scary, sardonically funny and at times just plain gross." Los Angeles Times reviewer Kenneth Turan felt that it was difficult to make sense of the film, saying that it relied too heavily on the series' mythology. Lisa Alspector wrote that "Only two scenes in this spin-off are worth the time of followers of the TV series." Variety reviewer Todd McCarthy remarked, "As it is, the pic serves up set-pieces and a measure of scope that are beyond TV size but remain rather underwhelming by feature standards." Janet Maslin of The New York Times responded negatively towards the film, opining that it was uneventful and scorning the "hush-hush atmosphere" surrounding the production. Andrew Johnston reviewed the film in Time Out New York and observed: "The X-Files has always been the most cinematic show on TV, and Bowman (who's directed many of its best episodes) expands the show's scale and impact on the big screen while keeping its charms intact." Sequel The X-Files has spawned one sequel, a 2008 film entitled The X-Files: I Want to Believe released six years after the series ended. The film grossed $68 million and received a lower approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes than the first film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chris Carter announced that if I Want to Believe proved successful, he would propose that a third film go back to the television series' mythology and focus on the alien invasion foretold within the series, due to occur in December 2012. No third film appeared; instead, the TV series was revived in 2016. See also Extraterrestrial hypothesis 1998 in film References Sources External links Film 1998 films 1998 horror films 1990s science fiction action films 1990s science fiction horror films 20th Century Fox films American detective films American science fiction action films American science fiction horror films Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films about extraterrestrial life Films based on television series Films directed by Rob Bowman Films scored by Mark Snow Films set in 1998 Films set in Antarctica Films set in pre-Columbian America Films set in prehistory Films set in Dallas Films set in Tunisia Films set in Montgomery County, Maryland Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in British Columbia Films shot in London Films shot in Los Angeles Biological weapons in popular culture Films about cavemen Occult detective fiction 1990s English-language films 1990s American films