THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (2008). Director/Co-writer: Chris Carter.

Even fans of the TV show may shake their heads in disbelief at this crappy theatrical feature, the second big-screen X Files movie and one that apparently came and went with little fanfare -- and no wonder. Neither Mulder (David Duchovny) nor Scully (Gillian Anderson) are with the FBI, but they ask the latter -- who works as a doctor in a Catholic hospital -- for her help in tracking down Mulder, whose particular services they require. An FBI agent has been kidnapped, and a convicted pedophile priest, Father Crissman (Billy Connolly), who claims to be psychic, is leading them to body parts -- although they don't belong to the kidnapped agent. Then another woman is kidnapped, and Mulder has to figure out what they have in common and why they're being taken. I Want to Believe is like one of the lesser X Files episodes, stretched out to theatrical length. The sinister plot, which involves severed heads and mis-matched [to put it mildly!] bodies, is of such monumental silliness as to boggle the imagination -- it not only comes off like a shaggy dog story but a big, tasteless "fag" joke. Along the way there's some good acting, a modicum of suspense, the usual atmospherics, and Mulder and Scully even hit the sheets -- but the plot is so stupid you won't especially care. Co-author Frank Spotnitz apologized on his blog for what seemed like a homophobic slant to the plot [but he doesn't seem to know the difference between homosexuality and transsexuality]. In any case, even without those elements, the movie is a stinker.

Verdict: The last gasp of The X Files for certain. *1/2.