For those who WANT TO BELIEVE...

I want to believe the X-Files movie will be good. I, like most people who had a t.v. in their bedroom in the 90's watched this program religiously and got really hooked for a short while before getting bored with it's lack of progression or firm endings to things. To me, it was the last decade's version of Smallville where nothing ever really seemed to happen but you would get that odd really great episode that would convince you it's concept was pretty darn solid. I think the trailer for the new movie is borderline hideous. I've seen it about six times in the theatre over the last month and it's just so pretentious and silly that I can't imagine anyone being suckered into it who wasn't a huge fan of the show.

But I'm encouraged this morning to read that surprisingly Roger Ebert gave it a good 3 and a half star review.
The movie lacks a single explosion. It has firearms, but nobody is shot. The special effects would have been possible in the era of "Frankenstein." Lots of stunt people were used. I had the sensation of looking at real people in real spaces, not motion-capture in CGI spaces. There was a tangible quality to the film that made the suspense more effective because it involved the physical world.
The rest of the critics haven't been so kind. The movie is currently scoring 29% on Rotten Tomatoes after 56 reviews, making 40 of them negative. Many of the critics claim it's an over-rated feature long episode and the plot didn't warrant a big screen treatment. Most praise the performances of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson who ease back into the roles they made famous all those years ago but the material wasn't up to the standard here. "Routine" seems to be the word used most frequently. The movie opens in the U.S. today and in the U.K. next week. For those living in London who might be interested in meeting director and X-Files creator Chris Carter, you might be interested to read what comes after the jump...

IN ANTICIPATION OF THE RELEASE OF THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE ON AUGUST 1ST, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX INVITE YOU TO JOIN THE CELEBRATIONS OVER THREE DAYS IN LONDON. MEET THE CREATORS, STARS AND FANS OF THE X FILES PHENOMENON AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

TUESDAY 29TH JULY - IN-STORE Q&A WITH CHRIS CARTER AND FRANK SPOTNITZ @ HMV OXFORD STREET, 6.30 PM

X-FILES CREATORS CHRIS CARTER & FRANK SPOTNITZ WILL BE AT HMV OXFORD STREET ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM FANS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE. COME DOWN TO THE STORE TO ASK YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS AND FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF 5 PAIRS OF PREMIERE TICKETS TO THE LONDON PREMIERE.

WEDNESDAY 30TH JULY €“ UK PREMIERE @ THE EMPIRE CINEMA (LEICESTER SQUARE), 6PM

HEAD DOWN TO THE UK PREMIERE OF THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE AT the EMPIRE CINEMA in London€™s Leicester Square on 30th July, to SEE the TWO STARS who made mulder and scully SYNONYMOUS with paranormal paranoia - david Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Joining them on the red carpet will be X-Files creatorS Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz.

THURSDAY 31ST JULY €“ IN-STORE SIGNING WITH CHRIS CARTER AND FRANK SPOTNITZ @THE FORBIDDEN PLANET MEGASTORE, 1PM €“ 2PM

Forbidden Planet invites you to a special in-store signing with Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz on Thursday 31st July, from 1pm to 2pm, at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR.

X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

IN CINEMAS AUGUST 01

WWW.XFILESMOVIE.CO.UK

Editor-in-chief
Editor-in-chief

Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.