Ever visit old friends you haven’t seen in years? That’s what watching “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” was like for me.
I was an avid X-Phile during the nine years the show ran (especially the first seven years). So much so that I was even given a set of DVDs of the entire series as a Christmas gift – I still watch an occasional episode now and then. What intrigued me about the series was the combination of well plotted, well acted stories, and the interplay between the main characters, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). That and the underlying notion of a dark and intricate conspiracy by aliens and the government to mislead the public and obfuscate the truth appealed to my sense of paranoia.
Episodes of the X-files fell into two distinct categories: There were episodes that furthered the storyline of the above-mentioned conspiracy, which were connected and sequential, like a (very, very dark) soap opera. These were known as “Mythos” episodes. The other type were stand alone stories, each one independent and unconnected. These were known as “Monster of the Week” episodes.
The X-Files: I Want To Believe falls into the second category, presumably so it might attract a broader audience than die-hard fans familiar with the convoluted, hard to follow Mythos. Makes sense, when you consider the TV series ended six years ago and the first X-Files movie was released a full decade ago.
Fans of the series know that it ended with Mulder’s escape after being wrongfully found guilty of murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection.
The plot of “The X-Files, I Want to Believe” revolves around the disappearance of an FBI agent. In investigating the abduction, the only lead the FBI has is provided by a defrocked Catholic Priest who is a convicted pedophile. Father Joe (Billy Connolly) is a psychic who claims he has visions of the missing agent. The agent in charge, Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet), doesn’t know whether to trust him or pistol whip him. Clearly, Fox Mulder’s X-File expertise is needed. They locate Mulder through Sculley, offer him a pardon if he helps, and before you know it, the two are back in action. Scully, who has been working as a doctor in a clinic, is reluctant to re-enter the dark world of the X-Files while Mulder is ecstatic to be back In harness.
Here is where the movie falters a bit. The secondary characters, in particular the FBI agents, are little more than plot devices with very little depth to their characters. I won’t reveal too much of the mechanics of the story, but when something that should be really disturbing happens, it is not nearly as effective as it could have been had more care been taken with character development. The more we know about someone, the more we care. Likewise, the villains of the movie are painted with broad strokes and we end up knowing very little about them. Shallow peripheral character development is inevitable in a 48-minute TV episode, but in a 104-minute movie we should expect more. The exception to this is Connolly’s Father Joe. His portrayal of a reviled former sinner trying desperately to use his psychic abilities as a means of redemption is mesmerizing.
The heart of this movie, however, is the Mulder-Scully relationship. Mulder is still the seeker who desperately wants to believe in the paranormal and Scully is the woman of reason who sometimes struggles to reconcile her belief in science with her religious faith. Part of the magic of the series was how they developed a strong mutual respect, even though their viewpoints were often at odds. The chemistry is still very much there, but with age and passing events it is now touched with a hint of melancholy. Mulder’s quips now seem just a tad bittersweet and Scully at times seems to radiate an aura of sadness in the film. A lot of water has passed under the bridge for these characters since the series ended.
Before the movie’s end, the two characters face and resolve troubling questions of faith and belief. This, it appears to me, is the focus of the film rather than the horror plot.
Have we seen the last of Mulder and Scully on the big screen? Given the lackluster reviews and disappointing box office so far (a mere $10 million on the opening weekend), it would seem so. The movie had the bad luck to open just a week after what potentially could be the biggest summer blockbuster of all time, “The Dark Knight”.
Keep in mind, however, that “The X-Files: I Want To Believe” only cost $30 million to produce. Strong DVD sales could push it over the top and make a sequel more likely. X-Files creator Chris Carter has said that he would like to do a movie to be released in 2012, which marks the endpoint of the Mayan calendar. The year 2012 was a reoccurring theme in the X-Files Mythos and I, for one, would love to see a movie based on the date.
Let’s get out there and buy those DVDs when they come out!