Do You Still Believe OR Do You Just Want to Believe?

The show was a huge phenomenon in the 90's, "The X-Files" was a show that delved into government conspiracies, the extraterrestrial, the supernatural and the downright creepy. The first five seasons were one of the best things to grace television in my opinion. Being an "X-files" fan, of course I would be rather curious as to how this new movie would pan out. The first film based on the series, "X-Files: Fight the Future" was tied into the series continuity--the second film, this time around is a more of a sci-fi drama aimed towards fan of the series. Chris Carter is at the helm as director of "X-Files: I want to Believe", and he takes aim at not aliens, ghouls and conspiracies but rather directly at religion and science.

Monica Bannon is an F.B.I. agent who disappears after a violent attack. The bureau of course takes care of its own and special agent Whitney (Amanda Peet) is assisted by a "psychic" named Joe who is also a former priest and a convicted pedophile. When the investigation gets to be a bit more than the usual detective work can handle, agent Whitney enlists the aid of former F.B.I. agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to find her former partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) who specializes in the "spooky" cases of the past. Mulder now lives as a recluse since he was stripped of his credibility and Scully is now a practicing doctor. The two are very reluctant to assists but they find themselves drawn to the mystery of father Joe (Billy Connolly)…

Now this is a review of the extended cut and since I haven't seen the theatrical release, please bear with me as I try to grapple with the film. Director Chris Carter does attempt at a fresh start as he sidesteps the temptation of making a movie with the same old stuff. The film's main premise is about religion and of course science--its abominations and advantages. Father Joe was a "tainted" priest looking for forgiveness and of course he is not a very credible source of information. There is a subtle commentary about redemption and the ease of hasty human judgments, the film does dawdle a little at these elements. The film also has a very provocative subject matter about the aberrations of science.

Carter uses Scully's new-found position as a practitioner of medicine to further emphasize medical science's advantages all the while focusing on its potential perversions. The film is a thematic affair, the film has some strong references to faith, religion and medical issues. "I want to Believe.." isn't preaching on those issues but it was very obvious that it was trying to appeal to one's skepticism and interest about those issues. The film does have a very interesting premise but I have to say the film's script was a tad unpolished and unrefined. Some elements' motivations are left to the audience's perception and does open some holes.

The film dwells on the Scully's and Mulder's reluctance to restart their former lives and the dialogue is filled with speeches that serves as exposition to the musings of the duo. While it is quite interesting to see Scully and Mulder deliver their usual discussions, it became a little too heavy-handed and the pace became a little too slow for my taste. I do understand Carter's sense of restraint; it is very difficult to awaken the characters' sense of passion and relentlessness in a 90+ minute film, that he needed to rely a little on familiarity. Carter did find the series' spirit and sense of pace but he played a little too safe and avoided taking any risks--which may be a good idea but it resulted with a movie with low ambitions. Carter must've been concerned that he may lose control if he relied on intense scenes than character interaction. I‘m not saying this as a negative comment but rather a simple observation.

"X-Files: I want to Believe" does not offer any surprises, and it does come a little short on suspense and thrills. However, it was really fun to see Mulder and Scully scurry around amid the usual intrigue and controversy--it feels like "old times". The film doesn't add that much to the "X-Files" mythos and its execution is something we have seen before. The film does have its effective mystery and it emulated the tempo of the TV series; it does get under one‘s skin in some ways. The faith and medical thing did manage to show good emotions. "I want to Believe" isn't as exciting an experience as I'd hoped it to be but at least I wasn't unhappy with Carter's intentions.

Recommended! [3 ½- stars] It does have its sense of nostalgia.

Video/audio: 2.35 ratio anamorphic widescreen. Great transfer on the DVD especially when up-converted to 1080p. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is quite powerful and clear.

Extras: Director full-length commentary/ interview with Chris Carter/ deleted scenes/ EFX feature/ Xzibit music video/galleries.

Disc 2 has a documentary called "Trust No one: Can X-Files remain a secret?" that covers the film's production. (I haven't had the time to see this) It also has a digital copy.