Folks, without blowing my own horn, I do like to point out when I diverge from fandom's opinions in general.
Today's exhibit: 2008's The X-Files: I Want To Believe.
Released on this day back then, the film was a vastly lower-budgeted affair than was its predecessor (1998's The X-Files aka The X-Files: Fight The Future) with a vastly less mythology-driven caper that brought former FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back into the government circle for a very specific and grisly abduction. According to a Google.com search, the project grossed under $70 million from the global box office -- on a budget reportedly of $30 million -- but it mostly failed in its mission to re-ignite the franchise by whetting the appetite of fans to demand more X.
Here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"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."
Today's exhibit: 2008's The X-Files: I Want To Believe.
Released on this day back then, the film was a vastly lower-budgeted affair than was its predecessor (1998's The X-Files aka The X-Files: Fight The Future) with a vastly less mythology-driven caper that brought former FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back into the government circle for a very specific and grisly abduction. According to a Google.com search, the project grossed under $70 million from the global box office -- on a budget reportedly of $30 million -- but it mostly failed in its mission to re-ignite the franchise by whetting the appetite of fans to demand more X.
Here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"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."
While a case could be made that the series which ran from 1993 through 2013 (with ample time-off in between those dates) earned the largest percentage of its reputation exploring the idea of life out there interacting in some way with life down here (on Earth), I still insist to those who listen that the procedural was still at its very best when it stuck to the 'Monster Of The Week' format. Be it vampires, werewolves, psychics, clones, or any number of fringe antagonists, X very uniquely presented real world people who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances; and -- in this structure -- Agents Mulder and Scully were allowed to do their thing, mainly chatting through any number of possibilities to confirm or deny the existence of something ... something ... well ... freaky. Yes, it's equally acceptable to champion those countless hours exploring the show's central mythology; but -- for me -- I was usually more invested with tales that colored outside of those somewhat predictable lines.
After all, they were never going to prove we weren't alone ... were they?
That's why I'll always defend 2008's I Want To Believe. It turned left when audiences and fans probably expected it to turn right, showing us the eventual strain on our beloved duo's relationship might eventually produce the resulting fracture. As much as some always wanted the pair to 'get together' (and they did), the 2008 feature showed that true love within their unique circumstances might not be enough to lead to any 'happily ever after' construct. While they may've reached a personal and professional compromise, threads were forever destined to pull them in other directions.
After all, they were never going to prove we weren't alone ... were they?
That's why I'll always defend 2008's I Want To Believe. It turned left when audiences and fans probably expected it to turn right, showing us the eventual strain on our beloved duo's relationship might eventually produce the resulting fracture. As much as some always wanted the pair to 'get together' (and they did), the 2008 feature showed that true love within their unique circumstances might not be enough to lead to any 'happily ever after' construct. While they may've reached a personal and professional compromise, threads were forever destined to pull them in other directions.
Furthermore, what really excited me was that -- yes -- they were back together -- back in the business of confronting a wonderful puzzle -- even though they weren't exactly part of the usual suspects. Their usual camaraderie was missing from the film's earlier moments -- that strain I spoke of briefly above -- and they had to find it again, not one-on-one but with a small(ish) cast of characters watching. It introduced a new dynamic into their relationship, testing these characters and the patience of their fans in ways that produced some solid dramatic moments. No, it wasn't anything bit -- like their first screen kiss or anything on that level -- but it gave these talented actors something new to confront; and I think it made for a better picture.
Also, I think Believe really set the stage for what could've, would've, and should've been a soft reboot for the franchise.
Instead of doing what the agents had done before on screens big and small, the X franchise was really at a crossroads. Their relationship had kinda/sorta run its course -- both as a couple and as government employees -- so spinning them off into new waters gave them a measure of independence they hadn't quite known before. Gone was the Higher Authority that either cooperated with them or secretly placed obstacles in their path; and in its place there was this almost macho sense of 'you came to us for us so stay out of our way' attitude. It kinda/sorta cast them in the mold of experts -- independent contractors, if you will, available as contract-for-hire to those with enough cash -- and that's what I think was an inspiration for an all-new direction.
Also, I think Believe really set the stage for what could've, would've, and should've been a soft reboot for the franchise.
Instead of doing what the agents had done before on screens big and small, the X franchise was really at a crossroads. Their relationship had kinda/sorta run its course -- both as a couple and as government employees -- so spinning them off into new waters gave them a measure of independence they hadn't quite known before. Gone was the Higher Authority that either cooperated with them or secretly placed obstacles in their path; and in its place there was this almost macho sense of 'you came to us for us so stay out of our way' attitude. It kinda/sorta cast them in the mold of experts -- independent contractors, if you will, available as contract-for-hire to those with enough cash -- and that's what I think was an inspiration for an all-new direction.
Imagine that the franchise at that point could've continued in a string of modestly budgeted adventures. Each story could've had its own premise, never being tied to anything that had been done before; and this could've allowed both Mulder and Scully to be -- as I said -- agents for hire. No, I'm not suggesting in any way that they should set up shop, formed their own LLC, and put up advertising on late-night television; but what I was (at the time) in favor of was seeing more of the intrepid couple being sought out as experts by any number of organizations, both foreign and domestic.
This newfound relationship might have even occasionally put them at odds with the Federal government in ways the show handled mostly with kid gloves. As an example, suppose a UFO crashed in South America, and foreign powers came to Mulder asking for him to assist in its recovery. He could've gone on his own -- leaving Scully behind -- and then, perhaps, something goes horribly awry in the other nation. After being warning by the U.S. government not to intervene, Scully then goes rogue (or a sort), hopping the next plane to the foreign land to find her lost partner. All of this inevitably could bring the reunited pair in conflict once again with the U.S. on foreign soil; and that, too, could've pushed the door open for some other curious event.
My point is -- ahem -- not to suggest that I should be penning these stories. (I do write, I have written, but that is far from the point.) Rather, it's that I think Believe introduced a great springboard from which X could've truly re-invented itself for the cineplexes; and I'm sad that never quite happened.
This newfound relationship might have even occasionally put them at odds with the Federal government in ways the show handled mostly with kid gloves. As an example, suppose a UFO crashed in South America, and foreign powers came to Mulder asking for him to assist in its recovery. He could've gone on his own -- leaving Scully behind -- and then, perhaps, something goes horribly awry in the other nation. After being warning by the U.S. government not to intervene, Scully then goes rogue (or a sort), hopping the next plane to the foreign land to find her lost partner. All of this inevitably could bring the reunited pair in conflict once again with the U.S. on foreign soil; and that, too, could've pushed the door open for some other curious event.
My point is -- ahem -- not to suggest that I should be penning these stories. (I do write, I have written, but that is far from the point.) Rather, it's that I think Believe introduced a great springboard from which X could've truly re-invented itself for the cineplexes; and I'm sad that never quite happened.
As a standalone feature, the 2008 film works adequately. Mulder and Scully are given a tension they explore. While it's certainly never intrinsic to the main plot, the actors made the most of this smaller, quieter, even gentler affair; and they did so with some new faces added to the mix along with a familiar one popping in here and there. The central scope stayed relatively small -- I say that compared to their previous theatrical outing as well as what the show accomplished in its popular serial format -- and the downside was that -- ahem -- one might suggest this didn't even need to be a Mulder/Scully production. While it was great to see them together again, the narrow scope seemed to leave fans a bit -- ahem -- disenfranchised; and this title has all but disappeared as a talking point.
X did return to the small screen a few years later; and that, too, was occasionally good but sparingly in my estimation. Putting the wheels back for a weekly go-round -- even though these were vastly shorter seasons -- made the experience feel a bit like a cash grab more than it was an authentic attempt to spin new yarns in the conspiratorial network. A once tentpole genre franchise is now mostly dark, and that's sad ... especially given the modest promise Believe offered when it had a slim chance.
X did return to the small screen a few years later; and that, too, was occasionally good but sparingly in my estimation. Putting the wheels back for a weekly go-round -- even though these were vastly shorter seasons -- made the experience feel a bit like a cash grab more than it was an authentic attempt to spin new yarns in the conspiratorial network. A once tentpole genre franchise is now mostly dark, and that's sad ... especially given the modest promise Believe offered when it had a slim chance.
As always, thanks for reading ... thanks even more for sharing ... thanks even more for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
-- EZ
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