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The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Play trailer Poster for The X-Files: I Want to Believe PG-13 Released Jul 25, 2008 1h 44m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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32% Tomatometer 168 Reviews 32% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Though FBI special agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and his partner Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) once chased things that go bump in the night, his tireless search for the truth out there has led to his professional exile. However, a missing-persons case leads to the agents' reunion, along with an encounter with a priest (Billy Connolly) who may or may not be experiencing psychic visions.
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The X-Files: I Want to Believe

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

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Critics Consensus

The chemistry between leads David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do live up to The X-Files' televised legacy, but the roving plot and droning routines make it hard to identify just what we're meant to believe in.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator The film's ambition may well be to "stand alone" but, alas, it doesn't even stand up. Aug 23, 2018 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: B- Feb 18, 2012 Full Review David Fear Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review I want to believe there are still quality X-Files stories to tell, even if this one wasn’t. I want to believe this, but like the protagonists in the movie, my beliefs are conflicted with doubt and reservation. Rated: 2/4 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …the story may be missing some beats, but there’s still an interesting chemistry between the leads, and the conflict between science and religion is an edgy seam to mine… Rated: 3/5 May 28, 2022 Full Review Niall Browne Movies in Focus One of the major criticisms levelled at The X-Files: I Want To Believe is that it is like an episode of the television series - and a mediocre episode at that. I have to say that this is true. Rated: 3/5 Mar 17, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alex r If you enjoy X files this movie will be up your alley. If your watching this for some reason other than being a fan of the series its not worth watching. It will not make you interested in the show. This movie reminds me of those movies where the movie before they had figured out their team dynamic. But they need conflict so they pretend this team doesn't work well together and for 1/3 to 1/2 of the movie they try to regain their mojo. This movie feels like a sad excuse to put our two leads back together for a movie. The plot is not memorable, but the chemistry between the characters is still top notch. The locations are great. It feels like an episode of X files but not one you remember. There is nothing terrible about the movie just ends up being average. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Alex K If you're expecting any resolutions at all to almost anything that happened in the show you'll get none. It's basically an extended episode of the show with a crap x-file, one of the case adjacent ones. The case was pretty sci-fi-y too I suppose but the x-files qualities of the case aren't discussed. I have a lot of other issues with the film that I'm not gunna explore. Fun fact for those that expanded: They used a spitting image puppet of Zach Braff as stand in for David when he was too busy to shoot Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/16/24 Full Review Tam W Loved the X Files, but and it's nice to see the cast again after the series had ended but aside from that, this movie really sucked. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Liam D The second big screen venture for Fox Mulder and Dana Scully while ditching the science fiction for more supernatural thriller is an interesting move and the cast is great but it feels like an very disappointing episode of The X Files Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review John C `The X-files: I Want to Believe' was the second big screen tie-in to be spawned from the excellent TV series. However, if failed to set the box office alight and also was met with a lukewarm reaction from the fans (of which I am one). I loved all nine series of the sci-fi drama, tuning in each week to watch the two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, as they tracked down one supernatural mystery after the next. As I mentioned, the X-files went on for a colossal nine series, covering everything from alien abduction, to pyrokinesis and artificial intelligence. Therefore, it was fair to say that it had a rich (supernatural) background from which to build on. Fans naturally expected it to somehow continue from the end of the ninth series (concentrating on the conspiracy between sinister alien forces and a splinter-cell of the American government to take over the world). However, it didn't. The second X-files movie is a very condensed little piece which, although uses the main characters, doesn't really feel much like part of the series. It's a stand-alone affair which, amazingly (and in some people's opinion - unforgivably), doesn't really have that much to do with the paranormal. Yes, there's a priest who has psychic powers, but that element feels pretty underutilised during the whole story. What you have here, rather than a film which is very much sci-fi/conspiracy (keeping in tone with the series), is one which is - almost - a standard FBI vs Serial killer movie. You could almost have removed the small psychic element and simply had Scully and Mulder hunt down someone harvesting body parts. I'm tempted to say that, if you like the series, you'll like this, but most people didn't. I didn't either the first time I watched it. I expected something big and loud and filled with aliens and double-crossing. What I got was something smaller and more subtle. Now I've seen it a second time, I like it a little more. But, as many said about Star Trek 9: Insurrection, it felt more like an extended TV episode rather than a cinematic vehicle to re-launch the X-files onto a new generation. So, if you like cops tracking down serial killer type movies then you'll probably like this. It's not bad, it's just not what I and many other die-hard X-files fans were expecting (I'd still be first in line if they ever announced an `X-files 3' movie though!). Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Howard H Provides a mashup of all that made the series worthy. Visually confronting towards the end of film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The X-Files: I Want to Believe

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Though FBI special agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and his partner Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) once chased things that go bump in the night, his tireless search for the truth out there has led to his professional exile. However, a missing-persons case leads to the agents' reunion, along with an encounter with a priest (Billy Connolly) who may or may not be experiencing psychic visions.
Director
Chris Carter
Producer
Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Screenwriter
Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Ten Thirteen Productions, 20th Century Fox
Rating
PG-13 (Violent and Disturbing Content|Thematic Material)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 25, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 18, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$21.0M
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
DTS, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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