The X-Files: I Want to Believe is ultimately a disappointing new chapter in the classic series. Although David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are uniformly excellent as Mulder and Scully, there is a lack of scope and suspense that ultimately pales in comparison to some of the series' best episodes.
As a dedicated X-Files devotee for over a decade it pains me to write this review. The X-Files was like nothing else on TV. Without it we wouldn't have the likes of Buffy, Supernatural, Lost or Heroes to name a few. As the series progressed the shine did fade, but us die-hard fans stuck around hoping for one more adventure that would recapture the glory days of the series.
The day has come and I am one underwhelmed X-phile. The film, directed and written by series creator Chris Carter, lacks the excitement of even the average episodes of the series. The show was mainly about Mulder and Scully, but it was also about the cases they investigated. The series brilliantly set up new characters, good and evil, on a weekly basis that in many instances were as interesting as the leads. The failure to do this is I Want to Believe's major flaw.
The film works extremely well as a character study of Mulder and Scully but it doesn't present an interesting enough "x-file" to warrant the big-screen treatment. Together with some incredibly underdeveloped supporting characters, including Billy Connelly and XZibit, there is no real sense of danger or suspense. There has been such a shroud of mystery around the plot that I expected something a little bit more interesting. The film does feel and look like an early X-Files episode, but this itself leads me to believe it might be better suited to the small screen.
As expected, both Duchovny and especially Anderson are brilliant and are well-suited to the big screen. They have an undeniable chemistry that makes every one of their scenes a pleasure to watch, but this alone cannot sustain the movie. The X-Files: I Want to Believe is full of in-jokes and series references that die-hards will appreciate but I doubt it will inspire a new legion of fans.
Ultimately this film is somewhat of a disappointment, as it had the potential to be so much more. As a true fan I'm off to see it a few more times and hopefully I'll become numb to its shortcomings.
- Review by Sebastian Cordoba.
View the trailer here on TheVine.