The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Opening Date: 07/25/2008

STUDIO: Fox

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
To find the truth, you must believe.

Opening Statement
I’m beginning to lose faith in the ability of filmmakers to craft compelling continuations of once great franchises. With all the secrecy surrounding this latest installment of The X-Files, writer/director Chris Carter had fans believing he and co-writer Frank Spotnitz were about unleash a mesmerizing new adventure for Mulder and Scully, who had not been seen or heard from since the curtain came down on the series in May 2002. But when the lights came up following I Want to Believe, the thought that dominated the collective mind of what little audience remained was… “That’s it? Six years of waiting and that’s all you’ve got for us?”

Facts of the Case
Present day. Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) has left the FBI and returned to practicing medicine at Virginia’s Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital. But when the bureau is unable to locate Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) who they need to assist in finding a missing agent, they come to Scully for help. Our reluctant heroes team up once again, working alongside a disbarred priest turned psychic (Billy Connolly) and two hot young FBI agents (Amanda Peet and Xzibit), to track down their colleague before time runs out. Problem is, this missing woman is only the tip of a much more disturbing iceberg, one that will challenge the very belief systems Mulder and Scully hold dear.

The Evidence
The first question is obvious: Why all the secrecy? This isn’t Lost. If the film held any actual reveals, I can understand wanting to play them close to the vest, but there’s nothing here that warrants it. The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a wasted opportunity to relaunch the franchise. Chris and Frank had six years to craft the greatest X-File ever told and what shows up on screen is similar to what you’d get by waiting until the last minute to write a 100 page term paper.

Without giving anything away to the handful of people still planning to see it, there are no aliens, no monsters, and no things that go bump in the night. This is a human tale left over from Frank Black’s Millennium case files. Sure, it pushes all the right buttons by challenging Dana’s faith in God and stirring Fox’s insatiable quest for the truth, but there are a million different ways to do that and still make an epic adventure for audiences to enjoy. Instead, we get a small, dark film that is slow to unfold and leads to a very small payoff. Granted, Chris did not have a huge budget to work with, but this looks and feels like a poorly conceived two-part sweeps episode of the series. There’s nothing cinematic about it, which only adds to the disappointment. What’s worse, this isn’t a film for the unwashed masses. Those who have no investment in the lives of these characters are going to be bored out of their minds by this half baked script.

The connections between Scully’s stem cell subplot — a young boy with a seemingly incurable neurological disease — and the main story are not organic enough to be believable. The flirtatious crush Agent Whitney (Amanda Peet) has on Fox could have thrown a fascinating wrench into his still murky relationship with Dana, but it never goes anywhere. The hostility shown by several of the current FBI team for Fox is unnecessary. And the presence of gay, transgender, and sexual deviance elements combine for an uncomfortable homophobic overtone which may anger some audiences… and rightfully so.

It’s not a total loss, though. The character development between Fox and Dana is top notch. Very few people can write intimate personal moments for these two characters like Frank Spotnitz, and David and Gillian execute them flawlessly. The unseen events which have passed between them over the years underscore their present circumstances. These aren’t the same people we saw in that hotel room at the end of the series, and yet they are as familiar to us now as they were six years ago. Mulder and Scully were the heart and soul of the series, even when they weren’t on screen, and remain so today. If only they had a great story arc to ride on, this could have been a rewarding experience. But it’s not.

We’re not alone though. Twentieth Century Fox executives aren’t enjoying themselves either. The film will be lucky to break even and it’s highly doubtful we’ll see another big screen adventure, which is frustrating given the untapped potential this franchise still holds.

Closing Statement
I still believe in the creative foundation upon which The X-Files franchise was built. But more than 200 hours of great television deserves a better send off than this 105 min big screen disappointment.

The Verdict
The X-Files: I Want to Believe is found guilty of misappropriation of funds, but its characters are free to fight another day… in whatever form and venue that might take place.

6/10