I've spent the the better part of my life watching, analyzing, over analyzing, researching, other otherwise picking episodes apart. I had to know EVERYTHING. I knew Fight the Future was coming out in the summer of 98 but the date had not been released. I was watching TV and the commercial came on. "In 31 days," it said. Being 14 at the time, I was counting down the days to my birthday. Turning 15 was a big deal. It turned into an even bigger deal when I realized it was 31 days away, too. Imagine, a hardcore Phile, geek to the core, alien enthusiast VHS's of recorded episodes, magazines, and books... a shrine (because what 90's Phile didn't have one)... the sound that came out of my mouth can only be described as ultrasonic. I proceeded to freak out for the next 31 days. On my birthday, my friend and I were taken to the theater. She bought me the latest issue of the official magazine. Another friend met us there. She tied the FTF soundtrack to a balloon and it hovered across the parking lot like a little UFO. Someone had managed to leak some of the script onto the internet (remember this is 98). So, I go into this movie armed with knowledge. I was shushed. It was great. I was on cloud nine and I was not coming down. The whole movie was insane. It completely blew me away. Its not like it is today with 3D movies and larger than life special effects. This was my beloved TV show that I watched on a 20 inch TV in my room in the dark. It had come to life on this (at the time) massive screen. Everything was bigger and louder and so in your face. The special effects were wicked. There are no words for how perfect the dialogue was. The bomb, the corn field, the giant Jiffy-Pop poppers, the train, the aliens, and that little scene in the hallway.
Best. Birthday. Ever.
So, every year after this, I would have this fond memory float into my mind. I shared a birthday with my favorite movie. Weird, but special to me. This year, having finally giving in and joining Twitter, I got to be a part of #XFFTF20. I spent the whole day talking about anything and everything (seriously, 12:30am to about 2am the next morning). I posted pictures of my FTF collection. There were videos and gifs everywhere! The gag reel made an appearance a few times... and then a few more. Posting pictures of the script on that horrible red paper was so fun! I liked, retweeted, and commented on almost everything that popped up. I've not connected with that many people in my whole life. It was a once in a life time thing being able to have that many like-minded people interacting with each other for no other reason than this movie turned 20. Here's hoping we can do it again for the 25th anniversary!
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IronButterfly83!
It's a delight to have you on board, go to the [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=topics&forum=1]Introduce Yourself forum and... well... introduce yourself! :)
Then, this is a great idea of a topic. I was actually thinking of doing the same.
For me, I remember vividly purchasing the two music CDs (the score and the album) as well as the behind the scenes book, which was really visually stunning. I have a memory of reading it over and over again before watching the film, but maybe this is a Mandala effect. ;)
Anyway, on the day of the release, I remember traveling with a friend to the closer cinema that was playing it, 25 miles from our hometown. We arrived and......... there were not playing the film! I was so frickin' disappointed. Either the movie theater was closed or it was the wrong day. At least it wasn't playing - that is sure.
And then I think we looked for the daily journal (life would have been much easier with an iPhone) and we learned that the movie was playing in another city, another 10 miles from there. We went there, of course, and were actually quite early. This is the first time in my life that I went into a movie theater 30 minutes before the beginning of the film. We waited in front of the cinema and 30 minutes before the beginning, we just went in.
I remember the same as you. Suddenly, The X-Files on a huge screen! This was just massive. I really did not feel the same at all with I Want to Believe. This was really an experience. Also, I think this was the first time I watched the end credits until the end, on this sublime song - Teotihuacan by Noel Gallagher:
Believe it or not, but I saw it once again on the big screen, introduced by Chris Carter himself, a couple of years ago. That was also quite an experience. I really love this film. It is really an X-Files blockbuster. Mulder and Scully are hotter as hell, at the peak of their hotness, the script is fun, the score is outstanding, the images from Rob Bowman are great, the photography is vivid - it's just a blast to watch it.
That was my experience. As a moviegoer, I have sometimes big expectations and anxiously wait for some movies, but I don't recall waiting for a film that much in my life.
I spent all my summer 1998 waiting for this movie. I first bought the promotionnal CD wich included Bjork and others. I don't remember the name of the first track but I know I love it. It has been a so huge and long pleasure to wait for FTF. And it was for a french fan like me a double waiting because we did not have seen the fith season neither. So we really had to be patient.
I spendt tow weeks in the south of France at a friend's place, and I remember we often listened the CD.
Because FTF came out the 21st of october in France, it came simultaneously with the fith season.
I went to watch the movie alone for my first time, and with my father's girl friend for my second. And of course I had a perfect moment. All the teasers I have been watching again and again exploded on the big screan with this damn good music from Mark Snow. It was unforgotable! And let me add that the missed kiss was the most succeded one of the entire show!!
This year was one of my best for so many reasons, but FTF was the first.
...In a world before streaming and DVDs and torrents, I harassed my video club every week in order to know whether the latest X-Files VHSs had arrived. It was the summer of '98 and in my part of the world the special editions imported VHSs came out months before the episodes were shown on TV. I wanted to see the Patient X two-parter before seeing the movie, and I did. They also released The End but I don't remember if I saw that one before or shortly after the movie.
...In a world before big cinema multiplexes, you just went to the counter with cash and bought your ticket minutes before the film started. I was so anxious that the theater hall would be full and that I couldn't get in or I would get an uncomfortable seat that I harassed my local proto-multiplex to convince them to sell me tickets earlier. I must have been the first ever to get tickets days in advance of the screening, for myself and my uncle.
...In a world before people were obsessed with spoilers, you could come upon spoilers unannounced. In my part of the world, the movie was released months after the USA, and so I essentially had the whole plot spoiled to me by reading it in a magazine, in the middle of a larger article on the movie. I don't remember being really mad about that, and I was certainly very, very excited when I saw it in the cinema.
20 years is a lot! Star Wars was 21 when FTF was released...
I was so frickin' disappointed. Either the movie theater was closed or it was the wrong day. At least it wasn't playing - that is sure.
