The new X-Files movie was entirely forgettable. It wasn't actively bad, but it certainly wasn't good either. It was mostly just... there, which is a shame. I like a little drive, some sort of motivation for why characters do what they do, why the plot plays out the way it does, or why a character dies. Why create a movie for the sake of its own existence?

X-Files 2 seemed like it wanted to be a thriller, a comedy, an action flick, and a romance all at the same time. It didn't work really very well and was just going through the motions. See my point on motivation above and my more detailed comments on the genres below.

Comedy: The comedy portions were amusing enough. The movie doesn't really take itself too seriously and shows a campy side every now and then (example: stay through the credits). Only issue here is that to do campy with any success, you need to go all out.

Action: Nothing stellar, but good suspense for some of it. The biggest action / chase scene, though, ends rather pointlessly stupid.

Thriller: By thriller I mean the investigation portion, which just seemed like a series of disconnected ideas rather than working progressively towards a logical conclusion.

Romance: The last genre X-Files dabbled in was romance, and it was much like the rest of the film. The awkward romance between two flat characters bored me. I'm not sure if it was the writing, the directing, or just the characters themselves, but all around unbelievable.

Fans of the show will more than likely be disappointed, but honestly it's no surprise. This movie comes out years after the X-Files faded away (and even longer since the show was consistently interesting). If this movie had to be made at all (which I would argue against) it should have been years ago. I'm not known for my memory, but in the end I think I will have forgotten this mediocre movie by the end of the week.

The second X-Files film is a complete mess. I went in with modest expectations due to the negative buzz, yet I never expected the dull, flat storytelling I witnessed.

I entered the theater with minimal recollection of the first movie or the television show. Although I had seen the first film (subtitled "Fight the Future") during its initial run and I tuned in to the show's finale in 2002, I was at a loss regarding where we left off with the characters and the mythos. Fortunately, viewers aren't required to know much about the background to understand the movie.

Considering the rich legacy of the X-Files, I Want to Believe is surprisingly light on serialization. Instead, the film feels like a standalone episode that could take place at any point in the series. There's no grandiose franchise-changing story arc and the film leaves things off roughly where they began. For some, this sounds like a nice change of pace for casual fans, but I was ultimately disappointed by the inconsequential nature of the movie.

The majority of I Want to Believe takes place in the frozen back country of West Virginia. The color palette consists primarily of cold, lifeless blues and grays. Altogether, the setting is dreary, boring, and repetitive. The film takes place over the course of a few days, but the drawn-out pacing makes everything seem much longer and stretched out.

Everything about the direction felt off in the movie. Scenes linger, characters are introduced randomly, and dialogue drags on without really saying anything.

I was most disappointed by the flat characters and overall lack of development. Mulder and Scully are aloof and even less compelling than they were during the television run. This might be fine in a procedural story, but I Want to Believe ceaselessly fixates on their awkward relationship, leaving the viewer's mind to wander.

The supporting characters are also one-dimensional and underutilized. We learn nothing about them and are untirely unmoved by their circumstances, even when they die. The "big bad" villains are cloaked in mystery, although not the kind of mystery you'd care to solve. Instead, they're doing "something bad" to somebody we don't get to meet for a reason we never learn. The good guys and the bad guys are equal parts bored and boring.

The only two bright spots come from two gifted actors doing what they can in this mess: Billy Connolly playing a troubled religious figure and Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben from Battlestar Galactica) playing a key conspirator. Both roles are crucial to the film, but despite the capable performances, the viewer is never given a good chance to get inside their heads or connect to the characters. Amanda Peet also shows up playing a forgettable, one-dimensional FBI agent.

Chris Carter has stated that he hopes to make a third and final film to explore the alien invasion of December 22, 2012. Unless the current sequel exceeds box office expectations (which is a huge uphill battle considering the negative consensus), the alien invasion movie is unlikely to be made. That's a major shame because it sounds like the kind of compelling project that would shine on the big screen.

To sum it up: poor direction and poor writing mire the X Files: I Want to Believe. The soundtrack, cinematography, and acting are unremarkable. It's not exciting, it's not fun, and it doesn't advance the series in any way.

The fourth comic is up! It looks at the new X-Files movie and a certain relationship...