Too little, too late

Mulder and Scully are past their prime in
The X-Files: I Want to Believe

by CHRISTOPHER SYKES

We all have one of those friends who doesn’t know to quit while they’re ahead. Whether it’s that 10th shot of tequila or one last roll of the dice, it’s apparent from the get-go that tomorrow morning a phone call will be placed involving the words “last night” and “mistake.” I’m not on X-Files creator Chris Carter’s speed dial, but I have a suspicion his near and dear will be frequent armchair psychologists after the release of X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Once upon a time The X-Files could do no wrong. Critics praised the show for its layered plots and ability to scare the pants off of seasoned sci-fi veterans. Accolades (not to mention awards) were heaped on both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and fans obsessed about their will they/won’t they on-screen chemistry. Yet it’s been six years since the cult series ended and a full decade since the first X-Files film. Times—and expectations—have changed.

Despite being sentenced to death and forced to live on the run in the series finale, Mulder (Duchovny) is convinced by Scully (Anderson) to let bygones be bygones after the FBI approach her concerning a missing agent. The feds will wipe the slate clean if Mulder agrees to give his expert opinion about whether convicted pedophile Father Joe (Billy Connolly) is the psychic he claims to be.

As Father Joe leads the agents to a series of severed appendages it becomes apparent they are no longer dealing solely with a missing agent, but a probable serial killer. Of course Mulder and Scully are hot on the trail.

There’s bound to be plenty of discussion about how I Want to Believe was made for the hardcore fans of the show, yet they’ll be the ones most disappointed by its mediocrity. The supernatural plot twists, which kept viewers hooked are nowhere to be found.

Instead the film seems to more closely resemble a hodge-podge hybrid of Millenium and CSI. There’s the mandatory plot twist, but without giving it away, it simply confuses the story and left me asking why it’s so difficult to walk away on a high note.

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