Director: Chris Carter (The X-Files)
Writer: Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Producers: Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Xzibit, Callum Keith Rennie
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 105 min
For me, “The X-Files” will for ever be linked with one of the most traumatic days of my life. I was 15, home on a Friday night. Mom was working and dad was in the yard and at 8:30PM, my sister and I started to pack up the evening activities. We changed into our PJ’s, poured ourselves a glass of milk and wrapped ourselves in a blanket in preparation for the final hour before bed time. The minute long set-up came on and then Mark Snow’s much hummed theme music kicked in. “The X-Files” was about to begin. It was at that moment, partway through the theme, that we smelled smoke. That was the night our house burned to a cinder and when asked about it years later, I can clearly recall the circumstances of our escape.
I always imagined that at some point in my life I’d come to associate the show with that tragic event in my life but it never happened. If anything, over the years we, my sister and I, have become even more fanatical about the show that provided us with hours of midnight chats and nightmares. While the show was on the air, we collected everything from comic books (to this day sealed and protected in limited edition numbered plastic wrap) to trading cards (the entire first season including the specialty cards). It’s fair to say that I’m a big fan of the show. Yet, when the production headed South in season six, I started to lose interest. The move, in combination with the release of the film in 1998, marked a difference in the series and almost immediately, the tone of the show seemed to change. It was darker, the characters a little more pessimistic and overall, less interesting. I stuck around for a few more seasons until Fox left the show at which point, I completely lost interest. I caught it here and there when nothing else was on TV but gone were the days of ritualistic weekly viewing.
I tried some of Chris Carter’s other projects; “Millennium” was excellent while it lasted and “Harsh Realm” seemed to have potential before it was canceled but nothing nothing seemed to stick any more. Carter, who had once seemed a bright beacon in TV land, seemed to be fading and when “The X-Files” finally went off the air in 2002, Carter seemed to go into seclusion. Over the years there was occasional talk of another film but those rumours never seemed to go anywhere. So when David Duchovny started to talk about the potential for another movie, no one paid much attention. It wasn’t until the film was finally announced that fans started to believe something could come together. So here we are, a little over a year since the initial announcement of the film and The X-Files: I Want to Believe has brought back the once unstoppable team of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Chris Carter. The fans have been anxiously awaiting the return but was it worth the wait? In one word: yes.
A number of the reviews I’ve skimmed over have made reference to the fact that Carter and co-writer Frank Spotnitz’s story is surprisingly devoid of aliens. From the beginning, Carter had been adamant that this story would not be part of the mythology of the show. By creating a stand alone story, there was potential to bring in the casual viewer as well as long time fans of the show and the film is successful in doing that. Taking place years after the show, the film features Mulder and Scully in their new environments. The two no longer work for the FBI but a missing person’s case which appears to have a supernatural connection forces a desperate Bureau agent to seek out Mulder for his expertise in the field and in turn, Mulder drags Scully into the action.
It’s been years since I’ve seen Chris Carter directed episode of the show, and even as long since I’ve seen the first film, but I don’t recall either being quite this well put together. Though the story comes across as an extended episode of the show, the characters have changed and matured, as has the director. Not only do Duchovny and Anderson show their years of experience playing these characters, they also bring their considerable talents from outside the series into the fold but it’s the lived in, natural ease of the characters and the situation that really sells the film. Carter takes the better acting and elevates it to cinematic proportions with his direction and the end result feels like a a visit with an old friend; it’s like catching up with someone you haven’t seen in years yet it seems like you saw them only yesterday. The story may be a simple and common within “The X-Files” world but it works as an introduction for new fans and a re-introduction to long unseen friends. But Carter and Spotnitz haven’t overlooked their fan base and peppered throughout are tidbits of goodness for longtime fans. From the moment when we find out just what Mulder and Scully’s relationship is to odd moments of comedy that are reminiscent of some of the show’s lighter episodes, it’s all here for us to revel in.
The film is not groundbreaking and heck, the story itself is nothing more than a glorified episode but the entire package works and it’s difficult to overlook the magic. Some may argue that it’s been too long and that no one cares about these character any more. Some will write this off as a cheap attempt to revive a dead franchise but watching the movie, it’s clear that “The X-Files” is still ripe for revisiting. The characters are richer now than they were during the show’s initial run and everyone involved with the production seems to have stepped things up a notch and while it may not be as grand as some where expecting, The X-Files: I Want to Believe is solid entertainment for both fans and non-fans alike.
Carter revolutionized television once and I don’t expect it to happen again but I am hopeful that this film marks his return into the entertainment business. He’s been sorely missed and I look forward to anything else he’s willing to offer. Hopefully, it’ll include my favourite duo.
Click “play” to see the trailer:
Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for The X-Files: I Want to Believe
I really enjoyed this movie. I realize there will be people that don’t know the show that won’t get into the story and/or find themselves caring about the characters. And there are fans that aren’t happy that there are no aliens or that this isn’t a “splashier” movie (something along the lines of “The Dark Knight”). But I was very happy to revisit these characters. Thanks for your thoughtful review.
P.S. Did you stick around for the closing credits for the hidden surprise?
I totally agree. It’s a nicely crafted story that works very well in the X-Files universe.
@Caroline – We’re obviously on the same boat. I found myself laughing a lot through the film while others seemed to not “get it” which may indicate the new fans.
Darn it! I missed the surprise?!? We went to a late screening and hubby was tired. I usually stick around but we left partway through the credits. Darned! It didn’t help that I pretty much decided to stay in the dark about the movie. I only saw the trailer and that’s it.
I agree. Thanks for putting out a thoughtful review, something that hasn’t been happening with some of the mainstream critics (God love Ebert though). I think these critics were expecting a CGI heavy, plot-twisting thriller…essentially a two hour over-stimulating experience. What I found was a real story. I loved that the story focused on the Mulder/Scully relationship and their struggles with reconciling their desire for the simplicity of a normal life and their determination to find the truth. Take all the big explosions, high-speed action sequences, and unexpected plot twists out and suddenly you have to really focus on the people and their stories, the reasons they do what they do and the struggles that force them to make sometimes unfortunate decisions (spoiler: like Mulder’s arrogant, stand-offish attitude…”Good luck then”??? Bravo Chris Carter. Talk about angst.
Love it). Maybe some people don’t want to have to do that when they enter a movie theater. Sometimes I don’t. But this movie wasn’t bad because it made you pay attention to more than the visual effects. It was great because of it. My sense of the movie’s bottom line: Mulder and Scully have realized they can’t walk away and will find the final truth in XF3:2012. 
I enjoyed the tv show for the most part, and in hindsight can acknowledge that it is not up to the HBO high standard of plotting and character development but it was enjoyable and potentially ground-breaking (my memory of that time is a bit hazy).
This film possesses some of the laziest direction, acting, writing since, well, Indy 4. In fact the two have the same kind of indifference to them, spending over a decade to get scripts greenlit and both going for the least evocative possible scenarios. This is about as paint-by-number throwback to the filler episodes of X-Files as you can get, I was half-expecting commercial breaks interspersed. Diehard fans will I guess get something out of it but people looking for something new, something of a calibre of writing conscious of the quantum leap that has occurred in lieu of HBO, something worthy of a cinematic treatment, will be sorely disappointed. X-files the tv show was at least free, you need to have something more to qualify as admission worthy. And I like Mulder and Scully, and I get the wanting to hang out with familiar faces, but wow, this one knocks Indy out of the running for most fucked up film of the summer and that to me is a colossal feat. My god they even got the score wrong!
The movie’s shit. Apparently the series retains a loyal following of apologists which surprises me.
The unabashed nationalism on this site would embarrass Kim Jong Il.
Marina wins the award for bringing in new commenters lately.
While I watched up to Season 5, then the movie, I always found the show to be a bit lacking on content and a lot to reliant of promise of something to come. The series just went on too long for its own good, and this little morsel being thrown out is simply not enough to entice me to spend $$$.
That being said, I’ve generally liked Ms. Anderson showing up in other projects like Tristram Shandy, her voice work on Mononoke Hime, etc. I like that she has not been shackled to the show for the past number of years.
I guess you could say the movie was lazy – it didn’t break any boundaries or push any of the characters beyond what fans would expect. That said, I did enjoy it for a trip down memory lane. I stopped watching the show just as it started to lose steam and I blame it on the network for pushing the story on when no one seemed interested.
The movie was enough to entice me – a fan who still watches the show on DVD. I’ll always have a soft spot for the series – it was the first show I ever “followed”. Some weeks were better than others but overall, a great experience.
As for Carter…I feel bad for the guy. The other shows he put out there that pushed the envelope even further didn’t last long. I think we managed to get 3 seasons out of Millennium before it got canned and then there was Harsh Realm which went even further and got the boot even earlier.
TV audiences seem to be a little more open to shows that push into sci-fi so I’m hopeful that maybe, just maybe, Carter can give us something new.
@Kurt You just described Lost, no?!
I do agree, that I know a lot of people that are a lot more forgiving with the laziness here than they would be with other things & this kinda irritates. That said, I did enjoy it. I guess I’m one of those people that falls under the same category or one that forgives more fairly provided within its limits it delivers. I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Since watching this I’ve sort of reconsidered my opinion. It can’t be gotten around that the story is completely underwhelming and there were LONG stretches of the film during which I was completely unengaged.
But the film actually has an interesting and subtle theme of science / religion, faith / reason. The movie is Scully’s reconciliating of her skepticism and belief parralleling her reconciliation with Mulder. It’s interesting enough that it’s stuck in my mind all week and subtle enough that I initially dismissed it as some tacked on anti catholic bias before realizing there was more too it.
The subtext is really well done, it’s the text that sucks.
I’m also frustrated with a lot of the defenses I’ve been hearing of this movie. To hear the fans talk you’d think this was the first film ever made without wall to wall explosions and CGI. My complaint with the film isn’t that there’s no monster thrown in, rather it’s that the film is so lame they should’ve felt obligated to throw a monster in.
And I still think this four star review is kidding yourself.
“And I still think this four star review is kidding yourself.”
And that’s your opinion. Personally, the film had more subtext going for it than anything else and I disagree that the “text” sucks and that’s where we’re divided. Technically the film is solid, as is the acting and the dialog isn’t exactly ground breaking or anything but as a whole the film works as more than just mediocre fanfare. I think it is worthy of my 4 star review.
Thanks for the nice review,atleast some reviewers do seem to get the movie.I am a hard core fan of X-files,havent followed any other tv show since it ended simply because they are rip-offs of X-files or too un-interesting.For me X-files was ground breaking & the best tv show.I loved this new movie, thought it was better than the first,since this inclined to the earlier season mood :creepy,dark & mysterious.I concur to what you said about the movie.