The X-Files

In 1998's The X-Files, FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have been reassigned from the bureau's unexplained-case files to routine anti-terrorism work. A bomb destroys a federal building in Dallas, and their inquiry into the attack uncovers a conspiracy far larger than the bombing itself. At its center is a virus meant to spread worldwide, possibly of extraterrestrial origin, and a powerful group protecting its own secrets at any cost.

The film adapts the television series created by Chris Carter, who wrote the screenplay and produced it with Daniel Sackheim. Rob Bowman, directing his second feature after Airborne, keeps the focus on Mulder and Scully, played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Mitch Pileggi returns as Walter Skinner, alongside William B. Davis, John Neville and Martin Landau. The story follows the show's characters while standing alone as a feature.

Made for 66 million dollars, it took about 189 million worldwide, a strong return for a television adaptation. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from roughly 114,000 votes; on TMDB, 6.9 from around 1,900. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 73 reviews places it close to the audience scores. The film sits between Airborne and Reign of Fire in Bowman's filmography.