The X-Files: I Want To Believe (in a better movie)

Viewers approach scripted television from a variety of perspectives. If you are like me, scripted telly is all about the script. The dialogue, the form, the structure, and any ingenuity that may stem from these factors. Sure, the cast and visual design of the show play a role, but they are not my focus. Others tend to focus on the visual styling of a show. And some tend to get wrapped up purely in the characters, their responses to one another – the elements brought to the show, primarily, by the shows cast.

If you’re one of these latter types, you may get a kick out of The X-Files: I Want To Believe (in cinemas nationally now). Unfortunately, that is all the film really has going for it.

The X-Files television series ran for nine seasons (1993 – 2002), featuring a variety of plots that regularly switched between monster of the week and its ongoing alien-focused governmental conspiracy storyline. As the series went on, stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson phased out their involvement with the series, with new cast members given the task of taking over the franchise.

Given the opportunity to bring back the franchise for a second feature film, creator Chris Carter has opted to drop the conspiracy plot that served as the spine of the series and hindered the watchability of the first XF feature film ‘Fight The Future’ for anybody other than die-hard fans. Now, while I’ll admit that as a viewer the conspiracy storyline was what kept me enthralled with the series initially, the episodes now serve as a chore to watch when viewed again.

All of which brings us to this new film. ‘I Want To Believe’ picks up several years after the conclusion of the series. It is confirmed for viewers that Mulder and Scully have in fact coupled up and are living life together in their secluded home. Scully is working for a church-run hospital where she is seeking to find a cure for a muscle-degenerative disease that a young patient of hers has, while Mulder is, well, clipping out newspaper stories and stroking his new-found bushy beard. When an FBI agent goes missing and a psychic proves to be the only lead in the case, the FBI seek out Mulder to assist in the search.

There are a few great positives to the film. Firstly, it is great seeing Duchovny back on screen as Mulder. The character seems a natural extension of the actors personality and it fits him like a glove. Anderson, not so much. The charm maintained in the TV show feels lacking in this film, giving way to a woman that feels a little shrew-like. Admittedly, this may be more a fault of the material the actress had to work with, rather than her.

The easy temptation with the film would be to ignore a lot of the history of the show and just pick up the series again with Mulder and Scully investigating the paranormal from the FBI. To his credit, Chris Carter has avoided this and taken up the challenge of moving the story of the characters forward. For this, he should be commended, but I’ll admit that a part of me really wanted to watch the characters as I remember them to be.

Instead, we have characters that have developed in the time away from the screen. Both characters, burnt by their experiences within the FBI have sought to pave a new path in their lives (even if Mulders is woefully ill-defined). It was certainly an unsettling, but welcome experience to see the characters ten years in the future. Acting older and more seasoned. And looking much older too.

Bill Roe puts in an amazing effort in regards to the films cinematography. While it isn’t particularly flashy, the mood of the film is established nicely and it remains visually interesting. At times it felt like the stark reality of the early seasons of the show, and not, ironically enough, like the seasons of the show that Roe had been involved with.

The film has significant problems, however. most of these can be attributed to the films co-writer and director, Chris Carter. Writing has never been Carters strong point and it really comes to show in this film. The man simply cannot create engaging dialogue, nor does he know how to establish character motivation without having lengthy and inane conversation about their intent. Carter was never one of the stronger writers on the film, but his flaws were often masked by the short running-time of a television episode. On the big screen in a feature-length story, his flaws are seen for what they are. His direction, however, is serviceable.

The storyline itself felt poorly chosen. While it is appreciated that they opted to choose a smaller, more personal tale for the protagonists, the film simply doesn’t play well enough to the strength of what the franchise is about – Mulder & Scully vs the monster of the week. The ‘monster’ in this is not of supernatural origin, but rather is a group of Russian scientists involved in experiments on humans. While that is ghastly in its own way, it simply wasn’t enough for a film that needed to reboot the franchise.

Additionally, the romantic relationship of Mulder & Scully simply didn’t quite ring true. It wasn’t exactly forced, but it certainly did feel un-natural. Perhaps it would have worked better had the characters retained a friendship, but seen as two people for whom a romantic relationship didn’t work out. Instead, the romance felt like the third wheel in their relationship.

Now, while I didn’t care for the film, I do feel there is still life left in the franchise. But, Fox, for heavens sake, eliminate Chris Carters involvement next time. The man is simply dead weight to the franchise at this point. The X-Files has matured to the point where it no longer has to be tied to a single mans vision. Instead, it would be great to see different writers and directors get to take a shot at bringing Mulder and Scully to the screen in unique and different ways. The shows concept has such fluidity that it can adapt to multiple genres and takes on the characters.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe is worth watching if you’re a fan of the show, or are just after a diversion in your day. Unfortunately there is little to it that will resonate with either die-hard fans, or the casual viewer.