The X-Files: I Want To Believe

A few years back I recalled how much I enjoyed watching the X-Files and so went out and bought the first four seasons on DVD with the intention of sitting down and having some good entertainment. I recall thinking that after the X-Files movie, the whole programme got a bit stupid, and clearly David Duchovny preferred to be anywhere but the set of the X-Files. I was, as it turns out, slightly wrong, as the Duchovny was obviously bored out of his brain as of about half-way though season three, and while I had intended to buy season five, it proved too much like hard work so I gave up and left it at the end of Season Four with Mulder apparently having shot himself in the head.

Kick-ass way to end a series that - having the lead character commit suicide.

That said I had a pang of nostalgia when I started seeing the previews for the new X-Files movie, and so I decided to go and see it, regardless of what other people told me. And, I have to say, it's something of a curious beast.

The last movie was steeped in the mythology of the X-Files which seemed pretty much made up as Chris Carter went along, desperate to try and put every last thing he had invented into the mythology. As a consequence, you had to be a fan, really, to watch the first movie. This time around that's all been tossed aside and instead we are given a stand-alone movie that has nothing really to do with the mythology, except for a passing reference to Mulder's late sister, although thankfully Mulder reassures us that she really is dead (this time, thank God).

An FBI agent has disappeared and a convicted paedophile has information regarding the case, apparently able to experience some sort of psychic vision. The paedophile - a priest - doesn't garner a lot of favour with Scully who is having difficulty with priests as it stands; her boss - another priest - eager to let one of her patients die than allow painful stem cell therapy be undertaken. Meanwhile Mulder, on the other hand, is pretty amiable to the priest's suggestions, especially when he bleeds from his eyes. FBI agent Dakota Whitney is caught in the middle, desperate to believe that the priest's visions will lead them to a break in the case, but at the same time still skeptical.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are pretty much back on form as Mulder and Scully - even Duchovny actually shows some interest this time round - although both are now playing the agents in a completely different context to how they were once seen; neither Mulder nor Scully are FBI agents any longer, and both are in a relationship - Scully at one point confirming that she is in love with Mulder. Their son, William, is cursorily mentioned with the hint that he is no longer with us. There are some nice continuity touches to the television series - Mulder eats sunflower seeds still, and still has his "I Want To Believe" poster, and Scully is still the sceptic, though this time she has every reason to be as sceptical as she is.

Amanda Peet and XZibit play the two new FBI agents, and both deliver acceptable performances without really exciting anything on screen. More exciting for this particular fan was the appearance (completely without fanfare) of Mitch Pileggi reprising his role as AD Walter Skinner. Skinner was such an integral part of The X-Files, and Pileggi was usually the one thing that saved many an episode from falling on its arse, that it would have been a severe disappointment had he not turned up.

However, truth be told, it is Billy Connolly as the paedophilic priest who steals the entire movie, and every scene he turns up in. Playing a paedophile is not particularly easy, and to try to garner sympathy is a hard thing indeed, but like Scully, the audience finds themselves disgusted with the priest's behaviour but as the film progresses it is easy to see how Mulder can forgive a man who is trying so hard to seek redemption.

It's worth making a few more notes about the film: Mark Snow is back composing, and he gives us a score that isn't really memorable but isn't at all intrusive, and his reworked version of the X-Files theme at the end is quite grand. The actual cinematography of the movie is outstanding, and filming in the snow really gives a good mood to the film.

Overall the film is somewhat bizarre, starting at a point vastly different from the television series so the fans are going to be a little unsettled, and not featuring any alien incursions which will unsettle the casual viewer who has that expectation. That said, it's not a bad film, and is worth the watch.

"B"
PS - How awesome, though, is the teaser poster for the movie???