"THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE" (2008) Review

"THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE" (2008) Review

Back in 1998, the creator of the "THE X-FILES" television series, Chris Carter, had released a successful movie based on the former.   He waited ten years to follow up with a second ”X-FILES” movie called "THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE".  The latter had not been on my list of movies to see during the summer of 2008.  As much as I had enjoyed the first movie, it did not impress me that much.  But . . . family members managed to convince me to go see this second movie. Needless to say, I wish I had followed my first instincts.

The plot for ”THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE” centered around the disappearance of an FBI agent from her home and other women in Virginia. After meeting a psychic former priest (Billy Connolly), who claimed to have visions of the missing woman, the agent in charge of the case - FBI Agent Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) – requests for Fox Mulder’s (David Duchovny) help in determining if the psychic is genuine. In exchange for his services, the FBI agrees to drop the trumped up charges against him. Bored with his life as a former agent, Mulder becomes embroiled in the case. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) – who is in the middle of a romantic relationship with Mulder - has also left the Bureau and become a surgeon at the Lady of Sorrows Hospital and appears to have had intermittent contact with Fox Mulder. She had been contacted by Special Agent Whitney, who was looking for Fox Mulder to assist them with the investigation of a missing FBI agent. In exchange for his help charges against him were dropped. Serving as the physician to a young boy who is dying of an incurable illness, Scully has a crisis of faith after she discovers a possible form of treatment for the boy, and she is unsure of whether or not to proceed.

Do not get me wrong. The movie’s plot is not badly written at all. It could easily be considered as a good, solid thriller about missing women being used as body parts by Russian-born doctors for some kind of sick science experiment. The problem is that the plot is not what I would not have chosen for an ”X-FILES” movie. A plot centered around aliens or a supernatural phenomenon would have been more appropriate. Instead, the only thing supernatural about this movie is the psychic former priest who had been kicked out of the church for pedophilia. The movie’s plot would have suited a stand-alone episode for the ”X-FILES” television series, or some thriller featuring actors like Julianne Moore, Sigourney Weaver or Wesley Snipes. The subplot featuring Scully’s professional woes slightly bored me, along with the propaganda for stem cell research and gay marriage. Let me get one thing straight. I am not a conservative. Nor am I a resgistered Republican.  But Carter’s little stab at the George W. Bush, the U.S. President back in 2008, had only left me cringing in my seat, instead of feeling amused.

The performances were pretty solid. I was impressed by Duchovny, Anderson, Peet and especially Connolly as the pedophile priest/psychic. But I felt sorry for rapper Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner, who found himself saddled with one of the useless and narrow-minded characters in Hollywood history, FBI Special Agent Mosley Drummy.  Also, Carter would not even allow the character to develop in face of Father Joe’s (Connolly) successes as a psychic and instead, brought back Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) in the movie’s finale to help Scully save Mulder. If I were Joiner, I would have sued my agent . . . or Chris Carter.

I wish I could advise movie fans to rent ”THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE”, or try to find it on any streaming service.  But honestly?  I feel that person would be wasting his or her time. If you are curious about the film, go ahead and rent it. But I feel that you would be wasting your time.  At least for this movie.