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 (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) worked at the F.B.I. as partners, a bond between them that led to them becoming lovers. But now they're out of the F.B.I. 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 F.B.I. Agent.

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Plot Keywords:

x files | fbi federal bureau of investigation | psychic vision | psychic | priest | 

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Taglines:

It's time for Mulder and Scully to believe

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Genres:

Crime | 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character named Franz Tomczeszyn has the same surname as costume designer Lisa Tomczeszyn.

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Goofs

When Scully is on the phone with Agent Mosley, the computer in the background plays the exact same sequence twice in a row (a file downloading).

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Quotes

Agent Mosley Drummy: I don't believe this.
Fox Mulder: That's been your problem from the start.

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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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Alternate Versions

The home video version has behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew over the end credits. The theatrical version did not have these behind the scenes photos.

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Connections

References The X-Files: Duane Barry (1994)

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Soundtracks

Movin' On Up
(1975)
Written by Jeff Barry and Ja'net DuBois (as Jeannette DuBois)
Performed by Ja'net DuBois (as Ja'Net DuBois)
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television Inc.
Under license from Sony Pictures Music Group
(in Father Joe's apartment)

User Reviews

As a true fan, I am disappointed

I was really excited to see the movie and although I pay much heed to good film critics before I go see a movie, all of which slated this movie! as a die hard fan from the start I had to give it a look myself to be sure. The theme tune played at the start and I couldn't help but grin!

6 years have passed and it opens with the abduction of an FBI agent in the snowy setting of the much familiar Virginia surrounds that the long term fans will know play host to many of the series episodes. As the story unfolds we find Father Joe, played by Billy Connolly, a psychic priest who claims to know where she is, he helps the FBI but they get lost in the investigation and because of its strange nature they turn to Scully to ask Mulder if he will get involved.

Scully is now a full time Doctor and Mulder is secluded away continuing his work as now more of a hobby out of the FBI's way. We find Mulder and Scully in-fact living together in a secluded country home and he agrees to come out of hiding (in accordance to the FBI dropping all charges against him and apologizing for their behavior towards him) and he helps them in the investigation.

Don't worry there are no spoilers there, all that happens pretty quick early on in the movie.

So thats a glimpse of the story line and I wont go any further with it, now down to the gritty details that I, a true fan of the show who went in there with an open mind to see this movie could give you.

I really really wanted this to be good, so good that maybe Duchovney would get his wish and perhaps make a third movie, but alas it is not to be.

It is terribly disappointing, from the outset you can see they were extremely tight with the budget to say the least, set in Virginia, reused actors from the series outside of the main characters they used a few people from random series episodes way back when, now people who don't know the show wont see that, but I did, and it stuck out.

The story line went stale very quickly, it never developed significantly actually it didn't go anywhere important, It was predictable and if it were an episode during the shows run 6 years ago I would have said it was one of Carters poorer stories and scripts.

The acting was awful, don't get me wrong, I like Anderson and Duchovney outside of the X- Files and in the series they are known for the chemistry between them, here there was no spark at all. Even Billy Connolly who I adore, I found to be very wooden, unconvincing, unreal in his delivery, and it wasn't how his character is meant to be portrayed but I found him to act very bad in this movie, and again I like Connolly he is great in other movies, but I hated him in this.

I thought some of the the story-line including the sick boy Scully was treating had nothing to do with the rest of the script, it was unsupportive and was just not needed.

No Special effects, Not even an expensive crane view angle of camera, it looked to be paid for out of Carters own pocked and had no supporting budget at all!

It not all bad news from me however, I did like the moody snowy setting it added to the atmosphere that was hardly there. I did like the little jokes mainly delivered by Mulder at the first quarter of the movie, after that it stopped. I did like the easter egg left in by Carter whether on purpose or not, when Mulder looked at his phone in the car and the first contact before Scully was Gillian, as in Anderson! Little things like that were cute to say the least.

As a stand alone movie outside of the series it wasn't great at all and for Die-hard fans, the Movie lacked, it Lacked everything I loved from the X-Files series. It lacked the unexpected, Nothing surprising happened what so ever it was very predictable. Mulder and Scully's chemistry was nowhere to be found. No effects, the story went nowhere in particular and had parts that were completely irrelevant, the acting was really awful all round which I would consider to be unlike the X-Files and the list goes on unfortunately.

I have loved and still will continue to love the X-Files, I have seen every episode at least 3 times, I adore the characters and Loved the last movie as it tied into the script. Chris Carters direction has always been consistent but this was a hiccup, I hope not a hiccup that would end the X-Files chances of another movie, but as a fan, I'm being honest here, "I want to believe" was awful and should have been a straight to TV release.

I loathe saying it, but thats the truth I saw :(

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Russian Czech

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The X Files 2

Filming Locations:

605 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1W7, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,021,753, 27 July 2008

Gross USA:

$20,982,478

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,363,381

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