The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

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.

Director:

Chris Carter

Writers:

Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully both worked at the FBI as partners, a bond between them that led to their becoming lovers. But now they're out of the FBI and have begun new careers. Scully works as a staff physician at a Catholic hospital. Her focus these days is on a young boy with an incurable brain disease. Administration wants to give up on him. Scully, who feels a special bond with the boy, does not. Meanwhile, Mulder's focus is on clipping newspaper articles, throwing pencils into his ceiling and writing about the paranormal. Scully and Mulder are brought together as partners again when a special case requires Mulder's expertise and Scully is prevailed upon to convince him to help. The case involves a pedophile priest who claims he is having psychic visions regarding the whereabouts of a missing FBI agent.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | psychic vision | psychic | priest | staff physician | 

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Taglines:

Believe Again

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Russian Czech

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The X Files 2

Filming Locations:

10112 208 St, Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,021,753, 27 July 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$20,981,633, 5 October 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,369,434, 29 March 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox,Ten Thirteen Productions,Dune Entertainment III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 108 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (uncredited) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mitch Pileggi stated at a convention that the films plot was so top secret that he didn't find out that his character Walter Skinner was in the film until filming was well under way. He also joked that he could ask for as much money he wanted as filming took place during the writers strike, meaning he couldn't be written out.

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Goofs

Scully and Mulder fly in on a helicopter from their house. The rotor is still turning after they land and exit the helicopter, but Scully's and Mulder's hair remain in place. In the next shot, they walking away from the helicopter with the rotor still turning. The rotor wash would blow their hair around.

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Quotes

Fox Mulder: Scully? Why would he say that?
[he pauses then follows Scully to her car]
Fox Mulder: "Don't give up." Why would he say such a thing to you?
Dana Scully: I think that was clearly meant for you, Mulder.
Fox Mulder: He didn't say it to me. He said it to you.
Dana Scully: Umm...
Fox Mulder: If Father Joe were the devil, why would he say the opposite of what the devil might say?
[she doesn't reply, though clearly attempting to rationalize]
Fox Mulder: Maybe that's the answer. You know, the larger answer.
Dana Scully: What do you mean?
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The end credits contain a dedication to Randy Stone who died from heart disease at age 48 in February 2007. He was head of casting at 20th Century Fox Television, was responsible for casting David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson on The X-Files (1993), and worked in casting throughout the run of the series.

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Connections

Follows The X-Files (1993)

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Soundtracks

Memories Child
(2002)
Written and Performed by Jamison Young
Courtesy of BeatPick
(in Cheryl Cunningham's car)

User Reviews

In Memoriam of the X-Files series

The X-Files Series is dead, and this THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE is its burial ceremony! My hopes weren't very high but I was expecting something better after all these years. Make a second film for that? Why? Any regular episode of the series is better than this "large episode"… The fans of the series might like it and I don't blame them, but in fact I think this film was totally unnecessary.

Well, the main topic of the plot ("the Frankenstein doctor"…) is not bad, but all the rest is not that good, at all! The film is too slowly paced, the action scenes are just a few and not well done, the main characters are truly old and wasted, and there's a subplot that seems to increase nothing to the movie except drama, cheap drama!

Rest In Peace X-Files Series…