It has been six long years since we last saw special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on TV. Sure you could still watch the DVDs of The X-Files or The Lone Gunmen if you felt like reviving Chris Carter’s universe, but it was never the same as the time when you switched on your screen in the evening, watching the newest episode and could discuss it with your friends the next day. But now, in the summer of 2008, we finally get a new addition to The X-Files series, the new movie called I Want to Believe.
For the last five years there have been rumors, but nobody believed it would actually happen. Fox studios are not known for bringing shows back from the abyss. Still, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz managed to gather the old team and convince the studio to give them the opportunity to make another feature film. Due to the long break in between these projects, it does not mention the alien mythology and the new movie can be seen as a normal episode, comparable to the “Monster of the Week” shows. Carter puts a lot of emphasis on the relationship between Mulder and Scully. The movie shows how their feelings for each other developed during their absence from the Bureau and it also revives Mulder’s obsession with the unknown, while Scully has turned completely towards science, by becoming a medical doctor full-time.
When an FBI agent goes missing, Mulder is called back in to help find her. His involvement is requested due to the strange nature of the information they are getting on the case by a self-proclaimed medium. They think that Mulder’s expertise might help them verify the source or debunk it. A hunt for the missing FBI agent ensues, that unveils a deeper conspiracy. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson both fit back into their roles like they never left. Sure it is apparent that they have both aged (Duchovny going straight towards the 50 line), but they still feel like Mulder and Scully, even if it takes a bit to warm up to them. We get several cameos in the movie (actors that played different characters in the show) and also a reunion with an old friend.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe will probably not win any new fans for the show, as it is a bit too slow paced. There are a lot of winks for the fans of the show, and if you see it as a beginning to something new (they are already discussing a next movie) it will not disappoint. However, it is not one of the best episodes and the denouement is a bit flat. Still, I have to admit that I loved to see my favorite characters back in action and I hope the next movie will kick it up a notch. (Remember, the alien invasion will take place on December 22, 2012)
Finally I wanted to add, that Fox probably didn’t do the movie a big favor by launching it at the same time as The Dark Knight. I Want to Believe doesn’t feel like a summer movie, and it would have been better off in fall or winter.
Say What???? 