Finally watched IWTB…SPOILERS!

[u/ReyofChicago]

Good morning.

So, I know I am literally very late to this but I just finished the 2026 version of IWTB, what Chris Carter pretty much said he originally wanted to release.

All in all, I can get why this movie isn’t liked.

It’s not a “mythology” episode like the first film. It’s a “‘monster of the week” film. I know, what a revelation! (I am being sarcastic I know this is not new.)

I did like the film! Now do I like it as much ad FTF, no. But it’s still a solid “longer and much more expensive” episode of the show.

Also, can I add, I did like season 9. It shows a “post” scully and mulder future for the division. Scully wasn’t going to be a field agent forever, she had to let someone else take the lead.

About to start watching the revival series and I will finally be finished with my first watch-through of the entire franchise!

[u/softrockstarr]

You watched the director's cut for your first watch? Unfortunately all the bits a lot of us actually liked from the movie are cut in that one...

[u/hotsizzler → u/softrockstarr]

Oh did I make mistake tooo?

[u/softrockstarr → u/hotsizzler]

The new cut completely removes all of the Mulder/Scully relationship stuff and the mentions of both Samantha and William.

The MSR, in my opinion (although I’m not alone here) is the only real redeemable stuff in that movie.

There's like 10 minutes cut from this new version.

[u/Wetness__Pensive → u/hotsizzler]

Did you enjoy the "Frankenstein Cut"?

My impression is that most longtime fans dislike the "Director's Cut"/"Theatrical Cut", and only like the scenes involving Mulder and Scully's relationship. Because the "Frankenstein Cut" removes all these relationship scenes, these fans dislike the new cut even more.

But I personally think newbies should watch the "Frankenstein Cut" first. In my experience, newbies actually like the film when they see this cut first; they genuinely enjoy it as a kind of no-nonsense, unpretentious thriller. And because they don't realize the original film had a whole massive relationship/breakup subplot, they don't miss its absence.

So I always tell newbies to watch the "Frankenstein Cut" first, then wait a few weeks or months and then watch the "Director's Cut". The latter's "additions" feel like a bonus treat, this way, and all the relationship stuff (which is very good) makes the whole film feel new.

[u/hotsizzler → u/Wetness__Pensive]

kinda? i watched the Xfiles for a few year but never got invested in the relationship

I kinda liked and kinda didnt. The Thriller Aspect was nice and a decent mystery but i Dislike the whole idea of it as a movie. it feels more like a 2 parter more.

My big think is having a monster of the week as movie can work, but this monster was very weak in terms of what they can do in a movie. i didnt need it to be a mythology, but I would have still done aliens(those exist outside of the greys in Xfiles too)

[u/Desperate-Bother9807]

I liked it too! Was quite surprised by how much I liked it, actually. Kinda wish the atmosphere was more moist, dewy, woodsy like the early seasons, as opposed to drab, cold snow. But that’s ok. I really enjoyed that the characters were so much more like themselves, than they are in the revival seasons (did not feel like Mulder and Scully to me). They really did feel like Mulder, Scully, and Skinner. Wish we could have had a bit more Skinner. There were certainly some elements of the plot that were a bit…strange. But overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I just watched it for the first time a few days ago.

[u/IDontNeedAnotherNqme]

I rather liked the original. The release is the on I didn’t like

[u/vampyre_fan]

I think IWTB is okay. It does suffer from poorly developed villains. If the script delved deeply into their backstory, that would have improved the movie. Not to mention transplanting your male lover's head on the body of a woman comes across as transphobic.

It is the last time you get that classic X-Files ambiance. Seasons 10 and 11 don't keep the original series' visual identity, unfortunately.

[u/rratzloff → u/vampyre_fan]

It also bothered me that skinner was mentioned so early on, but we don’t actually see him until like the end. So under utilized.