The X Files: I Want To Believe

Wanted to blog on this for almost a month now, but hadn't the time.

"Mulder, why are we here?" "To find the truth, Scully"

Okay, just in case you didn't know, I was and still am a big X-Files fan. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, I was one of those booked the TV and couch on Sunday primetime, indulging in an hour of paranormal and Mulder-Scully-ness. Everybody else in the family can have TV at anytime, except X-Files time. I just love watching Mulder & Scully (or is it David & Gillian) chasing after monsters, aliens, conspiracies, mutants,.... and whatnot.

Gruesome yet thrilling monster-busting. Scandalous government secrets. An odd pair of investigators with contradicting yet complementing characteristics. Scary yet funny. What's not to love about X-Files?! In fact, Scully's embodiment of intellect and science fascinated me to the extent I considered a future in scientific research. (Oh wait. I am in scientific research!)

When the series ended (beautifully) at season 9, as a fan, I was devastated at the notion of discontinued X-Files fix. Imagine my elation, when this second X-Files movie was released. Finally some Mulder-Scully after 6 years. Thank you, Chris Carter!

Mulder and Scully googles 'pedophile priest'

So I spread the love of X-Files and towed all my lab colleagues to the cinema for some Mulder-Scully goodness. Frankly, I was a tad disappointed by the plot of the movie. It was not as powerful as the series, but hey, for a stand-alone X-File, I think it was not bad. Nevertheless, I felt it could've been better. The climax was too short and the element of Dr Frankenstein is... not X-Files-worthy kind of paranormal. However, it was well above the X-Files standard of gruesome. There were many scenes I could easily tag with the label "GROTESQUE".

"I can't look into the darkness with you anymore, Mulder."

The best element of the show is, yet again, Mulder and Scully. It feels like homecoming watching them again, as pair with conflicting ideas who counter and complement each other. You just have to hand it to David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson for the sterling performance. After 6 years hiatus, they still exude every molecule of Mulder-Scullyness in every possible nuance. The relationship was so well played, it appears the dynamics between the two leads did not fade one iota.

"I'm done chasing monsters in the dark." "I need you in this with me."

Another aspect I find wonderful about this film is the foresight of Chris Carter to tell the story in the flow of time, and at the same time so exquisitely capturing an air of timelessness. In the movie timeline, 6 years has passed by since Mulder and Scully escaped as fugitives. The movie didn't just pick up where the series left, which is great because it leaves you wondering what the hell happened to Mulder and Scully in that 6 years. We see them aged, we see their lives changed, we see the level of their relationship developed; and yet, the essence of them is still there, unchanging. I find this balance of forward-progression and stand-still very intriguing.

Iconic Mulder-Scully shared look.

While I love this movie nuts, it's not exactly over-the-top fantastic; except maybe, for the dynamic performance of David and Gillian. I have one complaint though: that Scully should never had used Google to search 'Stem Cell Research'. That is pretty unprofessional. They could have scripted her to use scientific literature databases like PubMed or something. Except for this blooper, I'm all over the movie.

Nevertheless, I want to believe that we'll get a third movie which will deal with the December 22 2012 dead-line postulated in the final episode of the final X-Files series (The Truth). I'm dying to know whether the aliens will invade the Earth and turn us all into a slave race.... and how Mulder and Scully's son, William, may have a hand in this.

The truth is still out there.

All images from official website The X-Files: I Want To Believe

～みはる～