Sure, it's little more than an extended episode of the TV series, but what did you expect? It's not like David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are going to take in a wisecracking street urchin and learn a valuable lesson about the importance of responsibility. The X-Files film plays like a really good episode of the TV series of the same name, and, for those who don't follow the show, it provides enough background that non-fans can sit next to the series' core followers and still be entertained, if slightly less so. As for the plot, the less said, the better. Suffice it to say that those expecting conspiratorial doings and long stretches of tense exposition that periodically give way to eruptions of even more tense action will not be disappointed. Unlike most episodes, the film allows more room for the relationship between Duchovny and Anderson to develop, and that's a big plus. The two actors have built up so much chemistry over the past few years that it's a pleasure to see them stretching out in their roles. Unfortunately, unlike many if not most episodes, Anderson isn't given enough to do and is too often reduced to a mere sidekick. Still, Martin Landau and Armin Mueller-Stahl are nice additions to the cast, and while The X-Files may not offer many surprises outside of its twisty plot, what do you want from a big-screen version of the TV show? It's a smart, exciting, involving film that's true to its source, which is all it really needs to be.