X Files: I Want To Believe
Finally, after nearly five years since the iconic 90s sci-fi show ended, creator Chris Carter has managed to get his stars back for this new adventure of his pop culture phenoms Mulder and Scully (though box office returns indicated that it may have been too little too late). Certainly the sizzling chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson is still there, as is their unforced interplay (gotta love the way they still address each other by their last names, even though itâs a foregone conclusion that they are a couple), so it is really great to see them back together. Most of the problems arise from the story used to bring them back to the big screen, as the âalien mythologyâ has been eschewed (supposedly until the third movie) for a seemingly âstand-aloneâ plot about the FBI bringing in Mulder to work with a psychic on a case for a missing agent. As the psychic (who is also a convicted pedophile priest), Billy Connolly does what he can with what was obviously meant to be a showy supporting character without much substance, but Connollyâs anything-goes acting style keeps his role afloat; on the other hand, Amanda Peet and rap / r&b âsensationâ Xzibit as the FBI agents who bring the legends in to help on the case are pretty useless: You know Peet is screwed when she addresses Mulder as âFox!â during a big chase scene, while Xzibit plays your clichĂ©d doubting Thomas type to the point of annoyance. The story itself seems to take forever to come together, coupled with the touching subplot of Scully trying to save a little boy with a rare brain disease by using stem cell therapy (and the hilariously shocked and appalled reactions of the priests running the Catholic hospital), and when the âbig revelationsâ of what the hell is going on are revealed, it ultimately seems to play off like a bad b-horror movie that combines elements of The Brain That Wouldnât Die with Body Parts, with completely bland and colorless villains to boot that canât hold a candle to either Cigarette Man or even Alex Krycek. However, Carter smartly at the eleventh hour chooses to bring in the equally iconic FBI bigshot Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) to basically save Mulder and Scullyâs bacon (as well as the movie), and reinforces the idea that a third cinematic outing might not be such a bad endeavor. Overall, a must-see for Mulder and Scully-philes, but donât expect a particularly groundbreaking storyâŠ
7/10