The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

good back-story, and good acting

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Scully and mulder re-team to unravel a bizarre case right out of the tv series . In a blink of an eye , amidst a bone chilling cold and an eerily deceptive calm. An FBI agent Monica Bannan is mysteriously abducted . But this is know ordinary kidnapping. And not only does the search for the missing woman ignite sparks between partners Mulder and Scully, it defies the boundaries of science, the supernatural and the terrifying spaces in between . Its good film on a low budget don't expect what we saw in the other x files film this is right up there with the shows . its a 7 out of 10 at 1hr 43mins its an x files fan movee

I love X Files. Watched the series and first movie and the writing was spectacular! But, this movie in 2008, X Files, I Want to Believe, was a huge disappointment! First of all, I could not believe Carter was behind writing this mess. Instead of pulling Scully and Mulder together in this film to play on their "connection" and "charisma" they always shared in the past, they pulled them apart, which made the movie fall flat. The writing was terrible. My husband, my daughter, and I all watched it together and hated the movie! What really bothered me was that the entire movie was plotted around a Catholic Priest and his psychic abilities despite the fact he was a known pedophile of small boys! The writers make this sick priest out to be the hero, not Mulder or Scully. (Truly, they should have just left Mulder out of the entire picture. He was useless in the part). After the priest provides some visions that lead to the whereabouts of the killers, Mulder wants to clear the priest's name so everyone knows he is a hero. Excuse me?! What about the small boys he molested? They can be forgotten because the priest sees some visions? It was almost as though the writers were softening the subject of pedophilia and excusing the crime as just another "sin." Molesting children is not excusable. Makes me wonder about those Hollywood writers.

Chris Carter took a Big Chance with this Late Arrival. The second Big Screen Version of His Beloved TV Sensation. The Chance He took was not well received from most Fans and Critics.What the Movie amounts to is a Stand-Alone Horror Story. Its Major Motivation is Belief, not in the "Mulder" Definition, X-clusively, but the Belief in God and or Science, or in Scully's case, both. The whole Story Revolves around Belief. Belief in "Psychic" Abilities, the Belief in the God of the Bible, the Belief in Science.The Truth is that the X-Files does not Really Need to be a Movie. It Works just Fine as a TV-Show, an Ongoing Mythological Series that can Travel Down many Unseen Highways and X-plore the Unknown, the Unknowable, and the Uncanny that Results in as many Unanswered Questions as Answers.This Film is Dark. OK Dark is Decidedly X-Files. After all, Flashlights are more than a Prop for Mulder and Scully. It's not only Dark Visually but Cerebrally and Philosophically as well. What with Pedophile Priests and "Horror Show" Gruesomeness.The Acceptance and Appreciation for the Movie for Fans is Determined by a Detachment from X-Pectations. A Pre-Conceived Notion that the Film will Hit all the Buttons and Tap into the Show's most Enjoyable and Fanciful Format. The Outsider Agents who must "Fight the Future" and Uncover the Truth that will set us all Free.If the Viewer can Warm Up to this Movie's Cold depiction of more Down to Earth Terrors, where the Monsters are all too Human, it can be Intriguing and Mysterious, Terrifying and Thought Provoking. It's an Adult Movie that sans Action for Drama and offers Relationships with the Spiritual and Humanistic Concerns, as opposed to X-travagant CGI.

X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008): Dir: Chris Carter / Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner: Worthwhile followup to the hit film ten years prior. Why a sequel is released this much later is requiring too much faith in the popularity of the show. Theme is a question of faith, whether in religion or science. Mulder and Scully are back when females go missing and a male severed arm is found buried in snow. Director Chris Carter is backed by fine production and a worthy screenplay. Gillian Anderson returns as Scully who is now a surgeon. David Duchovny returns as Mulder whom isolated himself. Both leads are solid as they reunite and investigate the case. Billy Connolly steals scenes as a psychic Priest with a questionable past. He will have visions to further the case but will never be able to clear his past no matter whether he solves this case or not. Amanda Peet as an FBI agent is unfortunately flat and only seems to be there as a possible romantic tease as if viewers had no faith in the relationship between the two leads. Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner plays a special agent. While reminding us of the show's popularity, religious elements may offend certain viewers, particularly the view of Christians. Others may want to believe that this series may have run its course on the big screen. Score: 7 ½ / 10