The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Chris Carter

Writers (WGA):

Frank Spotnitz (written by) and
Chris Carter (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Believe Again

Plot:

Mulder and Scully are called back to duty by the FBI when a former priest claims to be receiving psychic visions pertaining to a kidnapped agent.

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Psychic | Psychic Vision | Priest | Paranormal

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 9	9:30 AM	HBO
Thur. July 9	6:00 PM	HBO
Sun. July 12	11:45 AM	HBO

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Amanda Peet	...	ASAC Dakota Whitney
Billy Connolly	...	Father Joseph Crissman
Xzibit	...	Agent Mosley Drummy (as Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner)
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
Callum Keith Rennie	...	2nd Abductor - Janke Dacyshyn
Adam Godley	...	Father Ybarra
Alex Diakun	...	Gaunt Man
Nicki Aycox	...	2nd Victim - Cheryl Cunningham
Fagin Woodcock	...	1st Abductor - Franz Tomczeszyn
Marco Niccoli	...	Christian Fearon
Carrie Ruscheinsky	...	Margaret Fearon
Spencer Maybee	...	Blair Fearon
Veronika Hadrava	...	Female Assistant

Also Known As:

The X Files 2 (USA) (working title)
The X Files: Done One (USA) (working title)
The X-Files (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
The X-Files Movie (USA) (promotional title)
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (USA) (alternative spelling)
Untitled X Files Sequel (USA) (working title)
X-Files: Je veux y croire (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material.

Runtime:

104 min | USA:108 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | Russian | Czech

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (uncredited)

Certification:

UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | Germany:16 | USA:PG-13 (Approved No. 44443) | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Austria:14 | Denmark:15

Filming Locations:

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The television show ("The X Files" (1993)) upon which this movie is based was filmed for its first five seasons in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The show's production moved to Los Angeles for seasons 6-9, but this movie was once again filmed in and around Vancouver. While the show was made in Vancouver, the show often used local Canadian actors in guest and secondary roles, often reusing the same actors in different parts in multiple episodes. With the franchise's return to Vancouver, the producers were able to continue the tradition by recasting many of the same actors they had used so often on the show. For example, Alex Diakun (Gaunt Man) appeared as different characters in three episodes; Lorena Gale (On Screen Doctor) appeared as different characters in three episodes; Stephen E. Miller (Feed Store Proprietor) appeared as different characters in three episodes including the pilot; Sarah-Jane Redmond (Special Agent In Charge) appeared as different characters in two episodes; Stacee Copeland (Doctor) appeared as different characters in two episodes. Callum Keith Rennie (2nd Abductor - Janke Dacyshyn) appeared as different characters in two episodes and was the original choice to play the long-running character Alex Krycek. Several other secondary and tertiary members of the movie cast had also appeared on the show as other characters.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Scully and Mulder accompany Father Joe to the scene of the agent's abduction for the first time the sun is rising and the screen reads "Somerset, West Virginia, 5:02 AM". During mid-winter in that part of the country it would still be completely dark for over two hours more.

Quotes:

Fox Mulder: Are you asking me to give up?
Dana Scully: No. No, I can't ask you to do that... But I can tell you I won't be coming home tonight.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Jeffersons" (1975)

Soundtrack:

The X-Files Theme (UNKLE Remix)

Better than your average MOTW...

The Good: - Duchovny, Anderson, and Connelly all deliver excellent performances. Mulder and Scully are still fun to watch. - The atmosphere of the show is very much kept intact. - The surprise appearance of a series regular is a great addition to the finale of the movie. - The Scully Subplot was done very well. - The few action sequences are well done. - It explains what happened to Mulder and Scully.

The Bad: - Xzibit's character is as one dimensional as a piece of paper. - The plot is very weak due to it being incredibly simplistic. - It's slow pace will turn off many. - It feels made for T.V, almost exactly like an episode from season 7. They should've made it a 2 hour special on T.V instead. - It's way more of a Drama film than a Sci Fi thriller, which is misleading since the previews showed otherwise.

Overall: I had mixed thoughts when leaving the theater. Though it was slightly disappointing and underwhelming, it was still a good movie, especially for X Files fans. Duchovny and Anderson have not lost a step and deserve either another season to close up the series or another movie. I'm leaning more towards the former, as the movies have illustrated that Carter excels far more in a T.V environment.