The X Files Collection

Mystery

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Thriller

The X Files: I Want to Believe

Ten Thirteen Productions

Dune Entertainment III

Crying Box Productions

20th Century Fox

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English

David Duchovny

Gillian Anderson

Amanda Peet

Billy Connolly

Xzibit

Mitch Pileggi

Callum Keith Rennie

Adam Godley

Nicki Aycox

Alex Diakun

Fagin Woodcock

Marco Niccoli

Carrie Ruscheinsky

Spencer Maybee

Veronika Hadravá

Denis Krasnogolov

Patrick Keating

Stephen E. Miller

Xantha Radley

Lorena Gale

Donavon Stinson

Dion Johnstone

Sarah-Jane Redmond

Christina D'Alimonte

Vanesa Tomasino

Luvia Petersen

Babs Chula

Marci T. House

Joseph Patrick Finn

Beth Siegler

Stacee Copeland

Tom Charron

Brent C.S. O'Connor

Lynne Burnett

Chris Carter

Dave Cote

Roger Horchow

Celeste Insell

Paul Mitton

Vanessa Morley

Teana-Marie Smith

Michael Stevens

Frank Spotnitz

Brent O'Connor

Bill Roe

Mark S. Freeborn

Richard A. Harris

Mark Snow

Lisa Tomczeszyn

Mindy Marin

Coreen Mayrs

Heike Brandstatter

Tony Morelli

Mike Mitchell

Chris Atkinson

James Bamford

Kimberly Chiang

Duane Dickinson

Mike Dobbin

Bill Edwards

Chris Webb

Guy Bews

Melissa R. Stubbs

Corbin Fox

Dean Hart

Dave Lane

Marshall Virtue

Charles Andre

Todd Scott

Jennifer Mylrea

Jeff Sanca

Natasha Vasiluk

Jack Hardy

Roger Scott Russell

Tony Wohlgemuth

Shirley Inget

Cheryl Marion

Chris Buffet

David Hadaway

Adrien van Viersen

Sabine Schoppel

Dan Miller

Martin McInally

Michael Wrinch

Stephen Maier

Cory Budney

Scott Cozens

Kyle Brown

Carrie Wilson

Jeremy Lundstrom

Mitch Bax

Andrew Learmonth

Diyah Pera

Hans Bjerno

Michael T. Williamson

Martin Lacroix

Wayne McLaughlin

Marta McLaughlin

Eric Partridge

Mark Francis

Portia Tickell

Roger Dole

Brad McMurray

B.J. Harrower

Raul Casillas

Leonardo Lara

Mark Prior

Scott Holburn

Geoff Coulter

Paul Rabwin

David McKimmie

Marta Evry

Michael Kewley

Ryan Chavez

Kirk Moses

Adam K. Tiller

John A. Larsen

Derek Vanderhorst

Paul Massey

David Giammarco

David Tickell

Sean Oxenbury

Andrew Pereszlenyi

Kurt Zelmer

David J. Dawson

Bruce Crawford

Neil Lachance

David Neveaux

Craig Monroe

Zane Rossouw

Wally Nygren

John Kuchera

Ed McMahon

Reid Cohoon

Todd Hlagi

John Spencer-Phillips

**_Scully and Mulder search wintry landscapes for a modern-day Mengele operation_**

When an FBI agent goes missing in the Greater DC area, Scully and Mulder reunite to help the agency by enlisting the help of a defrocked priest with psychic abilities (Billy Connolly), which leads to grisly revelations. Meanwhile Scully is a practicing doctor intent on saving the life of a boy with a terminal disease.

"The X Files: I Want to Believe" (2008) came out a decade after the first movie and six years after the final season of the original run of the TV series. Unlike “Fight the Future,” it doesn’t focus on the alien conspiracy but opts for a monster-of-the-week story. For those not in the know, the series walked the balance beam between these two.

Speaking as a very casual viewer, I preferred the MOTW segments because of their uniqueness and increased human interest. The alien conspiracy episodes struck me as boringly redundant even though fans of these segments understandably argue that the fate of humanity and its possible extinction is far greater than all the serial killers and monsters put together.

The fact that this second movie focuses on more mundane proceedings never bothered me. After all, we already have the first movie, why redo it? Can it even be topped? So, as far as I’m concerned, it was a good decision to take an entirely different route.

The inclusion of the psychic brings to mind the notable “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” episode. This is combined with the basic plot of “Silence of the Lambs,” which involves detectives needing the help of a notorious outcast to find a missing female and capture the serial killer(s). The main differences are the snowy landscapes and the subplot of the boy needing experimental surgery to survive.

Being shot in British Columbia with key crew members from the defunct series, it has the tone of the show, just with a bigger budget and a longer runtime. As usual, the proceedings are mysteriously creepy, but lowkey with Scully and Mulder maintaining their renown dispassion. The exception is Scully’s dealings with the dying boy, who is basically her spiritual child.

Despite the generally listless air of the investigation (which was an issue with the entire series), there are interesting bits spiced throughout and the final act pays off, at least for me. I’m not so much talking about the grisly Frankenstein bits as Scully’s challenging situation, which is moving. There’s a spiritual depth with focus on moral transgression, penitence and possible redemption, not to mention boldly tackling one of life’s toughest questions: Why does a good God allow evil and suffering? Then there’s the addition of the biblical proverb: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings,” which of course ties into Scully and Mulder’s perpetual search for truth. 

I saw the Director’s Cut, which runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and includes graphic, disturbing material cut to avoid an R-rating at the theater; the theatrical version runs about 3.5 minutes less. It was shot in British Columbia, specifically the Vancouver area (including Burnaby), and the Pemberton Valley region, including Riverlands, which is located a couple hours’ drive north of the big city.

GRADE: B

The X-Files: I Want to Believe | Online Trailer | 20th Century FOX

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The X Files: I Want to Believe

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

David Duchovny

Gillian Anderson

Amanda Peet

Billy Connolly

Xzibit

Mitch Pileggi

Callum Keith Rennie

Adam Godley

Nicki Aycox

Alex Diakun

Box office

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