Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material.
104 Minutes
Directed By: Chris Carter
Written By: Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter
Staring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Bill Connelly, Xzibit, Michael Pileggi, and Adam Godley
This isn’t my life anymore, Mulder. I’m done chasing monsters in the dark. -Dana Scully
Review
No more Stargate and no more X Files. What was Vancouver doing without their beloved Science Fiction shows being shot? Each continue to make films and carry on their legacies, but unfortunately for me the second addition, X Files: I Want To Believe, was nothing more than a glorified episode. I enjoyed the first feature film a great deal, but this addition did very little as far as comparison to other movies was concerned. It would have been a fun episode but did not stand up as a lone film for me.
Everything starts in true X Files form,being elusive and giving ominous clues to the unveiling of the whole stories plot. While small 
pieces of suspicious evidence is revealed, the bulk of the main story is kept a mystery. Since the characters have long since been established and the director Chris Carter must have assumed only previous X Files fans would be paying to see this movie, there was very little explanation of who Mulder and Scully were, which was one of the things that made it feel more like an episode rather than a full length feature film. Small references were made to their pasts with the FBI but mostly the relationships were just kind of slapped onto the counter with someone saying: “This is it. Here they are; popular television icons.”
The performances were okay. It’s not difficult for David Duchovny or Gillian Anderson to slip back into the roles they played so effortlessly for so many years, but beyond that there was nothing spectacular or overwhelming to make this film or any of the other characters particularly special or stimulating. The priest had a complex back round and Bill Connelly played him well, but his back story felt forced and the whole complication of him being a pedophile but not in control of himself was just too over the top and a real unnecessary argument in the story. If the story was more focused on the aspect of the validity of his psychic connection, the bad guys doing bad things, and per 
usual the complex relationship of Mulder and Scully , the film could have been more sound. There was the constant feel that extra twists and layers of information were necessary to make the film more compelling, but all it did was distract and lead to a more over worked feel that would have played out better in an episode that was busy building on exploring those different ideas over the period of a season.
I love the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, but the potential they had to work with in this film just never developed properly, though Anderson and Duchovney still maintained the kinetic energy between them, making it seem like they never walked away from playing those roles. The relationship between the two of them, and still the constant banter of challenging each other in every aspect a person could challenge another person, they made this movie worth watching, even though there was even more opportunity for relationship moments to be explored between them.
With a plot that really wasn’t too interesting, a murderer that wasn’t all that formidable, even though his crimes were pretty much as morally ambiguous as they could be, it was just lost between the sea of personal struggles, the over complex situation of the priest, the back story of Scully’s patient, and of course the introduction of the FBI agent who is relentless in her goal to save the women abducted by Mr. Mad Scientist.
A lot of the basic elements that made the X Files so provocative were clear and present in I Want To Believe, but too many of the set up of the show was implemented in a way that didn’t pan together as a feature film. Itnever welded itself together like a great season finale even, just more of a collage of episodes that clumsily stumbled to some mid-season peak. Being a fan of the show and someone who adores the characters of Scully and Mulder. Hopefully if another film is made it will be more epic and be able to balance what made the show good and the pacing of a motion picture better. I Want To Believe was just an OK addition to the X Files family.
I can appreciate suspense, but man this movie DRAGGED. Its cool cuz Duchovny was aware that he didn’t dig the movie also and if they do a trilogy he wants the 3rd one to be done right. I agree with you when you said the story felt forced, it just didn’t unravel smoothly at all.
I always prefered the mythology episodes of the series to the monster of the week ones so this movie never really made it for me as well. I think this one will be the last which is unfortunate when it could have been done so much better.
I’m glad it was a monster of the week movie. I loved those just as much as the mythology! Bring on XF3!
david duchovny is such a tool. the show was way better with robert patrick and him in the back round. the movies weren’t great either.