Movie #29: The X-Files: I Want to Believe

You know how sometimes you get really really excited to have some old friends come and visit you that you hadn't seen or talked with in quite some time? And you know how sometimes when those old friends show up you realize there's not a lot to talk about that isn't just a rehash of past memories? And you know how, once you've run out of old things to talk about, there's a bit of an awkward silence where all parties obviously regret having gotten back together in the first place? Well, welcome back FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully!

Although the second movie in the X-Files series does, at times, capture some of the charm and charisma that made the television show one of my all-time faves, by and large it struggles along on the level of a slightly above-average episode---which is fine for the small screen, but noticeably deficient for the big screen. In some respects I didn't really mind. My fondness for these characters is so immense that even watching them slog through sub-par material has a certain joy to it. Still, the movie has no discernible climax--certainly not a satisfying one, few thrills or chills, and the once-smoldering chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson is now more of a room-temperature burn. This might have something to do with Duchovny now convincingly playing a sex addict on Californication. Also, while I adore Amanda Peet, her role on Studio 60 makes it almost impossible for me to take her serious as a special agent in charge of an FBI manhunt. On the flip side, I detest Billy Connolly, so he's actually quite believable as a pedophile priest with psychic visions.

As a fan, The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a mediocre but mostly welcome visit by some old friends. Still, what it really did most was make me want to re-watch the first few seasons of the television show---which, by the way, I would gladly except as a gift.

Grade: 5/10