Am I the only one who thinks that the X-Files have become a tired joke with plots and ideas that are past their sell-by date?

I've never been terribly impressed by the X-Files and cannot understand why so many scientists get so worked up about it. To me it was a good idea that worked ... for about six episodes.

After that it was clear that it had said all that it was going to say. The X-Files film 'Fight the Future' confirms this.

What can I say about it? The special effects are good but then we expect that these days. The music is very good and er ...

Well the cinema was nice, the seats comfortable and soporific but the drinks were expensive and the popcorn too salty. Oh ... the film ...

Well, to be honest the film is predictable and like many of the other films around this summer (Armageddon, Deep Impact) the science is weak but then, who cares?

If we insisted on scientific accuracy in films then hardly anything would ever be made and films, er movies, would be quite boring.

To me the strangest thing about the film, er movie, is when Scully and Mulder are on the roof of a building in Dallas.

By some unexplained paranormal trans-dimensional spatial relocation anomaly the skyline appears to be that of Los Angeles. Obviously it is significant, indicative of a new conspiracy. We should be told.

The people behind the film will make lots of money as millions of fans queue up to see it. The film's backers will be able to buy their own flying saucer.

Science in the X-Files is weak and critical thinking is pushed aside. The paranormal sells the series because of viewer gullibility.

And what is wrong with that? Being lulled into a sense of gullibility is part of the film-makers art. When you sit down with your fizzy drink and popcorn you are asking to be taken somewhere else.

That is OK just as long as you stop being gullible in the real world which I am afraid is what many X-Files fans fail to do.

Many scientists get very worked up about the X-Files. They see it as a banner behind which the forces of anti-science and the paranormal can rally and hoodwink the gullible public into believing nonsense.

Even if this is true then the best thing the scientists can do is to ignore it if not enjoy it. The fact is that the X-Files are doing scientists a favour in flogging the paranormal horse to death.

The X-Files will soon be gone but the genre will not. The real problem is not the abundance of paranormal programmes but the lack of compelling science programmes to provide a counterpoint.

If there were more of these then I am sure that scientists would not get so worked up about Scully and Mulder.

Will we in 20 years time be basking in X-Files nostalgia just as we are with the 'Avengers' and 'Lost in Space' this summer?

No.