What happens when a cult classic releases its second movie?
It’s terrible when producers abandon all that made the show what it was.
There was a time when “The X-Files” was the pinnacle of mythology and rituals. FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder navigated worlds many never contemplated the existence of and helped open people’s eyes to the possibility of there being more than they ever imagined “out there.”
Recently, Scully and Mulder returned to the big screen in “The X-Files: I Want To Believe.”
With a score as haunting as ever — those first notes still causing your heart to jump and your chest to tighten — the famous FBI duo returns to film once again to solve a mysteriously mythological case connected to their past work on the X-Files.
Or at least, that would be the dream premise.
Instead, viewers find the magic pair not investigating a case to end all cases, but instead stuck on a boring missing persons case. This case is supposed to be the one to bring redemption to our fallen hero and uncover the truth but instead serves only to remind that the truth, is a figment of our imaginations.
If “The X-Files” had a theme, it was that there are all kinds of monsters in this world, biological, supernatural and, above all, human.
Alternatively, it is about the fact that there is hope for those monsters; at its core, the show is about good and believing in its ability to triumph over all the evils of the world.
Sadly, “I Want To Believe” is a bit of a letdown for avid fans of the series. In an attempt to satisfy those all-too-important summer escapist filmgoers, producer Chris Carter sacrificed mythology for a more dramatic plot.
Mulder is a hermit, living on the outskirts of civilization without another soul in sight. Scully is continuing to throw herself into her work, this time in a hospital, and remains torn by her faith and the things she has seen in the past. Added to the mix are two new FBI agents, played by Amanda Peet and Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner. Peet stars as a cold, hard agent who trusts no one and has excelled, but comes off as woman scorned by a predominantly male profession. But Xzibit is the real standout — in his own mind. He can hardly do more than bark orders at subordinates and scowl throughout the entire movie.
After almost a decade on air and one feature film, more was definitely expected of “The X-Files: I Want To Believe.” Sadly, Carter and crew can hardly live up to the expectations set by fans.
Gone is the mythology that made the series so successful, instead replaced by a complacent romance and a boring plot. Sure, there are a few nods to fans of the show with some sly name-dropping but other than that, the movie seems to view itself as little more than a standalone should-have-been-made-for-TV movie.
The DVD is available for pre-sale, but will be released on Dec. 2, 2008.
DANDY VERSATILE DISCS: I 'wanted' to believe
Scully and Mulder muddle through their second big screen ‘X-Files’ movie
Published: Monday, October 13, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2008
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