Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Sci-Fi
Director: Chris Carter
Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Xzibit, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Callum Keith Rennie, Adam Godley
RunTime: 1 hr 44 mins
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.xfiles.com/

Opening Day: 24 July 2008

Synopsis:

The supernatural thriller is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show's most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the always-complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits.

Movie Review:

It has been 6 years since we last saw Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the final season of the X-Files TV series. For many loyal fans of the series, myself included, the final season was considered to be a bittersweet finale for a TV show that has fascinated many self-proclaimed X-Philes (the same way Star Trek fans call themselves Trekkies) around the world. Imagine the euphoria I felt when news broke out that a new X-Files movie will be shown 10 years since its previous outing on the silver screen. The truth is out there once again, more or less.

"The X-Files: I Want to Believe" brings us to Mulder (David Duchovny) the believer and Scully (Gillian Anderson) the skeptic some time after they have quit the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Scully is now a medical doctor working in a Catholic hospital while Mulder keeps himself busy isolating himself from the outside world and looking like Santa Claus. Things start to revert back to (para)normal when an FBI agent has gone missing with the only help the FBI can rely on being a psychic priest, Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly). Through Scully, FBI agent Mosley Drummy (rapper-turned-actor Alvin ‘Xzibit’ Joiner) tries to enlist Mulder to assist with the investigation, having known of his previous work with The X-Files which are FBI cases involving the paranormal and the supernatural. Mulder agrees, urging Scully to join alongside him in the process. Soon, they discover that the missing FBI agent is just the start of more baffling events to come.

In order to cater this second X-Files film to a wider audience who are not< well-versed in the TV show, writer-director Chris Carter has opted to forgo the main plot surrounding alien conspiracy and feature a standalone thriller-mystery story instead. This has proved to be both the film’s strength and weakness over the previous X-Files film. While it is indeed a relief to be away from little green men, flying saucers, abductions and the works, the supposedly thrilling feature we should be seeing is a mere extended version of a mediocre episode of the TV series. That’s not to say it is a bad film, just that it should have been a great film, considering the years that have gone by since the end of the TV series.

First of all, the supernatural element which is part of what made "The X-Files" so captivating is not really that much of a shocker at all. Without giving too much away, aside from the psychic ability of Father Crissman, the film offers only a medical breakthrough that gives new meaning to the term 'new lease of life'. Compared to the more bizarre cases Mulder and Scully have encountered in the past, this seems more like an FBI trainee's assignment. Then, there is the slow pace which results in my earlier comment of the film being an extended TV show episode, providing non-fans with some challenge to remain interested.

What "I Want to Believe" has going for it is the nostalgia factor. To see Mulder and Scully in action again, as well as a cameo appearance of their ex-superior Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), is not unlike being reunited with old friends, although the intimacy between Mulder and Scully may turn off some fans who are against the idea of the two leads having a romantic relationship. Too bad the Lone Gunmen can’t be here to provide more comic relief other than the scene with photos of US president George W. Bush and FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover. The film also includes an interesting debate on faith in God as highlighted in the subplot of Scully having a dilemma over the experimental treatment of a terminally ill boy. It adds some degree of humanity amid the eerie setting resulting from the main plot of the missing agent.

It really is a pity that this is the best that X-Files creator Chris Carter can come up with, considering that this is a golden opportunity to resurrect the franchise and win over new fans. There is still a possibility for another sequel though, but it will take more than just nostalgia to bring The X-Files to its glory days once again.

Movie Rating:




(Fans wanting to continue believing in the X-Files may find it hard to do so since this latest installment has brought the mythology down to mediocrity of earthly level rather than the far reaches of outer space)

Review by Tan Heng Hau