The X Files: I Want to Believe

I was unaware that a second X-Files film had been made until yesterday night. On the basis of my first impressions, it was better than the first. It involved fewer outlandish elements, more suspense, more drama between characters, and essentially more of the things that made the television series notable.

I think I managed to miss a big gap in the X-Files canon, though it is possible they simply threw a lot of unexplained material between the first and second films. Unusually for an X-Files production, I didn’t clearly recognize any Vancouver scenery during the film.

The film certainly provided plenty of opportunities for quibbling. For one, one can question whether complex surgery can be performed in a filthy, far-from-sterile environment with any hope of success. Head transplants also don’t have an obvious connection to stem cell therapies. That being said, the aesthetics of those scenes did reinforce one’s natural revulsion towards gross violations of medical ethics.

As an aside, it was strange to see how David Duchovny looks basically the same as he did during the television series, while Gillian Anderson looks dramatically different. It is hard to attribute the latter to natural aging, though perhaps that is the cause.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan