Continuity mistake: As Mulder and Scully enter into the building that houses the bees is seems Mulder's tie gets blown over his right shoulder and then he is seen inside and it is over his left shoulder. (01:00:30)
The X-Files Movie (1998)
Plot summary
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Starring: Martin Landau, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, John Neville, William B. Davis
Thirty-seven thousand years ago, a deadly secret was buried in a cave in Texas. Now the secret has been unleashed. And its discovery may mean the end of all humanity. When a terrorist bomb destroys a building in Dallas, Texas, FBI Agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy surpassing anything they've ever encountered. With the dubious assistance of a paranoid doctor (Landau), Mulder and Scully risk their careers and their lives to hunt down a deadly virus which may be extraterrestrial in origin - and could destroy all life on earth. Their pursuit of the truth pits them against the mysterious Syndicate, powerful men who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe, leading the agents from a cave in Texas, to the halls of the FBI, and finally to a secret installation in Antarctica which holds the greatest secret of all.
More mistakes in The X-Files Movie
Cigarette Smoking Man: Secure the station. I want everybody else down below. If you're not armed, arm yourselves! We may have a breach.
Trivia: The bees in the dome scene are real (there were about 30,000 of them). David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were actually in the dome with them, and neither of them wore protective gear, but weren't stung nonetheless.
Question: If the "cold drink" vending machine was unplugged and the buttons were unresponsive, WHY did the saboteurs deliberately illuminate the front of the machine? Wouldn't this ATTRACT people to the machine, only to subsequently arouse curiosity when it failed to function (as it did with Mulder)? The more logical approach would be to disable the vending machine (including the illumination) and tape an "out of order" sign on it. People would then just ignore the machine, arousing no suspicion. The illuminated vending machine gimmick looks like an illogical contrivance to advance the plot.
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Chosen answer: If they had put an "Out of Order" sign, or left it unilluminated, someone in charge might try to have it fixed or replaced, or could have checked to see if it's plugged in, etc. By leaving it illuminated, it doesn't look out of place and simply not taking money wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. In my own life, when I've come across a seemingly working vending machine that won't take my money or dispense drinks (but gives my money back), I just find another one instead of calling someone or reporting it. But yes, it is very convenient to the plot that Mulder just happens to try and use this particular machine.