The Chronic Consumer

As a huge fan of the FOX television series The X-Files, I had been looking for a complete DVD collection of all 9 seasons for some time. As expected, however, purchasing a complete set would be an expensive venture since so many DVDs were involved. I had my eye on two different collections: The Special Edition DVD Box Set that came in a nifty briefcase, and The Complete Collector’s Edition that came in a more standard cardboard box.

The first collection retailed for more than $500, which I’d never be able to justify spending on DVDs. The second was a more reasonable $329, and when the price for that one was slashed to $164.99 during a special sale, I jumped at my chance to own the entire series.

The X-Files: The Complete Collector’s Edition contains a whopping 61 discs that feature every single episode from the show’s incredible 9-year run on FOX. In addition, the full-length 1998 film, Fight the Future is included in the set. A pull-out drawer holds an X-Files graphic novel (comic book), trading cards, movie poster, and guidebook. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Each season’s DVDs are housed in their own boxes, and the helpful guide makes it a snap to find particular episodes. I’ve had no problems at all navigating through this massive collection — which isn’t always the case with huge box sets like this!

The main reason I wanted to buy this Collector’s Edition was for the bonus features that are included with every season. The features in this set consist mostly of interviews with Chris Carter and other producers, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of filming some of the episodes. For the record, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson hardly appear in the extras at all, and when they do, their interviews and comments are from 10 years ago when The X-Files was still in production. From what I’ve seen thus far (and I by no means have watched everything yet), there are no recent interviews with David and Gillian in this set.

Speaking of the bonus features, I have to say that I’ve actually been a bit disappointed with them. Most are very short, most consist of only Chris Carter talking about special production notes, and a lot of the stuff is repetitive, with the same commentary cropping up in two or more different special features segments. I’m not sure why they chose to go this way with the features, but it got kind of annoying after a while.

Nevertheless, that wasn’t enough to dampen my enjoyment of The X-Files: The Complete Collector’s Edition. It’s great to be able to see my favorite episodes anytime I want, and to relive the most memorable moments from The X-Files’ awesome run. I highly recommend this collection to any true X-Files fan out there — especially at the sale price of $164.99. You just can’t go wrong with that!