The X-Files: I Want To Believe

I need to say this upfront, because it won't seem all that apparent as this review progresses: I was a huge fan of The X-Files. Were I to dig through the dark recesses of my store room, I would probably be able to find the mouldy VHS tapes of seasons 1 through 4 I lovingly got off the TV when i was a pimplefaced secondary school student.

But things change, and they changed even before I Want To Believe hit the concept board. Special Agent Fox 'Spooky' Mulder (David Duchovny) stopped appearing in every episode, the storylines got stale and meandering, and the much-anticipated first feature-length, The X-Files: Fight The Future, generally failed to live up to admittedly massive expectations. That movie came out in 1998. It's been 10 years since, and Chris & Co. return with an almost literal affirmation of their faith in life in the key of X. Mulder is now in hiding from the very bureau he onced served, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) has retired from the service and is now a practicing neurosurgeon, and the X-Files section is an obscure footnote in the FBI's long list of dead subdepartments. But the case of a missing agent and the clues provided by a psychic, psychopathically-tainted former priest (hammed up by Billy Connoly) forces the bureau to ask for help from the dynamic duo (tm) once again.

 There are no references to evil schemes hatched in the bowels of the military-industrial complex, nor more than a cursory whiff of extraterrestrial shenanigans. As the title obviously sets it up, this iteration of the X-Files myth tackles faith, in its myriad forms: belief in a Higher Power, a cause, in a loved one. Does Scully stand by Mulder's ongoing crusade to discover and expose the truth, or will she let it and him go, despite the love they have for each other? Does Connoly's Father Joe redeem himself, or will his visions push him into an even deeper moral abyss? Will supporting actors Xzibit and Amanda Peet say something even remotely relevant?

The premise and the treatment for I Want To Believe veers too far out into TV script territory, and not even Sci Fi Channel stock at that. This is the Hallmark Channel with an Irish psychic. It will no doubt appease hardcore fans, especially the ones who stuck by the series when Robert Patrick barged into the leading man slot, but it's  doubtful that those unfamiliar with the mythology will be persuaded to want to believe in anything. Then again, what do I know? There are rumours of a resurrected TV series (to coincide with the flagging careers of the principals, natch) so the truth could very well be out there. Believe what you want.

Cast David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, Xzibit, Mitch Pileggi Director Chris Carter Runtime 105 mins Opens 24 July

Text Azwan Mahzan