Recently, a few readers told me my reviews have been a tad one-sided. If I love a movie, I go on and on about how great it was and rarely mention anything negative about it. The opposite goes for the films I really dislike. So, I will attempt from now on to address the good and the bad.
The new "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" is the second film based on the television series that debuted in 1993 about two FBI agents, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. They investigated paranormal phenomena, while trying to thwart the "evil" U.S. government's attempts to hide the truth about extra-terrestrials.
Back then, TV producers and filmmakers could question our government and even make them the enemy.
Then Sept. 11 happened, and it suddenly became unpopular to vilify any aspect of our nation. "The X-Files" went off the air at the end of the 2001-2002 season. Granted the confusing and convoluted plotline about alien conspiracies and the introduction of new characters definitely played a part in the show's demise, but at the time, everyone felt anything that remotely showed the U.S. (or Christianity) in a bad light must end.
Now, as far as movies go, everything is fair game. Once again, filmmakers can tackle just about any political theme that irks them.
Unfortunately, Chris Carter, creator of the show and the writer and director of "I Want to Believe," wants to wrestle them all. He is unhappy with the world and uses the new movie as his personal political bullhorn. The two entirely separate plotlines about a boy dying from an incurable disease and a pedophilic psychic priest are merely weak devices used to get his myriad of political beliefs across.
There are a few things in the film for fans of the show, like a resolution to the will-they-or-won't-they sexual dynamic to Mulder and Scully's relationship, but mostly Carter wants the viewer to reflect on heady issues like stem cell research, pedophilia and Catholicism, gay marriage, organ donation, faith versus science and the consequences of smoking.
I was once what people would call an X-phile. I loved the first five seasons of the show. You could cut the sexual tension between Mulder and Scully with a knife. The government was conspiring with aliens towards some kind of apocalyptic endgame. You had shape-shifters, lightning bolt-firing madmen, cannibals, Satanists - it was great. But then the ongoing conspiracy plotline went nowhere, the sexual chemistry between the two leads dissipated and the freak-of-the-weeks lost their freakiness. Like most X-philes, I lost interest.
I really wanted to love the new movie. I wanted the fright of the show. I wanted tension and high stakes. But what I got was a poorly conceived political film.
Carter wants people to be concerned about all that ails him. He wants the viewer to see the priest and question the Roman Catholic Church. He wants you to see that stem cell research can save lives (Maybe he wants us to sign a petition. I don't know).
But movies don't work like that. You can't just introduce the topics you want us to discuss with all our buddies afterward and leave it at that.
Focus on plot and character first. He already had the established characters of Scully and Mulder. But that wasn't all he needed. He needed to spend weeks, months, even years to make a solid believable narrative. Once he had that in place, then he could concentrate on theme.
But never start conceiving a film with only theme. If you do, you will undoubtedly lose your audience. And that's what happened here. If there was a great story, then the themes important to the filmmaker would have flowed with ease and the viewer would have a choice whether they should be pondered.
We get to decide what resonates with us. Using the film as a thematic sledgehammer isn't going to convert someone to Carter's way of thinking. You introduce your themes subtly. And if I believe what you're telling me, then I can think about them. I can think about everything you have put forth and make up my own mind.
But Carter didn't do that. He spent too much time on far too many issues, while turning a blind eye to story.
Just because filmmakers can once again air their grievances about the U.S and religion doesn't mean all of them should.
Ok, here's my attempt to highlight the good:
The cinematography by Bill Roe is breathtaking. The film mainly takes place in beautiful snow-filled landscapes. Roe and Carter did a fabulous job of capturing the bleakness and beauty of an area surrounded by ice and death.
See, I'm not always a Negative Nancy.
But other than that, the film sucked. (You have no idea how much I've wanted to send nothing but those three words to my editor!)
