The X-Files: I Want To Believe
July 24th 2008 05:26
I want to believe there's life yet to be found in the X-Files universe. In the years since avidly watching the show I've reached the opinion that standalone episodes hold up better than anything from its mythology. It's a great television series that sadly never went anywhere satisfactory in the end. This new movie wisely doesn't get mired in the conspiracy mess that weighed down the show until it sank.
I Want To Believe is a standalone story that brings the characters of Mulder and Scully back to long-time viewers. It offers closure not in terms of the overarching story of the television series but in terms of exactly who these characters are, and who they'll always be. People shouldn't expect a bombastic effort with explosions and large-scale special effects like the first X-Files movie. It's a story that could've easily fit on the small screen.
When an FBI agent goes missing, a disgraced priest turned psychic (Billy Connolly) leads the search party to an odd piece of evidence. It's got elements just bizarre enough to summon former agent Fox Mulder to the case. He's got experience with psychics, having worked several cases with them during his career investigating the X-Files. This case doesn't really offer him anything that wasn't explored on the show, but for some reason it's treated with a great dramatic weight.
Fleeting references to events from the series fill in some blanks for both new and old members of the audience, but it's a story that benefits from familiarity with these people. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson play Mulder and Scully like they've never stopped living in between. It's a case that stirs different reactions in them, putting each of their particular faiths to the test. The character dynamic remains intact, but it's evolved naturally over time. It's a story deeply rooted in questions of faith, and the title couldn't be more apt.
Chris Carter directs a surprisingly restrained film here. It's got a foreboding atmosphere enhanced by the snowy locations, but unfortunately this movie doesn't achieve scary moments like the show delivered at its best. The premise could have been horrifying, yet strangely there's little suspense. Where the first movie offered spectacle, this one gives a single chase sequence and a climax that's hardly surprising.
It's the characters you've come here to see, and that's what this film offers to long-time fans of Mulder and Scully. It's a chance to see them one more time. I don't know if we'll be seeing them again.
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