the x-files: i want to believe (2008)
okay, so:
i'd been waiting quite some time to see this. i've been an "x-phile" ever since 1993, so needless to say i was pretty excited to see not just mulder and scully, but the whole x-file world alive and back up on the big screen again.
and i was not disappointed.
carter and co. stay true to the roots, the core of the show in this film. mulder and scully are stubborn to a fault, but passionate. the air is filled with a tinge of melodrama, but it wouldn't work any other way. it's not perfect, and that's part of what gave the show and this film its distinct charm. there's beauty in imperfection.
i've read a lot of reviews that complain that the storyline is "wafer thin," but i'd rather compare it to jam on toast (this is a terrible analogy), a thin layer of thriller with a thicker, deeper crust of "human interest"/character study beneath it. it plays out like a puzzle, and you get bits and pieces of this puzzle as you go along, almost right along with the investigation itself. you are there, yourself, deciding what you think is true and what is not.
overall, it's altogether understated, but still feels epic. the pacing feels strange at times, even at the end, but there's always something there that makes it work. finally, the ending feels right, providing a warm endcap that puts the rest of the film (which is fairly cold) in a final, solid perspective.
all in all it plays like a long (although it doesn't feel especially long), deeper-than-usual episode.
satisfying, and itself satisfied.
fans i think will have a blast, and non-fans i think probably won't love it, but will appreciate it as a smarter, above average thriller.
and, of course, there are some treats for the fans in there as well.
if this is the end of the x-files, then carter, duchovny, anderson, and co. should take a bow. they deserve it.
A-
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Last edited by fortunato; 07-25-2008 at 12:19 AM.
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