'The X-Files: I Want To Believe' Film Review
Such criticisms will continue to be levelled at this film throughout its run, however it would be unfair to the legacy of Chris Carter and his creative team not to take in consideration what they were attempting to achieve with their second X-Files film. A subtle story of friendship and faith underlies and threatens to be lost under the standard thriller plot, however the way it unfolds is interesting for a film which claims to be accessible for younger generations who did not grow up on a diet of weekly TV scares through the 90’s. That audience would surely be able to understand ‘this is a world in which paranormal phenomenon happen’ much more easily than ‘these are two people with the most complicated relationship in the world, and we’re just going to make it a bit more complicated’. How do you win new fans for a classic series with a film that lacks the most essential ingredient? When quizzed on what he would like to see featured in a third installment in the feature film franchise, even Duchovny has said he would push for a return to alien tales.
‘The X-Files’ has always been founded on and driven by Mulder’s personal war waged against the paranormal world and government conspiracies that stole the life of his sister. Granted, it is a picture of Samantha that determines his decision to get involved in this sinister new FBI case, but there’s nothing here to directly injure, enrage or otherwise psychologically abuse him. Or perhaps that’s the point – that this film is about Scully’s private battles.
The story between Mulder and Scully and its underlying exploration of faith fares significantly better than the actual plot, which could have been lifted out of any creepy generic CSI-esque episode. Scully is the centre point of a debate about faith and God’s will as she is torn between Mulder’s increasing obsession with an FBI case involving an arguably psychic man, Father Joe (a creepy turn by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly), and her own work with a dying boy in a Catholic hospital. Both cases ask her to choose between rationality and faith – the old hearts and mind argument of the source TV series, but amplified now in one woman’s struggle to navigate the murky waters between.
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Read all about the Premiere
‘The X-Files’ has always been founded on and driven by Mulder’s personal war waged against the paranormal world and government conspiracies that stole the life of his sister. Granted, it is a picture of Samantha that determines his decision to get involved in this sinister new FBI case, but there’s nothing here to directly injure, enrage or otherwise psychologically abuse him. Or perhaps that’s the point – that this film is about Scully’s private battles.
The story between Mulder and Scully and its underlying exploration of faith fares significantly better than the actual plot, which could have been lifted out of any creepy generic CSI-esque episode. Scully is the centre point of a debate about faith and God’s will as she is torn between Mulder’s increasing obsession with an FBI case involving an arguably psychic man, Father Joe (a creepy turn by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly), and her own work with a dying boy in a Catholic hospital. Both cases ask her to choose between rationality and faith – the old hearts and mind argument of the source TV series, but amplified now in one woman’s struggle to navigate the murky waters between.
Review Continues
Read all about the Premiere
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