Mulder and Scully are recruited by the FBI to help a psychic
priest who claims to be receiving visions of a kidnapped agent. CRIME/HORROR/SCI-FI
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The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)Directed by Chris Carter
Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Xzibit, Mitch Pileggi, Callum Keith Rennie, Adam Godley Spin-Off of the 1993-2018 TV series The X-Files |
I thought it couldn't get any worse than the final season of The X-Files, but I was wrong apparently. Taking place after the series had ended, the second movie sees the two beloved agents help out a pedophile priest instead of stopping the aliens that are suppose to be colonizing Earth by the year 2012. And that is not the only thing wrong in this horrendous, massive misfire of a film.
For anyone wondering if I was joking about the aforementioned pedophile priest, I'm not. For whatever reason, the writers figured it would be a great idea for our two protagonists to help out someone with a pretty heinous crime pertaining to their character. The bad doesn't stop there, though, The film also largely ignores the whole alien colonization of Earth that the series kept talking about towards the end of its run in favor of a standard standalone type of story. This would have been fine if the plot was good, rather than the really bad extended episode it feels like. The characters don't help much either. The two new agents are beyond forgettable, making me wonder why they didn't just use characters from the show like Special Agents Doggett and Reyes instead. As for Mulder and Scully, they barely share any screen time together. Instead, we are treated to a movie where Mulder is mainly working the case and Scully's research just happens to end up connected to it. Mitch Pileggi, who returns as Assistant Director Skinner, ends up being just a glorified cameo. Finally, the ending is extraordinarily anticlimactic. It was the first time I watched a movie and took a couple of minutes to realize the conflict was over. The only saving grace to this movie was the performances of Duchovny and Anderson, who seemed to be trying to work with what they had. The X-Files: I Want to Believe should have been the epic movie that tied everything up. Instead, it further tarnishes the once amazing series and makes me wonder why I bothered to begin with. The story is forgettable, the characters are weak, and the ending just happens. At this point, Chris Carter has a lot to make up for if he wants the series to continue forward. |