In a far away magical land we call the 1990s, The X-Files used to rule the world. Everyone watched it. Grandmas, babies, dogs, parakeets, Nilla wafers, even inanimate kitchen utensils crowded around the TV every Sunday (or Friday) to see what the the sexiest FBI agents in the world were going to point their flashlights at next. The show’s formula was simple enough, its delivery mysterious enough, and its cast strong enough to transform a once sleepy cult drama into a nerdy spiritual experience that captivated people all over the planet.

So, naturally, it had to be made into a movie. Because money. And glory. And fans. And awesomeness. (But money more than anything else.)

The X-Files: Fight the Future used to be my favorite film. I think I’ve seen it about, oh, 142 times. I kid; it’s been way more than that. I used to have the movie posters on my walls and the soundtrack CD and the trading cards and the….if there were to have been a video game tie-in of some sort for Nintendo 64, I definitely would have eaten it up.

Now that I’ve rewatched Fight the Future for the purpose of writing this article, I can’t say that it’s in my list of ride or die movies anymore. True, I’m seeing it through the greasy spectacles of a longtime jaded fan who witnessed the decline that came in its aftermath, so the missed opportunities stick out for me more than anything else when I watch it. However, as someone who grew up on a heavy diet of Mulder and Scully and the silly monsters and scary old men in suits that would bring them closer together, it’ll always have a special X shaped spot in my heart.