Plot: When an ex-communicated priest claims to have a telepathic bond with a missing FBI agent- the bureau approaches ex-agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to investigate.
Review: THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE is too little, too late. Let's face it folks- THE X-FILES is over, and it was over long before it left the air. Back when I was in high school, I used to watch this show every Sunday night, and then spend hours the next day deconstructing each episode with my friends. When THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE came out ten years ago- I was first in line. That film- while flawed, was still an ambitious, and entertaining film. Sadly- this is not.
In many ways- this film is like an early, feature length episode from the days before the show became centered around an extremely complicated mythology. I, for one, really liked the mythology episodes, and I always found the ones centering around a "monster of the week" hit & miss. This is a miss, folks. Big time!
For the benefit of the big time X-philes, I'm going to try and tread lightly on the plot- as I don't want to reveal too much. The first forty five minutes of the film is actually fairly good- as it was a blast seeing Mulder & Scully back together again. Duchovny & Anderson are as good as they ever were- and amazingly look as though they haven't aged a day since the last episode. Their chemistry- which was always the best part of the show, is still there. The problem with the film is that the story line is complete and utter shit (to be blunt).
The film is written by series creator Chris Carter (who also directed), and Frank Spotnitz- who wrote a lot of the best episodes. Unlike a forty minute episode- which necessitates a fairy quick pace- this film takes FOREVER to get going. This isn't really a problem in the first part of the film, as I was more than happy spending the time getting re-aquainted with Mulder & Scully. I also thought the character played by Connolly was well written- although something is revealed about him early on that completely erases any sympathy we have for the character,
The problems only really start towards the middle- as the film suddenly hits a snag that it never recovers from. At this point- the film just keeps getting worse & worse. It's full of lapses in logic- especially regarding the subplot involving Scully (who's now a physician) and a young patient of hers that's dying of a rare brain disorder. Meanwhile, the main plot of the film takes FOREVER to unfold. When all is revealed- I couldn't help but think "that's it?"
My general dislike of the film aside- I would still encourage fans of the show to check it out. Despite it's many flaws, it's still a lot of fun seeing Mulder & Scully together again. Check it out at a cheap matinee.
Grade: 5.5/10
