Chris Carter, The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

by Chris Flippo
07/26/2008

Let’s get this out of the way first: I am a very casual fan of The X-Files. I am the shorts and T-shirt kind of fan. I know that there were cracks in Mulder and Scully’s “platonic” relationship during the series, but I had no idea that they had conceived a son named William. I know about the Cigarette-Smoking Man, but had only recently discovered his surprising connection to Mulder. As far as fans go, I’m a relative lightweight.

However, that may make me an ideal candidate for The X-Files: I Want to Believe. As a fan who sits comfortably in the middle, I care enough about Mulder and Scully to be in the theater, but not enough to be disappointed in how the film ignores years of intricate mythology. Of course, maybe die-hard fans won’t be that disappointed. The X-Files was always at its best when it was at its most simple: two agents, one a believer and the other a skeptic, facing the unknown.

Since the new film has arrived in theaters under a shroud of secrecy, I realize that you may not want the film’s plot to be revealed. Of course, reviewing this film is almost impossible to do without discussing the storyline (akin to reviewing a Snickers bar without mentioning milk chocolate). So, be warned, mild spoilers are lurking in the next few paragraphs.

As most everyone has heard by now, The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a stand-alone entry in the saga. Six years after the conclusion of the series, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is retired from the FBI and is practicing medicine at a Catholic hospital. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is still in hiding, spending his time growing a beard and clipping newspaper articles. After an agent goes missing, the FBI recruit Mulder and Scully once again to help deal with a former priest named Father Joe (the excellent Billy Connelly), who claims to be seeing visions of the abduction.

As Mulder and Scully dive deeper into the case, we see their respective faiths being tested. Mulder, being a believer in the paranormal, sincerely wants to believe Father Joe is telling the truth. However, Scully, a devote Catholic, develops an intense hatred for the man since he is a convicted pedophile. She refuses to believe that God would give these visions to such a flawed messenger.

Some have criticized the film for a mundane plot and, I’ll admit, that isn’t an unfair argument. Compared to the last film’s epic alien invasion storyline, a film that is essentially about a serial killer may feel a little too small-scale. However, there is still plenty to thrill moviegoers, as the film features a psychic, mad scientists, a Frankenstein monster, and a search for God. You may not care for the lack of a large set piece, but the film is one of the few this summer to have real ideas behind it. There are hidden intricacies to the story that a typical summer movie isn’t always willing to explore. It’s a film you will admire more after giving it some thought, and I whole-heartedly recommend it for those who are willing to take the plunge.

Since Mulder and Scully have always been the embodiment of faith and science, respectively, it makes a peculiar sort of sense that their relationship advances the most in this entry. The new X-Files film is about how science and faith can not only coexist, but how one can benefit from the other. More than anything, the film makes the case that this is “the Truth” that Mulder and Scully have been searching for all along. In its own sneaky way, The X-Files: I Want to Believe arrives at a much larger truth than any alien conspiracy. The truth isn’t “out there.” Its been here all along.

One last note: I encourage you to stay till the end of the credits. The film has one of the most unusual post-credit scenes I have ever seen. Without saying too much, it’s a wink to the show’s central relationship and is either very clever or very silly. I haven’t quite figured out how I feel about it, but would love to hear some thoughts.