The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) ***

After ten years since the first film and five years since the end of the critically acclaimed cult series, The X-Files returns to the big screen reuniting show stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as our favorite FBI agents investigating extraterrestrial and paranormal phenomena. While the first film was fully immersed in the show's mythology which at the time of the series was reaching creative and ratings heights, after so much time away from the characters and a mythology which became more convoluted and incomprehensible as the series wore on, this second film decides to follow in the vein of the standalone stories, or monster-of-the-week episodes, that helped make the show a fan favorite.

It's a wise decision on the part of the creators to re-introduce us to the characters and their world in this manner as it allows non-fans to taste the series for the first time without an encyclopedic knowledge of the series. Chris Carter has already said that provided the sequel is a success financially, a third film is a definite possibility and it could return to the mythology of the television series. This allows new viewers to the franchise an opportunity to explore the series and prepare them for a more connected third film. Certainly viewing the film with a knowledge of the history of the characters makes for a more enjoyable experience but new audience members are not penalized for not having previously seen the series.

Picking up after the same amount of time as has passed in the real world, Fox Mudler is living in seclusion with only Dana Scully aware of his location. The FBI has requested his return in the investigation regarding a missing agent which is currently being headed up by Agents Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) and Mosley Drummy (Xzibit), a reversal of the series gender roles as Whitney is more open to non-scientific possibilities while Drummy disbelieves every extraordinary notion that comes up. Mulder is needed to help ascertain if a psychic aiding in the investigation can truly provide assistance or if he is just a crackpot. It was a bit of a stretch that the FBI would forgive Mulder's "crimes" for such a small case. It's reassuring to see that they care about their agents when they go missing, but it really just serves the story that the past can be forgotten and also opens the door for a return to the FBI in a possible threequel.

Written by Carter and Frank Spotnitz, an executive producer and writer for the series, who both also wrote the story for the first film, the sequel recaptures the tension and atmosphere of the series with a truly engrossing case which takes one strange turn after another. The one minor grief is that Mulder and Scully spend too many scenes apart since after Duchovny left the series as a regular at the end of the seventh season, fans have wanted them on screen together again as much as possible. Perhaps this is to whet the appetites of the fans and ensure they come back for another go around or perhaps it was necessary to tell the best possible story. As we are rediscovering the former FBI agents, they too are continuing to grow as partners in both a professional and personal sense. Mulder continues with his struggle to prove that supernatural occurrences are real and Scully continues to balance the evidence she has witnessed over the years with her own heavily scientific background. In the end, they realize that while this case doesn't put a final touch on either of those battles, it has brought the two of the together again, stronger than when we previously left them, similar to the fate of the franchise and the audience.

When it was announced definitively that a sequel was finally being made after languishing in development hell since the end of the series, it revitalized my desire to watch the series again and I bought the complete series as soon as finances permitted it. I only got through the first three seasons before time came to see this film but I'm certainly more anxious than ever to finish the remaining seasons. Even if the film may not have been the powerhouse fans were expecting, it certainly rejuvenates interest in the franchise and leaves the door open for another romp in the dark world of The X-Files.

Favorite moment: After spending most of the film awaiting past characters to make a cameo appearance and searching for allusions to the series, the plot begins to take center stage as we learn more about the missing FBI agent's abductors. Just when you had given up on seeing any more old friends, Walter Skinner makes a very welcome return as the Washington bigwig Scully calls in for the search for Mulder. He doesn't get to do much as he returns so late in the film, however Mulder's surprise at seeing him and his cradling of an injured Mulder put a huge smile on my face considering how antagonistic and strained their relationship has always been in the series.