I want to believe that they still have enough material to make a quality movie...

When I went to go purchase tickets for The X-Files: I Want To Believe Friday night, I asked the cashier if the theater was close to full yet. He looked at me funny, checked the computer, then proceeded to laugh. "No man. There's PLENTY of seats. PLENTY!"

After all the record-breaking hoopla that The Dark Knight continues to create, I have to remind myself that not all the geeky entertainment that I loved has hit mainstream taste yet. The X-Files started out as this offbeat science fiction thriller about investigations into the paranormal that I recall Firecracker George telling me about early on in its beginnings on a then second-rate television network called Fox. I found it entertaining, but never really got hooked until the broad overlapping story arcs and mythology really started getting established. In that sense, The X-Files was ground breaking, and paved the way for some of my favorite television of recent years, including Alias, Lost, 24, and Battlestar Galactica. The X-Files was a must-watch show until it kind of sputtered out with the replacement of Mulder and Scully with new agents as the leads by it's final two seasons. But even though most of its audience lost interest at the end, the original X-Files movie proved that the formula could work on the big screen.

In this sequel, I Want To Believe reunites all the main players back together with David Duchovny slipping back into the role of Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson reminding everyone that she's actually a pretty good actress, at least when she's playing Dana Scully. With show creator Chris Carter at the helm and writer Frank Spotnitz helping with the script, it seemed like all the main players were here for a great movie. Unfortunately, it just sort of fell short of my expectations.

As it's been six years since The X-Files was on the air, the movie seems to follow our own timeline to tell us what's happened to our favorite FBI pair after that span of time has passed. Scully is now working as a physician in a Catholic hospital, and Mulder is sort of in hiding (although it seems like the FBI could have found him easily if they wanted to merely by tailing Scully home). The search for a missing agent brings Mulder out of hiding, as the FBI needs his expertise in the paranormal to help them corroborate the only lead in the investigation which seems to stem from a pedophile priest having visions from God. This all seems to have something to do with a creepy guy hanging out at a local pool. I'd say more, but wouldn't want to ruin the movie for anyone. All the while, Scully is in the midst of trying some rather risky stem cell therapy on a young boy that tests her own faith in God and herself.

Like I said earlier, Gillian Anderson is a pretty good actress, and she's probably got the strongest and most developed character in the film (aside from silly lines like, "Look's like I got work to do."--since when did she get elevated to the status of cardiothoracic surgeon? Wasn't she just a glorified Quincy aka coroner before? If you watch the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about). David Duchovny always seems to have a laid back approach to his acting (which some might still consider flat), but it works with Mulder. The plot itself, although important to other underlying personal questions that Mulder and Scully deal with throughout the film, is kind of a throw away story, and the conclusion is a bit of a letdown. The inclusion of Amanda Peet and Xibit playing two FBI agents leading the case only serves to ensure a main character has a nasty (and somewhat over the top stupid) death scene--they might as well have just given them a red uniform to wear ala Star Trek.

In some ways, this film felt like an Ocean's Eleven sequel or the last Lethal Weapon movie. The purpose seems less about continuing the story arc of the original series, and more about providing a reunion for both the cast/crew of The X-Files and it's fans. If you stay long enough to watch through the credits, there's even a cute little shout out to the fans at the end. I guess that's OK. I should have known when the theater was only about half full that this wasn't going to be great. I hope at least one more sequel makes it out into the theaters, though. I'm not going to give this the greatest rating, but truth be told, I did enjoy watching these characters again. And we've gotta get another glimpse of The Lone Gunmen (they didn't make it into this film).

If this was on DVD, I'd give it a strong "Cheesy" rating. But for a $10 ticket price and a release date in the peak of summer? Well, I hate to say it, but...