Review: X-Files 2 - I Want to Believe (2008)

It's been six years since the popular television show went off the
air.  And, it's been 10 years since their inaugural feature film when
X-Files popularity was riding high.  So, do we need this
feature-length installment?  Not really.  However, I'm glad that they
made it.  It's like asking: "does Pecan Pie actually need some whipped
cream on top?"  No, but I'm glad that it's there.

Happily, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian
Anderson) haven't missed a beat, and they easily slip on their roles
like a comfortable pair of fuzzy slippers.  He still has that boyish
charm and killer curiosity.  Meanwhile, she is gracefully edging
towards Julianne Moore territory.  Mulder is now out of the FBI and
keeping a low profile.  Yet, he still possesses a wicked intelligence,
keen observational skills, and a belief in things that others would
find unbelievable.  Most of all, he is still troubled by the
government's lack of transparency (hey, aren't we all?).  Meanwhile,
Scully has moved on from being a brilliant forensics expert to a
brilliant surgeon.  It's this counterbalance that makes them
well-suited for each other.  And, it is this dichotomy that keeps them
romantically apart.  Their feelings and opinions for one another are
challenged when this pair becomes embroiled in a deep mystery.  Mulder
wants to believe that the truth is out there.  Scully wants to get
away from the darkness that inevitably comes when Mulder wants to
believe.

An FBI agent has gone missing.  The case is at first handled by two
seasoned agents (Amanda Peete and Xzibit).  And in a virtuoso opening
scene, a large search party forms a huge line as they walk in cadence,
prodding the snowy field beneath them.  The trail is quickly growing
cold.  And the only leads come from a disturbed priest, Father Joe
(Billy Connolly).  He may be psychic, which intrigues Mulder.  He is
also a convicted pedophile, which infuriates Scully.

"X-Files 2", with its more-intelligent-than-you-might-expect
screenplay, is part medical drama and part police thriller.  This
installment foregoes its mythology of government cover-ups and deadly
viruses and aliens.  Here, the film is like one of those finer,
one-off, standout episodes.  Yet, those who have never seen the
television show need not worry. You do not have to be the least bit
familiar with its lore to follow along and enjoy the evolving
storyline.  Well, "follow along" might actually be the wrong choice of
words.  Nothing is normal in this world.  Like peeling an onion, the
film slowly introduces new clues and crimes.  The plot becomes much
more sinister than a simple missing person's case.

One of the things that I admired was the refreshingly organic feel of
the film.  It focuses on the human drama and limits the special
effects.  The story is purposefully paced.  And, with real lives at
stake, the suspense level goes up.  In addition, the film's
cinematography excellently captures the bleak and uninviting
atmosphere that our agents work in.  The landscape is desolate and
what they're up against is eerie.  "I Want to Believe" is everything
that we would expect from a really good X-Files episode.  But it is
also a confident and well-constructed standalone film. The tone is
somewhat chilling, the story is taut, and the way in which it develops
is intriguing.  Mulder and Scully continue to fight the good fight.

Grade:  B+

S:      1 out of 3
L:      0 out of 3
V:      2 out of 3