I am a massive fan of The X-Files, during my teenage years, it was my favorite show and even now, it is something I consider to be one of the greatest shows of all time. The 1998 The X-Files movie was fantastic, it worked as something that accompanied the series and it also worked as a stand alone story as well.
How to Download The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The X-Files: I Want to Believe was released on July 25, 2008. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
The X-Files Movie Sequel – Anticipation and Uncertainty
The X-Files Season 9 finished airing in 2002, and many people, myself included, felt that this was the end of The X-Files, even though a movie had been talked about for a few years. While some people hate season 9, I liked the addition of Agent Reyes and Doggett, and I always felt that the show could have continued with those two as the lead agents. This is an unpopular opinion, but I kind of felt that Scully was the odd one out in Season 9.
The Return of Mulder and Scully in 2008
For me, even though I was an avid internet user by the time 2008 came around, a second X-Files movie felt like it was still a pipe dream, and then out of nowhere, the trailer popped up and I was blown away. I could not have been any more excited to have Mulder and Scully back and I remember reading that this could be the first of many “monster of the week” style X-Files movies featuring Mulder and Scully.
A Standalone Thriller With a Familiar Vibe
Whereas the first X-Files movie fit in with the mythos of the show, The X-Files: I Want to Believe is very much in the vein of the “monster of the week” style of episode where it is a contained story with no larger bearing on the X-Files story. In that regard, this works and it works well, but I cannot lie, I remember walking out of the theatre very disappointed and I have watched this several times over the years and while I do appreciate it a bit more now, especially the performance of Billy Connoly (I grew up in Scotland so he is a national treasure) I do like the movie a little more.
Exploring the Plot of The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Set several years after the end of the show, Scully is working as a doctor in a Catholic hospital, and Mulder is on the run, with the FBI trying to hunt him down. I kind of like this setup. As a massive fan of these characters, it made my mind race with ideas in regards to what caused these two to be in the position that they are in at the start of the movie.
A Psychic Twist and FBI Drama
The FBI come to see Scully as they need her help in finding Mulder! There is a serial killer out there, and his latest victim is an FBI agent. and they want Scully to get Mulder to help with the case. The reason they want Mulder is that there is a supernatural twist to this case in that there is a disgraced Catholic Priest who is having psychic visions of the case, and they want Mulder there to help with this.
The Emotional Reunion of the Main Characters
Of course, Scully says no, but they tell her that if she can get Mulder to come and help, the FBI will call off their manhunt, and they will leave Mulder alone. Seeing Mulder and Scully back again after so many years felt fantastic. Their chemistry was there right from the start, and this is by far the best part of this movie.
A Missed Opportunity for a Bigger Impact
However, the actual case that they are on…. Is kind of boring. They went for a “monster of the week” thing here and this story feels like it could have been one 45 minute episode. Granted, a huge part of the appeal here was Mulder coming back and Scully and him working together, but the actual case they were working on is so slow. It is pretty grisly for sure, but that does not make it any less boring.
A Fan’s Honest Take on The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Forget I Want to Believe; in my case, this should be called “I Want to Love It.” I have tried to many times, and while I do not hate it, I also do not love it. I have probably done three rewatches of the entire X-Files saga since this movie came out, and I have skipped it on the last two occasions I have watched the show. I will say that the credits scene at the time filled me with hope, but now it kind of just makes me mad that nothing really came of it…. Where were they going on that boat???
