Who will like the new "X-Files" movie? Not necessarily diehard fans of the show, who are looking for grand revelations and close encounters. Not necessarily those who never watched the sci-fi series, who are looking for a ghost story without any baggage. Most likely those who appreciate the new "X-Files" movie are people who are familiar with the television series, which ran from 1993 to 2002, but who appreciate the dynamic between its two lead characters more than the demons and monsters which inhabit their world.
"The X-Files: I Want to Believe" is the story of former FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), once assigned to a series of unexplained, paranormal case records called the X-Files. Now years removed from the agency, Scully is a physician at a Catholic hospital and Mulder, always more willing to believe in supernatural forces and alien life forms, is a recluse.
One day federal agents contact Scully and ask her to recruit Mulder for one last assignment: help the FBI track down a missing special agent who has disappeared from her home in rural Virginia. Their only lead is a self-proclaimed psychic (Billy Connolly) who claims to see visions of the lost agent. Mulder, who is infamous for his ability to work with psychics, grudgingly decides to help the FBI, but only if Scully participates in the investigation.
"I Want to Believe" has almost nothing to do with the "X-Files" mythology; it stands alone as an isolated event in the lives of Mulder and Scully. And although the hunt for the missing agent is thrilling, compelling and sometimes deeply disturbing, it pales in comparison to the drama between former partners Mulder and Scully, who appear as two people genuinely in love with each other.
The writing in "I Want to Believe," is characteristic of the "X-Files" show: intelligent, realistic and provocative. The screenplay was written by series executive producer Frank Spotnitz and series writer and director Chris Carter, who also directed this most recent "X-Files" movie. Dialogue between Mulder and Scully, tender and meaningful, is especially memorable and sounds like the back-and-forth between two people who know each other completely and intimately.
"I Want to Believe" is short on action, but heavy on suspense. With the exception of a harrowing chase scene through a deserted construction site and a violent climax, the movie focuses much more on investigation than violence.
In many ways, "I Want to Believe" is a throw-back, an analog thriller in a cinematic world gone digital. It’s most similar to "The Silence of the Lambs," a thriller about human monsters and human redemption. In 2008, when special effects and gore are the components of successful thrillers, it’s easy to see why "I Want to Believe" can (and has) slipped through the cracks.
*** out of ****
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Balls of Fury ** 1/2
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut ***
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