Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
I Want to Forget this Film Exists
SIngli6 - wrote on 03/30/2016
This (literally!) colourless sequel to both the hit Fox TV show and the enjoyable first movie manages to defy your expectations by being comparably underwhelming in every single sense to its predecessor. The average season finale of the original show had more spectacle and awe than this movie, and that was in the days when television programs were only just starting to have real money being funneled into them. It is utterly absurd that the writers of this film decided to ignore the great cliffhanger of the series finale (where AN ALIEN INVASION WAS PROMISED) and gave us instead some third-rate Monster-of-the-Week story about a pair of gay serial killers (though one of them is supposed to be transgender... I think) who have read a bit too much Mary Shelley. That's it? Duchovny and …
Rating of
2/4
"The X-Files: I Want To Believe" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/12/2012
The FBI bury the hatchet with Mulder when they need his help investigating the kidnap of a federal agent. Being a bit of a long term X phile I was quite looking forward to catching up with my favourite paranormal investigators again, especially since they decided to dispense with the frustratingly over convoluted alien abduction storyline. I have to admit to a slight tingle when I heard that theme tune again and smiled at the sly references to the show when Scully and Mulder appear on the screen together again for the first time. All the best episodes of the show were usually the off-beat stand alone episodes that were done with witty irony and a sense of humour, but the plot to I Want To Believe unfortunately goes down the overly familiar serial killer road and aside from the macabre …
Rating of
1.5/4
I Wanted To Believe...
ZJW - wrote on 05/17/2009
The X-Files: I Want To Believe is the long awaited follow-up to the hit television series. It would appear the six-year gap did this film in from a financial standpoint as it tanked at the box office. Of course, it could also be that the film wasn’t very good. Either way, this film didn't draw many to the theater and those it did were certainly left disappointed.
Mulder, last seen being pursued by the government with rocket-launcher equipped helicopters, has apparently been collecting news clippings and growing a beard during his time away from the office. Scully has been working as a medical doctor and a lot of the film focuses on her internal struggle between faith and the treatment of patient. This storyline however isn’t very engaging, much like Scully based episodes of the …
Rating of
2/4
They've Done (Much) Better Episodes
Franz Patrick - wrote on 11/06/2008
I’m not an avid fan of “The X-Files” (but a fan nonetheless) mainly because I haven’t seen many episodes from the later seasons. But I know the importance of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dr. Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) relationship pertaining to the overall story arc. Although most of the time one believes and one doubts, things get really interesting and entertaining when both characters touch the gray area. After eight years, I think Duchovny and Anderson still got it but the writing isn’t as strong so the characters feel a little different. Watching this picture is like watching a good (but not great) episode of “The X-Files” TV show. It’s another mystery-of-the-week kind of story that doesn’t much contribute to the infamous alien mythology. I wish the …
Rating of
3/4
I wanted to believe!
kcvidkid - wrote on 09/03/2008
How I want to believe this movie was really, really good. However, it was just really, really mediocre.
It has become cliche to say that a big-screen adaptation of a former television hit series is just like a bloated episode. But somehow, "Sex & the City" escaped that comparison for me. "The X-Files" couldn't quite do it.
What happened to Chris Carter's plans to do an all-out horror movie? Instead, we get the usual debate between fact and faith with long scenes having seemingly nothing to do with anything supernatural. I don't mind a message, it adds dramatic weight to a ridiculous story. However, this movie is practically all message and no scares.
It's sad that it bombed at the box office, but I really don't think I could recommend it to anyone other than hardcore …
Rating of
1/4
MULDER! SCULLY! TERRIBLE!
FZero - wrote on 08/17/2008
A crushing disappointment made worse by the fact that the show's creator was responsible for it. What made the X-Files work was the Mulder-Scully dynamic and even through the worst episodes at least we had that to hold onto. I thought it could be safely assumed that Carter recognized this, but instead what we get is a movie where the two spend far more time apart than together. That's not to say that their scenes together are dynamic, more like going through the motions and making sure that check clears.
It doesn't help that they went the monster of the week route to supposedly bank on the casual fans while box office results quickly showed they didn't exist. The best they could do was come up with uninteresting garbage about organ harvesting all loosely held together by the …
Rating of
2.5/4
I Want to Believe: One for Fans Only
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/27/2008
It's good to see David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson fall back into their roles of Mulder and Scully so seamlessly. It doesn't seem like it's been six years since the show went off the air. As good as it is to see the characters pick up where they left off, it's obvious that I Want to Believe is pretty much only going to appeal to fans of the classic TV show.
In fact, most of those watching will feel right at home, but maybe too much so. The downfall of this film is that its too much like the show. Aside from a few curse words, I felt like this could have been an extra on one of the show's DVDs. You have Scully having a crisis of fate, Mulder and Scully arguing and Mulder clinging to his beliefs in spite of evidence. Sure, there are a few new faces, but they really don't make much of …
Rating of
2.5/4
A Welcome Return for Mulder and Scully
newmans_own - wrote on 07/25/2008
It’s been a few years since we last saw our favorite alienated (bad um chik) FBI agents, and much has changed. But with THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE, the world learns that we can still get the same old Mulder and Scully we’ve always loved. Built on a much smaller scale than its 1998 theatrical predecessor, the film’s strong and weak points rely on its similarity to the hit television show. Fans of the show will be more than happy to see some familiar characters, but this film will not show outsiders what the big deal was.
The film was designed as a stand-alone adventure and it certainly is that. There are only a few references to the series in the film, and none that will detract from the actual film. But unfortunately, there isn’t enough to set it apart from a standard cop …
