he takes a back seat in this episode and so Anderson is really given the chance to shine and she doesn't disappoint. It is great to see an early episode where you get the feeling that she believes in the paranormal. However, the best performance comes from the brilliant Brad Dourif as Boggs. The "channeling" scenes are very well acted and even though his character is a multiple murderer one cannot help but pity him. Both the acting and directing makes this episode an emotional roller-coaster and I cannot recommend it enough.

This is one of my all time favourite x-file episodes for a number of reasons. The storyline is brilliant - maybe Mulder's sister wasn't abducted by aliens but was in fact taken by a child murderer who is now in prison. The bulk of the episode is therefore Mulder interrogating this murderer (who is claiming he abducted Samantha) and the resulting effect that it has on him. The acting is also fantastic. Anderson is great as usual and Duchovny's performance is almost heartbreaking as he desperately tries to seek the truth. However, the best performance comes from the highly underrated Tom Noonan as the child murderer. He creates a character who is both chilling and yet both tragic and pitiful.The psychological mind games that he plays with Mulder are great to watch. The episode is well directed and constantly keeps you guessing. Although the ending is obvious it is a fitting climax. A truly excellent episode.