Whether or not you watched The X-Files from 1993- 2002, you would have had to be living under a rock to not know the names, Scully and Mulder. The characters, the actors who played them, and even the theme song for the television series, were widely known and easily identifiable. For nine seasons, these FBI agents investigated paranormal phenomena, with the former agent being a skeptic, and the latter being a "believer".
For years, fans of the show have been left with the feeling of wanting more from this franchise, even after nine seasons and 2 feature films, one released in 1998 and the other in 2008. Finally, beginning on January 26, 2016, there will be a 6 episode miniseries with all of the main characters returning. In anticipation of this long sought-after reunion, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is selling a collector's edition Blu-ray set.
With all 9 seasons neatly housed in a compact box, the collector's edition fits nicely on any bookshelf. It is the complete set with all 202 episodes and plenty of extras to keep a diehard fan happy for a long time. Each season is in its own case, including cover art which leaves everything nice and neat.
Even though the early seasons of X-Files were originally presented on television in a 4:3 aspect ratio (as well as the subsequent DVD releases), it's nice to see that 20th Century Fox has given them the widescreen treatment they were originally filmed in; and, while presented in 1080p AVC encoded video, the quality is not quite as good as a newer series simply because the show was shot 13 to 23 years ago. The same can be said for the Master 5.1 audio track which provides some of the nuances of today but doesn't quite capture all of them simply because it can't.
Each disc comes with a multitude of extras including commentary from Chris Carter, deleted scenes, FX: Behind the truth, documentaries about each season, and Inside The X-Files. With over 23 hours of extras, there is so much to watch besides the plethora of episodes from each of the nine seasons.
Selling for over $250, this is an expensive set that not everyone will be able to afford, but anyone who loved the series enough to watch all 9 seasons over again might be willing to shell out that much for such a keepsake. Side note: The individual seasons are for sale as well but don't come with the artistic box.
I know lots of fans that will be eagerly awaiting the first of 6 Episodes to come on January 24th, and, in the meantime, they can sit back and relive the past, refresh their memories and enjoy what they loved most about The X-Files once again. Whether it was the paranormal creatures, the relationship between Scully and Mulder, or something else entirely, you can't argue The X-Files wasn't a part of pop culture that many are looking forward to seeing again.
Grade: A
