The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Directed by: Chris Carter | 105 minutes | science fiction | Actors: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Alvin ‘Xzibit’ Joiner, Mitch Pileggi, Callum Keith Rennie, Adam Godley, Alex Diakun, Nicki Aycox, Fagin Woodcock, Marco Niccoli, Carrie Ruscheinsky, Spencer Maybee, Xantha Radley , Tom Charron

Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. They were the face of one of the most influential SciFi series of the 1990s. After seeing ‘I Want to Believe’ you have to conclude that the heyday of the couple is over. Both are FBI agents: Scully works as a surgeon in a Catholic hospital, Mulder leads a hermit life and devotes himself to his clippings collection. The disappearance of an FBI agent brings the two back together. A priest with a dark past (a notable role by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly) claims to get images of the woman. As usual, Scully has her doubts and Mulder bites into the matter, but it doesn’t crackle like it used to.

That doesn’t mean ‘I Want to Believe’ is a bad movie. The factors that made the series a success are all there. ‘I Want to Believe’ is like a long episode with a bigger budget. No more, but also no less. The careful build-up of tension, desolate locations and competent protagonists make for an entertaining supernatural thriller, which also raises a few interesting questions. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson still have chemistry, although the verbal one-twos aren’t as sparkling and the sexual tension is less intense. You can’t blame the actors for that. Director Chris Carter wanted to show how life has drawn the characters and Scully and Mulder are no longer frisky deer in 2008.

You may wonder if it’s wise to follow beloved characters through retirement. The years are starting to count, especially for Duchovny, who looks quite worn out and mediocre despite a color wash. No shame for someone approaching fifty, were it not for the fact that Mulder’s appeal lay precisely in the fact that he was such a stubborn young dog. A little more humor could have brought back the boyish twinkle in his eye, but grimness reigns in the screenplay. The years have made the characters bitter and cynical, unavoidable perhaps, but unfortunate nonetheless, although the film’s ending offers hope. In any case, stay seated for a while as the credits roll across the screen.

‘I Want to Believe’ is an artisanal film that will appeal to X-Files adepts and the uninitiated alike, and it turns out a lot better than the 1998 first theatrical film ‘Fight the Future’. It’s not a necessary film, though. The magic of the 1990s is gone. Scully and Mulder have left the X-Files behind and moved on with their lives. So should Chris Carter.