“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” is unique in the world of movies based on TV shows. It’s not like “Get Smart,” re-imagined after several decades of being off the air to appeal to a new generation and a few nostalgia addicts. It can’t be placed in the same category as “Sex and the City,” having only been canceled a short while, which left fans who still have the taste in their mouth to come clamoring for more.
It’s nothing like “The Simpsons,” seeing a release while its program of origin is still running, dragging out to the theater people who feel compelled by their frequent viewings at home. The outrageously popular ’90s alien drama has now been off the air for 6 years, enough time for a real disconnect to have formed between the show and its audience, but not enough time to pull off a revamp with new stars and light self-parody. It’s a troubling position for any movie to find itself in, regardless of how massive the fan base once was.
“Believe” hits the ground running, opening with a sequence in which we cut between a woman driving home through wintry conditions late at night only to find out that she’s not alone, and a horde of FBI officers trekking through a massive plane of snow, being led by a crazed-looking old man (Billy Connolly) who claims to have visions.
When his maniacal efforts lead the group to a severed arm buried in the snow, Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) calls up former FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) asking for a big favor: Convince paranormal expert and castaway FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) to help handle the self-proclaimed profit.
Whitney wants to force the two, now living together and trying to move on with their lives and distance themselves as much from the Bureau as possible, to dust off the cobwebs and get back into the action.
Fans of the series will not find it difficult to welcome back Mulder and Scully, even though the outright nature of their attraction towards one another isn’t quite as fun as reveling in their unrealized love. They are still very much the same characters that millions came to love during the shows run.
Mulder remains an ultra nerd who will believe in almost anything–hence the movie’s title–and Scully still balances simultaneous attraction and frustration with his enthusiasm, egging on his efforts while keeping him in check.
However, outside of their characters and chemistry, “Believe” often doesn’t feel like an “X-Files” movie. The film is being advertised as a standalone picture, playing equally well to those unfamiliar with the series, and those who used to watch it weekly.
They aren’t kidding. The movie features a story that by Hollywood standards could almost take place in the realm of reality, and while the show wasn’t always based on overt sci-fi elements, that’s certainly what we all remember from it.
The scope of the film is also remarkably simple-minded; not that a few human lives don’t have value, but in comparison to the almost weekly saving of the world that Mulder and Scully used to do, this seems like a particularly small event.
This isn’t to say that the smaller scope is a bad thing. It allows people who don’t have a handbook of the shows massive amounts of mythology right beside them to have a good time. The film is mostly well made and, with the exception of a subplot involving Scully and a cancer stricken patient at the hospital where she works, the script is tightly woven and fast paced.
People may have their reservations about the wild, action-infused last act, but, if treated for what it is (a fun Saturday night at the movies), it shouldn’t distract from the modest fun of the rest of the movie. While it might be disappointing to the 10 to 15 people that have actually been waiting with baited breath for the last 6 years, “Believe” is a simple-minded puzzler, and a genuinely enjoyable time at the movies.
(3.5/5 Stars)