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More than six years after the hit TV show The X-Files went off the air�and ten years since the first X-Files movie hit theaters�former FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have returned to investigate the unexplained one more time. And�despite the fact that I once watched the show religiously�I can�t help but wonder why.
Since I missed the last few seasons of the show�and I didn�t pick up the DVDs to refresh my memory�it took me a while to get caught up on the plot. Fortunately, though, the finer details don�t really matter�so even those who never saw the show shouldn�t have a very hard time following the story.
After their days investigating the mysterious X-Files for the FBI, Scully returned to life as a doctor. Mulder, meanwhile, fell out of favor with the FBI and was forced to go into hiding. Now, however, the FBI has a case that falls into Mulder�s area of expertise�so they coax him out of hiding, assuring him that all has been forgiven.
The case revolves around a missing FBI agent. A troubled priest, Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly), has come forward to say that he�s had psychic visions about the agent�s disappearance. According to Father Joseph, the agent is still alive�but she�s in danger. With nowhere else to turn, Agents Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) and Mosley Drummy (Xzibit) somewhat reluctantly reach out to Mulder and Scully for help.
For the most part, The X-Files: I Want to Believe feels like an extra-long episode of the TV show�though not one of the better ones. Like the show, the movie is dark and creepy (thanks, in part, to the fact that much of it takes place at night�in a snowstorm)�and it touches on some pretty bizarre subject matter. But, unfortunately, the show�s eerie, paranormal flair is missing. Without giving too much away, I can only say that, while the story is definitely creepy, it isn�t especially supernatural in nature�and that�s just not what I expected from The X-Files.
As for the characters, fans of the show will be happy to find that they�ve stayed true to their old nature. Mulder is still delving into the unknown and searching for answers. And Scully, who is appropriately working in a Catholic hospital, still struggles to believe in Mulder�s paranormal mumbo-jumbo. Still, despite my passion for the show a decade ago, I no longer felt attached to the characters�and I had a hard time caring about the story.
I�ll admit that it was nice to spend an hour and a half with Mulder and Scully again. But, since it�s been years since The X-Files ended, I just expected more from the movie. I expected it to be big and bold and filled with all kinds of unexplained paranormal phenomena. Unfortunately, though, the only thing that�s truly unexplained about The X-Files: I Want to Believe is why it needed to be made.
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