Thursday 12 January 2012

The X Files: I Want to Believe

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Year:2008
Country of origin:USA / Canada
Director:Chris Carter
Genre:X-Files Schmecks Files
Starring:David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly
Rating:4/5
IMDB link:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443701/
Tagline:To find the truth, you must believe.
Favourite line:"Then let me talk to somebody there with some balls who can."

The decision to resurrect The X Files from the annals of TV history with a full blown cinematic outing after a prolonged absence seemed like an odd choice at the time.

Question is, is it any good? Well, for the most part, yes.

The plot:
An ageing ex-Priest (Billy Connelly), discommendated from The Cloth due to sexual proclivities that included the buggery of young boys, is now serving penance, doing what he sees as God's work through the gift of visions. He sees women that have been kidnapped, claiming that they are still alive, and leading the FBI on a merry goose chase in the process.
Step forth Mulder, called back into the FBI fold by a semi-believer, who wishes to seek his opinion on the veracity of the ex-Priest's claims.
So begins a story that will eventually lead to some histrionics from Scully and cell stem experiments gone Frankenstein.

It is always a pleasure to see Billy Connelly, here playing the kiddie-fiddling clergyman, and he puts in a fine performance as ever and, it must be said, the decision by Chris 'The Creator' Carter to include a paedophile character that is even vaguely sympathetic is a bold one.
Mulder and Scully themselves are as you were, with the exception that they have now hooked up together, which is disappointing as their differences of opinion now come across as nought but the idle squabblings of an embittered couple, rather than the intellectual locking of horns of 'the good old days.'
It is also worth congratulating Carter over the decision to resist the temptation to try to interweave yet more conspiracy theory guff into this latest (last?) effort. Whether truly cinematic is a cause for debate as, truthfully, it did have the feel of an elongated TV episode and, yes, whether the franchise still has any legs whatsoever has not really been answered here but, all said and done, I rather enjoyed it.
Wouldn't watch it again, though.

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