The second theatrical film based on the popular TV series, 2008's THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE arrives ten years after the first film, seeking a consistent tone and some better editing.
Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called back into service by the FBI when a clairvoyant, defrocked priest begins to have visions tied to the location of a missing agent.
Father Joe (well played by Billy Connoly) leads a mass of agents to several clues in opening scenes very well staged by director/creator Chris Carter.
Mulder is always willing to stick his toe back into the mysterious, but Scully is focused on her career as a surgeon.
The film tries to tie in subplots around Scully's work with experimental surgery to save a child at all costs with the strange surgery that serves as a key plot point by the bad guys here. It's all a bit forced and badly in need of some chopping here and there to make the plot more coherent.
Red herrings are fine as a plot device, but it all feels a bit like a mashup of some lesser series episodes than a theatre-worthy stand alone.
However, Connoly is terrific, Duchovny is especially good and some of the vision sequences are well done.
The parallels between Scully's work at the Catholic hospital, her battles with its hierarchy and Father Joe's abuses within the church are well woven.
The conclusion is suspenseful, if the resolution is somewhat anti-climactic.
The truth is out there, but the film leaves you hungry and scratching your head, wondering if you've found it as the credits role. We'll give it a C.
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