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:

To find the truth, you must believe.

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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)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released on the fifteenth anniversary of The X Files.

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Goofs

The helicopters used throughout are Aerospatiale/Eurocopter AS355 Ecureil 2, however the audio on the opening search & rescue is of Bell 205/212 (Huey). Later on the FBI helipad, audio of Bell 206 Jet Ranger is used.

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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 run over images of ice, water and land, and finally we see Mulder and Scully in a small row boat off of a tropical beach. Scully is in a bikini, Mulder is in swim trunks and rowing toward a small island. They wave to the camera above as it pulls back and fades to black.

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Connections

References The X Files (1998)

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Soundtracks

Broken
(2007)
Written by Gavin Clarke (as Gavin Clark), James Lavelle, Richard File and Christopher Allen Goss (as Chris Goss)
Performed by Unkle (as UNKLE) featuring Gavin Clarke (as Gavin Clark)
Courtesy of Surrender All Ltd.
By Arrangement with Zync Music Inc.

User Reviews

Weak, there is no point to it

The X-Files, one of the most famous television shows that ended in 2002, had a movie in 2000, just came out with a sequel. To be honest, I was wondering why, I know that there are still fans that are shaking to see their favorite agents back, but the story was weak and felt like another episode, just an extended one. Now I did enjoy The X-Files series, I also did like the first X-Files film, so I felt like maybe this was going to be big and have an exciting story, but instead we have just another episode that is trying to have the Saw edge and gross people out. We also have some added characters that are just weak, for example Xzibit as a one dimensional character who is just flat and typical, also, it's Xzibit, I don't know what casting director was thinking "he's perfect", no offense to this guy, but he should stick to his day job. David and Gillain are also off track and don't have the same chemistry as they did in the series.

Fox Mulder has been requested back by the FBI to help them with a case of missing female FBI agents, he meets a priest/pedophile/psychic who is also helping the FBI out with the case. Dana Scully has decided to stay with her current career as a doctor who is struggling to save a little boy's brain disease. But Fox wants her back in work with him and together they discover the darker world that is happening with these missing FBI agents and the Russian black market.

The X Files: I Want to Believe is over all not a bad movie by any means, but it's at this point that it seems like the writers were not even trying. Also with David and Gillain, I like to call this movie The X Files: I Want a Paycheck, because they just didn't put their hearts into this and you can tell very much, I thought David hated the series, you think he would have been more stubborn or at least would have read the script first before the paycheck. As far as for the fans, I'd recommend that you just do the matinée, it's not a full price ticket movie, it's just an extended episode, the ending is anti-climatic and this was just pointless.

5/10