Well now I�m torn. On one hand I�m over-the-moon delighted at the return of my favourite two (ex)FBI agents after a torturously long absence. On the other I�m a little disappointed and rather bored by their latest outing. Let there be no mistake here, this was not a particularly interesting adventure for our heroes to embark on. In the grand scheme of X-Files stories this wouldn�t even have ranked highly pitted against regular 45 minute episodes. Other than a mild bit of psychic activity (which was cadged wholesale from all the previous Clyde Bruckman-esque episodes) and some cutting up and resewing of human bodies there was sod all else X-Filey going on. No mytharc AT ALL, precious little of the peculiar but partially believable we�ve come to expect. No monster. This is dishwater presented as a fine sauvignon, and I have to say that I feel somewhat ripped-off by it all.
That�s not to say it�s all bad. First off, we have Mulder and Scully back, so that�s an enormous plus right there. They could be sitting around a coffee table opening their mail and I�d go watch it. I�d be even more pissed off but I�d still dutifully pony up for a ticket. At the same time their personal stories have been moved forward considerably. Scully is now a pediatrician at a Catholic hospital, attempting to treat a boy with an incurable disease. Mulder is a bearded recluse still wanted by the FBI after his jailbreak in the series finale (which also kinda sucked now that I think about). Now, spoiler alert: they live together. As a couple. There�s kissing and everything. For someone who was practically raised on the politely non-sexual nature of their relationship this is a major diversion from the norm. It�s a brave one and, I feel, one of the few successful areas of the movie.
After an FBI agent is stalked and kidnapped, a bureau team is put together under the leadership of Special Agent Dakota Whitney (Peet). After securing the dubious help of a pedophilic priest (Connelly) they find a severed arm and, stuck for anything else to do, call in Mulder for help with the promise that all his past sins will be forgiven. Dragging Scully along with him their age-old chemistry is unearthed as he attempts to follow Father Crissman�s cryptic clues while she attempts to convince him of the pointlessness of his actions. All tied into this is Scully�s inner-torment regarding her dying patient, Mulder�s re-emergence as a true believer threatening their otherwise-solid relationship, and Amanda Peet�s very attractive face.
Trouble is it�s very boring stuff, often excruciatingly so. It�s shot on a budget that doesn�t seem much higher than the usual episode and, as I�ve touched on before, brings nothing new or exciting to the mix. It�s not a stretch to believe that this was in fact a rejected series script dusted off. Given Carter�s troubles with Fox, and those same troubles halting this project until just now, you�d think he�d have had more time to come up with something truly juicy. Unfortunately it suffers from the same ailment as Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. The writers and producers have simply had too long to put it all together and as such have lost their mojo. This is doubly shameful due to the fact that the continuation of a franchise beyond its time can be seen as simply an attempt to cash-in. As someone who wants to see many more Mulder and Scully adventures, I hope for my own sake that this is not the case. |
