Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Xzibit, Callum Keith Rennie

Directed by: Chris Carter

Sony Pictures

The Official Site of The X-files: I Want To Believe

Discuss The X-files: I Want To Believe on the boards!

The X-Files took its second big shot at the big screen a few weeks back to little fan fair. Faithful followers of the cult TV series lost interest somewhere in the 10-year gap between films and 6 year gap since the series petered out. Aliens and FBI agents feel very dated in the summer of Batman.

I should let you guys know up front that I was not a huge fan of the series. The show about two agents working through the FBI’s freak files was highly acclaimed but something creepy enough to keep me at bay. I scare easy and was only lured in by the occasional celebrity guest or bought of laziness strong enough to keep me from changing the channel after The Simpsons ended. Apparently I was missing out on something though as The X-files is still considered one of the finest shows of its time (Today’s incentive image is my homage to Classic Mulder and Scully).

This latest trip to the big screen seems to be faithful enough to the TV series, but I think that’s the problem. The characters seem to be pretty well intact - Mulder still believes and Scully still doesn’t, even in the face of proof - but the adventure is under done and the conclusion is lacklustre. Fans knew this and stayed away.

In I Want To Believe Mulder, now a recluse, is pulled out of retirement to help find a missing agent in danger. His special talents are needed because the only lead the FBI has is a mysterious paedophile priest that's having visions of the grizzly attack that lead to the girl's disappearance. Scully is along for the ride because she's the only one that knew where to find Mulder and let's face it - they're meant to be together. If the movie has one strength it's that connection. Anderson and Duchovny still have a wild chemistry that brightens up this dim adventure from time to time.

Can the team-up last though if Scully can't believe? Luckily in her B-story she's going through a crisis of faith, and the priest says something off the cuff that has her questioning what we can really believe in life. On the surface the movie might look like it's about bad men doing bad things and the good government trying to stop them, but it's really about this battle to believe. Hence the ridiculous title.

A ridiculous title is easy to overlook but with all the other problems going on here, what's the difference in lumping one more onto the pile? The film moves along slowly, in a less epic scale that the original X-Files film which was a great combination of mystery and horror. I Want To Believe feels much more like an extended episode than a big screen expansion. Especially considering that this is supposed to be the tale that closes out the franchise. It should be huge! The door is left open for more, but after this ho-hum effort 5 years too late, I’m not sure there’s any interest.

When a TV show becomes a movie it's expected that things will jump up a notch. Bigger action, a story that progresses the characters further than any one TV episode ever could. Chris Carter, series creator, took on the directorial duties here and it shows. The scale feels limited and claustrophobic. You could point to the significant drop in budget between films (from 60 to 30 million) but smaller films have done more with less, and they had the handicap of having to introduce characters, themes and storylines from scratch. I Want To Believe should have knocked us off our asses right out the gate and not slowed down ‘til the credits rolled.

Is it so wrong to give the fans what they want? To have some closures with these characters and this world? Maybe I Want To Believe IS what the fans want. Like I said, I was never really into the show. Perhaps this slow crawling focus on the characters is the perfect exclamation point on one of the most critically claimed shows of the last 20 years. I seriously doubt it though.

Rating: 3 out of 10 - As someone that’s only seen a handful of the shows that inspired the movie, I realize that I may not be the best authority on the matter. My opinion is only as good as what’s seeped through over years of having friends that watched the show, general knowledge information about the series that leaked over into the main stream, and agreeing that Gillian Anderson is pretty damn fine. 10 years after the last movie, those friends could care less about a sequel, pop culture is way more interested in superheroes, and Gillian Anderson held up pretty well. Too bad she can only play one role.

Going in with no expectations though, The X-files: I Want To Believe still managed to disappoint. It plays like a long episode, from the lame freak-of-the-week style baddie to the limited scope of camera work. You’ll be impressed by how cool the occasional car crash looks, especially for a TV show, and then you’ll realized you paid 11 dollars to watch it and the uncontrollable weeping will begin.

I can’t imagine that the die hard X-Files fans are going to be satisfied with this as a closing, but I certainly wouldn’t begrudge a purist DVD collector of getting this to complete their set. I’m not going anywhere near it though. As flat and uninspired as this played on the big screen, I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like on my crap TV with 17 fewer dollars in my pocket.

Brother’s Bloom - Whether it’s the cast list (Brody, Weisz, Ruffalo), the writer/director (Rian Johnson who made a modern noir masterpiece with 2005’s Brick) or the premise of two brothers conning an heiress out of some loot by taking her on a romantic adventure, there’s more than enough reasons why The Brothers Bloom should be on your radar. Honestly, for me, Rian Johnson is enough. The cast is an absolute wish list of talent but after Brick, I’d see anything Johnson put his name on even if it starred the cast of What’s Happenin’ Now. He’s got such a great grasp on crime and pacing, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play with a little levity brought to the table. Brick was played so straight but Brothers Bloom seems to be wall to wall laughs. Or at least it looks like everyone’s having a good time. So that’s encouraging.

Decide for yourself, and let us know what you think on the boards!

For those of you anxious to hear my thoughts on this weekend’s release of Pineapple Express, a comic and review will be going up Tuesday before noon. If that’s not soon enough you could hop on over to my Flixster page where you can read a quick review of Pineapple Express right now! Or you could always tune in to tonight’s episode of the Triple Feature where we’ll be discussing Express, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, how nothing can stop The Dark Knight, and the sad news bellow.

Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away at the age of 50 this Saturday. Mac had been hospitalized for a week with a lung infection but the article says he was listed as stable.

It was hard not to be a fan of Mac’s aggressive style. You have to respect a man that could get a laugh out of you just by giving you a stern look. While his starring roles on the big screen never hit big with audiences (Guess Who, Mr. 3000) he would steal the show in ensemble films like The Kings of Comedy and the Ocean’s films, making sure that on your way to the parking lot you were talking about something he said. He was too young and he’ll be missed.

More grim news, Soul superstar Issac Hayes was found dead at 65 next to a still running treadmill. It’s been a terrible week for African American icons and it’s shame we had to loose a legend of comedy and music back-to-back. All my best to their loved ones.

Lastly, my buddy Tom Brazelton from Theater Hopper is in the middle of a crisis that could end with him losing 5 years worth of comic files. It's an artist's worst nightmare. Hop on over and see what you can do to help.

On that string of terrible news, I’ll say good day. Thanks for reading.