The X-Files: I Want to Believe
By Christy Lemire, Associated Press
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Chris Pizzello / Associated Press
A pregnant Gillian Anderson, left, and David Duchovny attend the premiere of The X-Files: I Want To Believe on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The makers of the new X-Files movie have done themselves a disservice in coming up with the elongated title, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Really, it just invites a whole bunch of bad jokes which, unfortunately, are justified.
It's easy to imagine how they might go: I want to believe another X-Files movie is necessary, 10 years after the first one came out and six years after the pioneering sci-fi series went off the air. I want to believe it's worth my time and money, even if I wasn't a fervent devotee of the TV show. And I want to believe that Mulder and Scully still have the same chemistry they once did.
Well, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do slip comfortably back into the roles that made them superstars in the 1990s, but the movie itself from director and X-Files series creator Chris Carter never feels like anything more than an extended episode. It lacks the complexity and scope required to rise to a theatrical level; it doesn't challenge us in any new or exciting ways. The big mystery? Just a rehashed urban legend.
In deference to the show's many secrets and twists, we'll just say the plot involves a missing persons case, severed body parts and creepy hunts and chases through the snow.
In writing the script, Carter and longtime collaborator Frank Spotnitz have come up with a stand-alone story, one that doesn't require expertise in X-Files minutiae to follow, although they've also left some nuggets for loyal fans along the way. The title itself is one of them, sorta: It's the phrase on a poster that hung in Fox Mulder's office.
These days, the former FBI agent spends all his time hiding in his office at home, clipping articles about the same kinds of unexplained phenomena he used to investigate and obsessing, still.
Meanwhile, the no-nonsense Dana Scully, the doctor he was paired with, is practicing at a hospital. (The appropriately named Our Lady of Sorrows.) But when FBI agents Whitney (a severely thin Amanda Peet) and Drummy (rapper Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner) approach her about finding Mulder to help them track down a missing colleague, she gets dragged back into the fray.
Duchovny can still whip out a wicked one-liner, and his character's dark humor is crucial when things threaten to turn too self-serious. Anderson brings grace and gravitas as his straight-laced foil.
Too bad Carter and Co. couldn't come up with a feature- length film that rises to the occasion. The definitive X-Files movie may not be out there after all.
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
July 25, 2008
1 p.m.
Suggest removal
jlstaud writes:
I couldn't disagree more. The creators did exactly what they set out to do. In numerous interviews with the creators and actors I heard them say they wanted to create a movie that was more like the early episodes of the show that could stand alone. Well, I've recently been watching seasons 1 and 2 and guess what, this movie was right along those lines. Paranormal, quirky, strange twists, one-liners, dark moments, funny moments, chemistry with Fox and Dana, PERFECT! Great job Mr. Carter. Now lets continue the overlying story of nine seasons with another movie. Thanks for this one, it was long overdue.