The X-Files: I want to believe
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the x-files i want to believe poster
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Now, there's a lot to like and hate about this movie, especially if you are a fan of the television series (either casually or hard-core... hard core as in you Photoshop Scully's (Gillian Anderson's) face on naked bodies..... ...... ....... ....... *ahem*)
But seriously, this is a major guilty pleasure on so many levels.
The BadThis is BARELY an X-Files-class film. There is little haunting or overly supernatural about this film and the overall story is unexciting. The only characters that are remotely interesting are Mulder and Scully, and the psychic pedophile priest (BILLY CONNOLLOY FUCKING RULES) who finds the body parts in the snow. The whole movie plays like a PG-13 "Se7en" that while creepy is really tame in comparison to the classic television show, and fails to generate any sense of "I-gotta-see-what-happens-next!" Also, a lot of the plot elements like Scully's dilemma in the hospital really detract from the core theme, but I guess maybe the core theme is challenging Scully's faith?
As for Mulder and Scully themselves, I was disappointed to see that they really hadn't changed that much, and that, while the familiarity was nice, I was hoping that if the theme was a more character-based story it would have been as equally as brillaint as the X-Files episode "
Beyond the Sea" where Scully's rationale and skepticism was questioned by witnessing deeply personal paranormal phenomenon, where Mulder was the skeptic because of the circumstances with the villain, and the villain (a mass murderer and alleged psychic medium for the dead, Luther Lee Boggs played flawlessly by Brad Dourif) played a role that I feel safe calling "beyond good and evil".
However, "I Want to Believe" had nothing that really challenged the characters, or the viewer, like "Beyond the Sea".
The GoodFrom a casual fan like me ... A CASUAL FAN LIKE ME... It really was great seeing Mulder and Scully together again, and to give you a peek into a window of their lives after the cluster-fuck story-plot of the final seasons of the television series. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have an amazing chemistry on the screen, and their performances in this film are not over-sexed or cliche like most Hollywood films, but feels genuine and down to earth. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as Scully, as always, and the tacked on hospital scenes do flush out her character at the very most. The story does have a pretty good air of mystery to it, though not in a traditional X-Files sense of horror or suspense, but if you look past it you do get a decent detective thriller where the theme of the movie is not so much good vs evil, but the choices of individual characters, as well as dabbling in faith, the loss of faith, inner demons, and redemption. In reality, "I Want To Believe" is really a character study, as it dips into Scully's conflicting views of Science vs Religion and it reminds us that while Fox Mulder has come to grips that his missing sister (whom he witnessed being abducted by aliens) is dead, he is still chasing ghosts, though (unlike the TV series) in a figurative sense rather than literal.
The final haunting moment that really hit me between the eyes was the scene past the credits of an aerial shot of Mulder and Scully on a rowboat, off of the coast of some small isolated tropical island, where the two are finally at peace in a place where 'the darkness' (the mysteries and unexplainable of the world, as well as their own personal demons) can never find them ever again. Coupled with a catchy tune ("Broken" by the British band "UNKLE"), this odd piece of closure leaves a bittersweet taste in one's mouth. It is a final sad/happy ending but you keep hoping that this film is not going to be the smoking gun that finally put the series out of its contrived misery.
The Verdict:In closing, I do recommend this film, despite its flaws, for not only the return of Mulder and Scully, but for being a good character-based film. However, if you are expecting a haunting, edge-of-your-seat ride like the best of the classic X-Files episodes, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.
With that said, I need to close out Photoshop... er, I mean Microsoft Word. Yeah.
50 Movies to watch before you die
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