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The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season
This series ended two years too late and I'm still steamed at Chris Carter and Fox for treating it so shabbily by keeping it on the air well past it's expiration date (and minus the irreplaceable David Duchovny as Fox Mulder). The resolution to what the truth about aliens are was a rip-off as well and the season did a TON of completely bone-headed moves before the series went off the air including killing off the Lone Gunmen and having Dana Scully give her baby up for adoption. A little time and distance has made the hurt go away somewhat but really, the ending here was only marginally more satisfying that than Twin Peaks'. At least THIS continuity still has a chance of being resolved in the future and if not the recent movie I Want To Believe at least leaves Mulder and Scully with a happier ending.
Mulder is missed BADLY this season and it's no coincidence that the lone episode he appears in (the finale) is, for all of it's faults the best episode of the season except for the near-flawless Release.
Worst episodes of the year are the frustrating Audrey Pauley, the COMPLETELY horrible finale to The Lone Gunmen series (Jump the Shark), and even though it's better than I remembered it the surprise return of Jeffrey Spender (William). Season overall: **1/2.
Nothing Important Happened Today: Too many guest stars. It's like the show is over-compensating for the season's lack of Mulder. And since when is everybody on a first name basis? Good things? Lucy Lawless is hawt! And I was deeply amused to see Langy's face still blue as a tip of the hat to the cliffhanger ending of The Lone Gunmen series. ***1/2.
Nothing Important Happened Today II: Nothing Important Happened Today. Pretty good conclusion but the government conspiracy and office politics of the FBI no longer fascinate me. The show lasted two seasons too long. And why isn't Langly's face still blue? ***.
Daemonicus: I liked James Remar's performance here and the nurse's death was delightfully gruesome but I just wasn't feeling this episode. Some good chills though and this is the first episode that hints that Doggett is in love with Scully (futilely I might add).. **1/2.
4-D: This isn't isn't exactly a bad episode and has some cool concepts. That said, it's a total mess with enough plot holes to drive a truck through them. Most parallel world stories are cool because they set up their own histories and back-stories. Here it is simply a gimmick to trick the audience with no pay-off whatsoever. Are we seriously supposed to believe Monica Reyes is a suspect in Doggett getting shot on the say-so of some stranger? What exactly is her motive and why was the fact that she of course, didn't have one ever brought up? **1/2.
Lord of the Flies: Parts of this episode were cute but this is simply an average outing and nothing special. I DID find Rocky somewhat amusing and I really liked the last shot. ***.
Trust No 1: They're Watching. This ep is pretty nifty and guest stars Lost and Millennium's Terry O'Quinn (here inexplicably billed as Terrance Quinn). It sets up the last episode and we even get a brief glimpse of Mulder (though he's played by a stunt double). Nice. The whole concept of cameras everywhere was VERY unsettling and reminded me of the premise of Eagle Eye (even though I've never seen that movie). ****.
John Doe: A fine performance from Robert Patrick elevates this episode past the duldrums of this Mulder-less season. Cool story and good acting all around. ****.
Hellbound: Spiffy concept with gore aplenty and a VERY disturbing ending. I wish we had gotten to know Monica's connection to the murders better but the episode was fine as it played out. ***1/2.
Provenance: This episode covers familiar ground that the series has explored millions of times before and feels more like a rehash than a new episode. Good things? Good to see an early role for Desperate Housewives' Neal McDonough and I completely forgot that the Toothpick Man was Charles Widmore. ***1/2.
Providence: Decent conclusion but the episode suffers from making Mulder a huge plot point but not bother having him show up. I also wasn't thrilled that at this point in the game that the series is saying Mulder is maybe dead. I know he isn't and didn't turn out to be but when I was first watching this season that was extremely off-putting. I did like that it was hinted that Follmer may be a good guy. Unfortunately the character was never paid off. ***.
Audrey Pauley: I've had just about enough of either Reyes or Doggett falling into comas this season. They are REALLY repeating themselves in that regard and it getting annoying. And Audrey Pauley is the most annoying X-Files character since Mulder's ex Pheobe. And at least you were SUPPOSED to hate Pheobe. We're supposed to sympathize with Audrey or something when she's a total moron. *1/2.
Underneath: I liked this Jekyll and Hyde riff. Nicely paced and the story was nifty. ***1/2.
Improbable: Dio Ti Ama (Italian for "God Loves You"). Yes, Burt Reynolds is awesome and the Italian music was nice but a weird, funny episode of The X-Files just isn't the same without Mulder. Very high-concept story with so-so execution make this episode slightly above average but not great like the other experimental Chris Carter written and directed episodes. ***1/2.
Scary Monsters: Love Leyla Harrison, loved Scully's reaction to the dead cat, thought that kid was creepy, mixed feelings about the episode. The resolution was a little too pat and even though the last shot was perfect you miss Mulder even more with Harrision fangirling him so much. ***.
Jump the Shark: A turkey. Unlike the Millennium episode this one seems to go through the motions to resolve stuff from The Lone Gunmen series and feels like an extra episode (a bad one) of that series rather than an X-Files episode (which is what the Millennium episode did completely right.) I am still angry they killed off the Gunmen. Partly because if their series HAD continued it never would have happened. Ever. And partly because it left Jimmy Bond on a completely unhappy note. I've said elsewhere that no-one in the Ten Thirteeniverse deserved a happy ending more that Frank Black. Well Jimmy is a close second and having him alone and rudderless without the Gunmen at the end of the episode was unbelievably cruel. They COULD have hooked him up with Yves by the end of the episode to leave the character with a BIT of hopefulness, but no. And finally the death of the Gunmen seemed so freaking arbitrary and they deserved better. I LOVE Langly, Frohike and Byers and ripping them off of further appearances in any future X-Files movies sucks. Sure they cameoed in the last episode but their deaths had no meanings to the larger arc of the franchise. Only good thing about the episode is Micheal McKean as Morris Fletcher. He steals scenes from everyone else and is the one bright spot in an episode overdosing on dour to wrap up a series that had been, for the most part, overwhelmingly positive. *.
William: Okay, this was nowhere NEAR as bad as I remembered. I HATED this episode when I first saw it but a little time and distance has made me realize that some of my hard feelings towards it were misplaced. The thing that made me hate it when I first saw it was when Scully said if the scarred faced man was Mulder she wouldn't care, I thought she meant that she had given up on him. However seeing it again, it was an affirmation of her love for him since I now think it was obvious that she meant she wouldn't care about his scars if it actually was Mulder. TOTAL misinterpretation on my part that had me hating the episode for years. Still, I'm knocking three whole stars off the final grade for the completely bone-headed move of the writer's having Scully give William up for adoption. I realize they probably didn't want Mulder and Scully on the run in the series finale with a baby in tow but after being told for a season and a half how special and pivotal William is, it's such a load that they retconned the entire baby arc via a metallic injection and by shipping him off to another family. I like Mulder's blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo though. Oh, and Jeffrey Spender being alive and the Breather? Awesome! **.
Release: The best episode of the series that does NOT feature Mulder. Jared Poe is AMAZING as Cadet Hayes and you're feeling for John Doggett throughout the episode. And if the series never really paid off Brad Follmer to my satisfaction at least he had a good episode to go out in. Outstanding episode. *****.
Sunshine Days: I liked this but I still think the show has a hard time pulling off comedy without David Duchovny. It was nice to see a rare lovable role for Lost's Micheal Emerson as the Brady Bunch fanatic. Best line of the episode goes to Doggett (who thoroughly seems to enjoy himself here): "I think I'm getting the hang of this job". ***1/2.
The Truth: Okay, I'll admit it. As HUGE of a let-down this episode was I still am able to appreciate it for what it was now that the movie I Want To Believe has made it perfectly clear that Walter Skinner is still alive when his fate was very much in question here. I loved seeing Jeffrey Spender and Marita Covarubbias again and the suble acting they had with David Duchovy (who returned for the series finale as Mulder) who they each seem to have reached an understanding with. And while of course the final appearance of Cigarette-Smoking Man did indeed rock it was Jeff Gulka returning as Gibson Praise which put the biggest smile on my face. I wish the episode had explained why Mulder was seeing dead people (specifically Alex Krycek, X, and Byers, Langly and Frohike) but it was great seeing eveyone for the last time (although I had been hoping Jerry Hardin would return as Deep Throat). John Dogget and Monica Reyes got some good scenes on the stand too and the look on Skinner's face while he watched an oblivious Mulder and Scully kiss as if they were the only ones in the room was priceless. And yes, while it was the mother of all rip-offs to learn the alien invasion would happen in 2012 (11 years in the future from when this originally aired) at least the series ended as it should have with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in each other's arms. ****1/2.
Deleted Scene: Nothing Important Happened Today: More Lucy Lawless! ****.
Deleted Scene: Nothing Important Happened Today II: In this extended scene Kersh comes right out and admits he helped Doggett. I like the aired ambiguous version better because it doesn't seem like Kersh is begging for attention. Fun fact: the quote "Nothing important happened today" attributed to King George III on July 4th 1776 is apocryphal. It never actually happened. ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes: 4-D: Ths first one of Skinner at the crime scene was nothing special but I really liked the conversation between Skinner and Follmer and was kind of sad to see it cut. It brought up a lot of the plot inconsistancies and actually had the characters trying to wrap their brains around them. The episode could have used more of that. ****.
Deleted Scene: Lord of the Flies: Poor kid. His mom is SO creepy but I think it's good they cut this scene because it kind of gave the game away before it was time to. ***.
Deleted Scene: Provenance: I liked this. Good to see Doggett kicking butt and taking names. ****.
Deleted Scene: Jump the Shark: This was nice, but I was REALLY hoping to have seen that rumored deleted scene featuring Jimmy and Yves at the guy's grave that Stephen Snedden told the producers was out of character for Jimmy. ***.
Deleted Scenes: The Truth: I liked both the scenes of Skinner calling Scully and Mulder refusing to testify and think they should have been in the episode. But the alternate ending involving the President of the United States and the Toothpick Man, while it would have been ballsy would have been an extremely dour note to end the series on. ****1/2.
The X-Files: I Want To Believe
I was a huge X-Files fan in the nineties and I was looking forward to this. But I have to admit that even though I thought it was good I was still disappointed a great deal.
I think the biggest problem of the movie is the fact that there are practically no supernatural themes. Yeah, I knew it was a stand-alone "monster of the week" story with no aliens going in but the problem is there is NO monster. I think this plot would have worked better in a Millennium movie (which I wish would happen someday).
One of the coolest things about the first movie was that it featured almost ALL of the show's recurring characters like Skinner, The Cigarette Smoking Man, the Well Manicured Man, and the Lone Gunmen. Unfortunately almost all of those characters are now dead and there is only a brief appearance at the end by ONE X-Files recurring character. I'm not going to spoil who it is but there are STILL quite a few alive characters that maybe should at least have gotten a mention like Doggett and Reyes. Heck, I would have LOVED a cameo from Frank Black but this movie is basically only Mulder and Scully.
Ah, Mulder and Scully. I think the movie made a HUGE mistake in making their 'ship front and center in the movie and making it a love story. Yeah, I'm glad they're still together (after those cruel previews hinted they weren't) but the Mulder/ Scully 'ship on the show was merely icing on the cake. Whenever they did romantic stuff on the show it was awesome because it was SO rare and you got excited whenever they played that card because it didn't happen very often. By focusing SO much on their relationship they almost made it boring.
Which I would have almost been fine with if Mulder and Scully hadn't been split up during most of the movie. And it wasn't really due to plot circumstance. Mulder invites Scully along on his adventures and she keeps refusing to go for no reason. I want to see Mulder and Scully team up and investigate stuff. Scully was sidelined for too much of the movie.
I know all of these complaints make it sound like this was a bad movie and I didn't enjoy it and that's not the case at all. I enjoyed watching it and I'm pretty satisfied where they both ended up at the end of the movie (DON'T walk out during the end credits). But it's been SO long since we've seen these guys that I was hoping for something supernatural or "Spooky". I'm glad we finally got another movie after all of this time but I just wish it had focused at least a BIT on the mythology of the show. ***1/2.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe Extended Version
Pretty much the same movie (those looking for new scenes a la Lord of the Rings will be sorely disappointed) with more blood, guts and body parts. Unnecessary in my book, but I guess some people like that sort of thing.
Two small things struck me when I rewatched the movie: I REALLY like how Mulder shooed away Agent Whitney's hand when she tried to touched his beardless face. I saw it as an unconscious move to assert to her that he was spoken for and such a touch was innappropriate. I also liked the fact that the movie reference previous psychics that were on the show like Luthor Lee Boggs and the much loved Clyde Bruckman. I didn't recognize the third name (Gerald something) but I guess that's why they invented Wikipedia.
I still think it was a pretty good movie. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
Cheryl Cunningham Begs Scientist to Let Her Go: This was a wise cut. It's supposed to be a disturbing scene but because of the weak acting it comes off as unintentionally funny. **.
Father Joe Visits Scully at Hospital: All of this has happened before. Why doesn't it surprise me that this scene gave me mega Cylon vibes? Ah well, you can't fault an additional scene featuring Billy Connelly. ***1/2.
Mulder Escapes From Car Wreck: an additional scene for Stephen E. Miller (Millennium). ***1/2.
Gag Reel: Pretty standard stuff but since this was filmed in Vancouver there is a LOT of slipping on ice. ***.
Dying 2 Live by Xzibit: You call this a music video? This is a rap song set to photo stills from the movie. Lame. *1/2.
Still Galleries: Pictures of Collectibles, Storyboard, Concept Art, and Unit Photography. I especially liked the Collectibles gallery (with pictures of X-Files stuff and familiar faces like Krycek, Smoking Man, The Lone Gunmen and Frank Black) and the storyboards of the action scenes. ***1/2.
Domestic Theatrical Trailer: I liked this a lot but I think they could have done a better job hyping this as an X-Files feature and not a regular horror film that just happens to star Mulder and Scully. ****.
International Theatrical Trailer: Ditto. But this one does a better job of teasing Scully/ Mulder kiss. ****.
DVD Menu: Pretty nice with scenes from the movie in the order that they happened. ***1/2.
Trust No One: Can The X-Files Remain a Secret?:
This three part documentary was MUCH more thorough and well-put together than I thought it would be. Excellent. Three parts overall: ****.
Part 1: "You Can Go Home Again": This part of the three part documentary deals with the gang getting back together, the secrecy behind the script and the actors' relationships to one another. Fascinating stuff. ***1/2.
Part 2: "Disinformation": This part was about the disinformation campaign the producers used to keep the plot of the movie top-secret. They went above and beyond in my book and I greatly admire them for being so successful when so many TV shows and movies fail. ****.
Part 3 "Don't Give Up": This was about the making of the movie itself and reflections from Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz about the future of the franchise. Awesome. ****.
The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season
This series ended two years too late and I'm still steamed at Chris Carter and Fox for treating it so shabbily by keeping it on the air well past it's expiration date (and minus the irreplaceable David Duchovny as Fox Mulder). The resolution to what the truth about aliens are was a rip-off as well and the season did a TON of completely bone-headed moves before the series went off the air including killing off the Lone Gunmen and having Dana Scully give her baby up for adoption. A little time and distance has made the hurt go away somewhat but really, the ending here was only marginally more satisfying that than Twin Peaks'. At least THIS continuity still has a chance of being resolved in the future and if not the recent movie I Want To Believe at least leaves Mulder and Scully with a happier ending.
Mulder is missed BADLY this season and it's no coincidence that the lone episode he appears in (the finale) is, for all of it's faults the best episode of the season except for the near-flawless Release.
Worst episodes of the year are the frustrating Audrey Pauley, the COMPLETELY horrible finale to The Lone Gunmen series (Jump the Shark), and even though it's better than I remembered it the surprise return of Jeffrey Spender (William). Season overall: **1/2.
Nothing Important Happened Today: Too many guest stars. It's like the show is over-compensating for the season's lack of Mulder. And since when is everybody on a first name basis? Good things? Lucy Lawless is hawt! And I was deeply amused to see Langy's face still blue as a tip of the hat to the cliffhanger ending of The Lone Gunmen series. ***1/2.
Nothing Important Happened Today II: Nothing Important Happened Today. Pretty good conclusion but the government conspiracy and office politics of the FBI no longer fascinate me. The show lasted two seasons too long. And why isn't Langly's face still blue? ***.
Daemonicus: I liked James Remar's performance here and the nurse's death was delightfully gruesome but I just wasn't feeling this episode. Some good chills though and this is the first episode that hints that Doggett is in love with Scully (futilely I might add).. **1/2.
4-D: This isn't isn't exactly a bad episode and has some cool concepts. That said, it's a total mess with enough plot holes to drive a truck through them. Most parallel world stories are cool because they set up their own histories and back-stories. Here it is simply a gimmick to trick the audience with no pay-off whatsoever. Are we seriously supposed to believe Monica Reyes is a suspect in Doggett getting shot on the say-so of some stranger? What exactly is her motive and why was the fact that she of course, didn't have one ever brought up? **1/2.
Lord of the Flies: Parts of this episode were cute but this is simply an average outing and nothing special. I DID find Rocky somewhat amusing and I really liked the last shot. ***.
Trust No 1: They're Watching. This ep is pretty nifty and guest stars Lost and Millennium's Terry O'Quinn (here inexplicably billed as Terrance Quinn). It sets up the last episode and we even get a brief glimpse of Mulder (though he's played by a stunt double). Nice. The whole concept of cameras everywhere was VERY unsettling and reminded me of the premise of Eagle Eye (even though I've never seen that movie). ****.
John Doe: A fine performance from Robert Patrick elevates this episode past the duldrums of this Mulder-less season. Cool story and good acting all around. ****.
Hellbound: Spiffy concept with gore aplenty and a VERY disturbing ending. I wish we had gotten to know Monica's connection to the murders better but the episode was fine as it played out. ***1/2.
Provenance: This episode covers familiar ground that the series has explored millions of times before and feels more like a rehash than a new episode. Good things? Good to see an early role for Desperate Housewives' Neal McDonough and I completely forgot that the Toothpick Man was Charles Widmore. ***1/2.
Providence: Decent conclusion but the episode suffers from making Mulder a huge plot point but not bother having him show up. I also wasn't thrilled that at this point in the game that the series is saying Mulder is maybe dead. I know he isn't and didn't turn out to be but when I was first watching this season that was extremely off-putting. I did like that it was hinted that Follmer may be a good guy. Unfortunately the character was never paid off. ***.
Audrey Pauley: I've had just about enough of either Reyes or Doggett falling into comas this season. They are REALLY repeating themselves in that regard and it getting annoying. And Audrey Pauley is the most annoying X-Files character since Mulder's ex Pheobe. And at least you were SUPPOSED to hate Pheobe. We're supposed to sympathize with Audrey or something when she's a total moron. *1/2.
Underneath: I liked this Jekyll and Hyde riff. Nicely paced and the story was nifty. ***1/2.
Improbable: Dio Ti Ama (Italian for "God Loves You"). Yes, Burt Reynolds is awesome and the Italian music was nice but a weird, funny episode of The X-Files just isn't the same without Mulder. Very high-concept story with so-so execution make this episode slightly above average but not great like the other experimental Chris Carter written and directed episodes. ***1/2.
Scary Monsters: Love Leyla Harrison, loved Scully's reaction to the dead cat, thought that kid was creepy, mixed feelings about the episode. The resolution was a little too pat and even though the last shot was perfect you miss Mulder even more with Harrision fangirling him so much. ***.
Jump the Shark: A turkey. Unlike the Millennium episode this one seems to go through the motions to resolve stuff from The Lone Gunmen series and feels like an extra episode (a bad one) of that series rather than an X-Files episode (which is what the Millennium episode did completely right.) I am still angry they killed off the Gunmen. Partly because if their series HAD continued it never would have happened. Ever. And partly because it left Jimmy Bond on a completely unhappy note. I've said elsewhere that no-one in the Ten Thirteeniverse deserved a happy ending more that Frank Black. Well Jimmy is a close second and having him alone and rudderless without the Gunmen at the end of the episode was unbelievably cruel. They COULD have hooked him up with Yves by the end of the episode to leave the character with a BIT of hopefulness, but no. And finally the death of the Gunmen seemed so freaking arbitrary and they deserved better. I LOVE Langly, Frohike and Byers and ripping them off of further appearances in any future X-Files movies sucks. Sure they cameoed in the last episode but their deaths had no meanings to the larger arc of the franchise. Only good thing about the episode is Micheal McKean as Morris Fletcher. He steals scenes from everyone else and is the one bright spot in an episode overdosing on dour to wrap up a series that had been, for the most part, overwhelmingly positive. *.
William: Okay, this was nowhere NEAR as bad as I remembered. I HATED this episode when I first saw it but a little time and distance has made me realize that some of my hard feelings towards it were misplaced. The thing that made me hate it when I first saw it was when Scully said if the scarred faced man was Mulder she wouldn't care, I thought she meant that she had given up on him. However seeing it again, it was an affirmation of her love for him since I now think it was obvious that she meant she wouldn't care about his scars if it actually was Mulder. TOTAL misinterpretation on my part that had me hating the episode for years. Still, I'm knocking three whole stars off the final grade for the completely bone-headed move of the writer's having Scully give William up for adoption. I realize they probably didn't want Mulder and Scully on the run in the series finale with a baby in tow but after being told for a season and a half how special and pivotal William is, it's such a load that they retconned the entire baby arc via a metallic injection and by shipping him off to another family. I like Mulder's blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo though. Oh, and Jeffrey Spender being alive and the Breather? Awesome! **.
Release: The best episode of the series that does NOT feature Mulder. Jared Poe is AMAZING as Cadet Hayes and you're feeling for John Doggett throughout the episode. And if the series never really paid off Brad Follmer to my satisfaction at least he had a good episode to go out in. Outstanding episode. *****.
Sunshine Days: I liked this but I still think the show has a hard time pulling off comedy without David Duchovny. It was nice to see a rare lovable role for Lost's Micheal Emerson as the Brady Bunch fanatic. Best line of the episode goes to Doggett (who thoroughly seems to enjoy himself here): "I think I'm getting the hang of this job". ***1/2.
The Truth: Okay, I'll admit it. As HUGE of a let-down this episode was I still am able to appreciate it for what it was now that the movie I Want To Believe has made it perfectly clear that Walter Skinner is still alive when his fate was very much in question here. I loved seeing Jeffrey Spender and Marita Covarubbias again and the suble acting they had with David Duchovy (who returned for the series finale as Mulder) who they each seem to have reached an understanding with. And while of course the final appearance of Cigarette-Smoking Man did indeed rock it was Jeff Gulka returning as Gibson Praise which put the biggest smile on my face. I wish the episode had explained why Mulder was seeing dead people (specifically Alex Krycek, X, and Byers, Langly and Frohike) but it was great seeing eveyone for the last time (although I had been hoping Jerry Hardin would return as Deep Throat). John Dogget and Monica Reyes got some good scenes on the stand too and the look on Skinner's face while he watched an oblivious Mulder and Scully kiss as if they were the only ones in the room was priceless. And yes, while it was the mother of all rip-offs to learn the alien invasion would happen in 2012 (11 years in the future from when this originally aired) at least the series ended as it should have with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in each other's arms. ****1/2.
Deleted Scene: Nothing Important Happened Today: More Lucy Lawless! ****.
Deleted Scene: Nothing Important Happened Today II: In this extended scene Kersh comes right out and admits he helped Doggett. I like the aired ambiguous version better because it doesn't seem like Kersh is begging for attention. Fun fact: the quote "Nothing important happened today" attributed to King George III on July 4th 1776 is apocryphal. It never actually happened. ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes: 4-D: Ths first one of Skinner at the crime scene was nothing special but I really liked the conversation between Skinner and Follmer and was kind of sad to see it cut. It brought up a lot of the plot inconsistancies and actually had the characters trying to wrap their brains around them. The episode could have used more of that. ****.
Deleted Scene: Lord of the Flies: Poor kid. His mom is SO creepy but I think it's good they cut this scene because it kind of gave the game away before it was time to. ***.
Deleted Scene: Provenance: I liked this. Good to see Doggett kicking butt and taking names. ****.
Deleted Scene: Jump the Shark: This was nice, but I was REALLY hoping to have seen that rumored deleted scene featuring Jimmy and Yves at the guy's grave that Stephen Snedden told the producers was out of character for Jimmy. ***.
Deleted Scenes: The Truth: I liked both the scenes of Skinner calling Scully and Mulder refusing to testify and think they should have been in the episode. But the alternate ending involving the President of the United States and the Toothpick Man, while it would have been ballsy would have been an extremely dour note to end the series on. ****1/2.
The X-Files: I Want To Believe
I was a huge X-Files fan in the nineties and I was looking forward to this. But I have to admit that even though I thought it was good I was still disappointed a great deal.
I think the biggest problem of the movie is the fact that there are practically no supernatural themes. Yeah, I knew it was a stand-alone "monster of the week" story with no aliens going in but the problem is there is NO monster. I think this plot would have worked better in a Millennium movie (which I wish would happen someday).
One of the coolest things about the first movie was that it featured almost ALL of the show's recurring characters like Skinner, The Cigarette Smoking Man, the Well Manicured Man, and the Lone Gunmen. Unfortunately almost all of those characters are now dead and there is only a brief appearance at the end by ONE X-Files recurring character. I'm not going to spoil who it is but there are STILL quite a few alive characters that maybe should at least have gotten a mention like Doggett and Reyes. Heck, I would have LOVED a cameo from Frank Black but this movie is basically only Mulder and Scully.
Ah, Mulder and Scully. I think the movie made a HUGE mistake in making their 'ship front and center in the movie and making it a love story. Yeah, I'm glad they're still together (after those cruel previews hinted they weren't) but the Mulder/ Scully 'ship on the show was merely icing on the cake. Whenever they did romantic stuff on the show it was awesome because it was SO rare and you got excited whenever they played that card because it didn't happen very often. By focusing SO much on their relationship they almost made it boring.
Which I would have almost been fine with if Mulder and Scully hadn't been split up during most of the movie. And it wasn't really due to plot circumstance. Mulder invites Scully along on his adventures and she keeps refusing to go for no reason. I want to see Mulder and Scully team up and investigate stuff. Scully was sidelined for too much of the movie.
I know all of these complaints make it sound like this was a bad movie and I didn't enjoy it and that's not the case at all. I enjoyed watching it and I'm pretty satisfied where they both ended up at the end of the movie (DON'T walk out during the end credits). But it's been SO long since we've seen these guys that I was hoping for something supernatural or "Spooky". I'm glad we finally got another movie after all of this time but I just wish it had focused at least a BIT on the mythology of the show. ***1/2.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe Extended Version
Pretty much the same movie (those looking for new scenes a la Lord of the Rings will be sorely disappointed) with more blood, guts and body parts. Unnecessary in my book, but I guess some people like that sort of thing.
Two small things struck me when I rewatched the movie: I REALLY like how Mulder shooed away Agent Whitney's hand when she tried to touched his beardless face. I saw it as an unconscious move to assert to her that he was spoken for and such a touch was innappropriate. I also liked the fact that the movie reference previous psychics that were on the show like Luthor Lee Boggs and the much loved Clyde Bruckman. I didn't recognize the third name (Gerald something) but I guess that's why they invented Wikipedia.
I still think it was a pretty good movie. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
Cheryl Cunningham Begs Scientist to Let Her Go: This was a wise cut. It's supposed to be a disturbing scene but because of the weak acting it comes off as unintentionally funny. **.
Father Joe Visits Scully at Hospital: All of this has happened before. Why doesn't it surprise me that this scene gave me mega Cylon vibes? Ah well, you can't fault an additional scene featuring Billy Connelly. ***1/2.
Mulder Escapes From Car Wreck: an additional scene for Stephen E. Miller (Millennium). ***1/2.
Gag Reel: Pretty standard stuff but since this was filmed in Vancouver there is a LOT of slipping on ice. ***.
Dying 2 Live by Xzibit: You call this a music video? This is a rap song set to photo stills from the movie. Lame. *1/2.
Still Galleries: Pictures of Collectibles, Storyboard, Concept Art, and Unit Photography. I especially liked the Collectibles gallery (with pictures of X-Files stuff and familiar faces like Krycek, Smoking Man, The Lone Gunmen and Frank Black) and the storyboards of the action scenes. ***1/2.
Domestic Theatrical Trailer: I liked this a lot but I think they could have done a better job hyping this as an X-Files feature and not a regular horror film that just happens to star Mulder and Scully. ****.
International Theatrical Trailer: Ditto. But this one does a better job of teasing Scully/ Mulder kiss. ****.
DVD Menu: Pretty nice with scenes from the movie in the order that they happened. ***1/2.
Trust No One: Can The X-Files Remain a Secret?:
This three part documentary was MUCH more thorough and well-put together than I thought it would be. Excellent. Three parts overall: ****.
Part 1: "You Can Go Home Again": This part of the three part documentary deals with the gang getting back together, the secrecy behind the script and the actors' relationships to one another. Fascinating stuff. ***1/2.
Part 2: "Disinformation": This part was about the disinformation campaign the producers used to keep the plot of the movie top-secret. They went above and beyond in my book and I greatly admire them for being so successful when so many TV shows and movies fail. ****.
Part 3 "Don't Give Up": This was about the making of the movie itself and reflections from Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz about the future of the franchise. Awesome. ****.
