Rating of
2.5/4
A Welcome Return for Mulder and Scully
newmans_own - wrote on 07/25/08
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 thriller. The supernatural quotient is second to the recovery of the missing girls. The film is basically an extended episode of the television show. A strong episode to be sure, but nothing that really takes advantage of the filmic format.
Where the film really succeeds are in the scenes with Mulder and Scully. The performers fit back into their characters as if they had never left, and the insatiable charisma and sexual tension remains entirely intact. Anderson is particularly spectacular; her always-compelling Scully kicks up a notch as she balances the case with her day job in a hospital. Anderson could always be relied on to give the series enough pathos and emotion to make it something more; she delivers magnificently here. With each performance, she proves that she is one of the best actresses working today, able to lift any material she’s given. It’s a shame she isn’t seen more often, and the makers of the film should be lauded simply for giving her a vehicle to demonstrate her tremendous abilities.
**1/2/****
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