'The X-Files: I Want To Believe' Film Review
Scully’s internal drama is heightened when paedophile priest Father Joe tells her ‘don’t give up’, and despite her loathing of the man, she finds herself following his advice, placing her faith in his position as messenger of God, even as she argues that he is a fraud. But what was she supposed to not give up on? Her relationship with Mulder, which she is, however regretfully, undeniably wilfully tearing down through the film, by demanding that he act against the grain of his character; or on her innocent patient, whose parents have now put their faith in God’s hands? From their perspective, faith in God means surrendering control of the situation. For Scully, in a final, difficult and brave decision, it means faithfully trusting that she through her actions she is performing his miracles on earth.
And this whole meditation on faith, destiny and redemption is really where ‘I Want To Believe’ works at its best. As an X-File, the ‘bleeding through his eyes’ faux psychic is so passé, even with Connolly giving a heavily conflicted performance as a man who blames God for his unholy appetites, yet survives on faith in God’s position as the ultimate redeemer. His final scene is quietly devastating, as he is led to believe that there is no redemption: that he has in fact been acting out his own punishment all along.
‘The X-Files: I Want To Believe’ is not an unchallenging film, however it fails to challenge us in the manner we expect from the usually creepy, surreal and captivating world of Mulder and Scully. The Frankenstein people were bad enough, but the two-headed dog was just wrong without being in the slightest way supernatural. At the end of the day, there was just never quite enough at stake. We never get close enough to the kidnapped women to feel more than fear on their behalf; sceptic agent Mosley Drummy (US rapper Alvin ‘Xzibit’ Joiner, not given much material to work with) just needs a good slapping; agent Dakota Whitney (Manada Peet), who calls Mulder onto the case, shows interesting potential, before being suddenly written out and forgotten; and dear old FBI assistant director Walter Skinner (a welcome return for Mitch Pileggi) is almost criminally underused, allowed one touching scene with his most difficult agent but never given space to breath during the unfulfilling dramatic conclusion. The emotional conclusion was given a great deal more screen time and worked all the better for it.
Review Concludes
Read all about the Premiere
And this whole meditation on faith, destiny and redemption is really where ‘I Want To Believe’ works at its best. As an X-File, the ‘bleeding through his eyes’ faux psychic is so passé, even with Connolly giving a heavily conflicted performance as a man who blames God for his unholy appetites, yet survives on faith in God’s position as the ultimate redeemer. His final scene is quietly devastating, as he is led to believe that there is no redemption: that he has in fact been acting out his own punishment all along.
‘The X-Files: I Want To Believe’ is not an unchallenging film, however it fails to challenge us in the manner we expect from the usually creepy, surreal and captivating world of Mulder and Scully. The Frankenstein people were bad enough, but the two-headed dog was just wrong without being in the slightest way supernatural. At the end of the day, there was just never quite enough at stake. We never get close enough to the kidnapped women to feel more than fear on their behalf; sceptic agent Mosley Drummy (US rapper Alvin ‘Xzibit’ Joiner, not given much material to work with) just needs a good slapping; agent Dakota Whitney (Manada Peet), who calls Mulder onto the case, shows interesting potential, before being suddenly written out and forgotten; and dear old FBI assistant director Walter Skinner (a welcome return for Mitch Pileggi) is almost criminally underused, allowed one touching scene with his most difficult agent but never given space to breath during the unfulfilling dramatic conclusion. The emotional conclusion was given a great deal more screen time and worked all the better for it.
Review Concludes
Read all about the Premiere
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