The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Ultimate X-Phile Edition), Blu-ray (2008)
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly
Directed by: Chris Carter
Studio: Twentieth-Century Fox Home Entertainment [Release date: Dec. 2, 08]
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9; 1080p HD
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio; French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin
Extras: Theatrical and extended film versions; audio commentary track with director Chris Carter and co-writer Frank Spotnitz; “Trust No One: Can the X-Files Remain a Secret?” documentary; three featurettes (“Chris Carter: Statements on Green Production”; “Body Parts: Special Makeup Effects” and “The X-Files Complete Timeline”); “Dying 2 Live” music montage by Xzibit; domestic and international trailers; three deleted scenes; still galleries; gag reel; picture-in-picture; D-BOX motion code; BD-Live content; Easter eggs; separate digital copy disc
Length: 104 minutes
Movie Rating: ***1/2 Video Rating: ****
Audio Rating: **** D-Box Motion Rating: ***
The second of two feature films inspired by the hit television series, “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” picks up several years after the FBI’s X-Files unit has been closed. Former agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is now a doctor at a Christian hospital while Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has become a bearded recluse who tracks unexplained phenomena in newspaper articles. After an FBI agent is kidnapped, the only clues to her whereabouts are coming from an expelled former priest (Billy Connolly) through his self-proclaimed psychic visions. The agent in charge of the kidnapping case, Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) pulls Mulder and Scully out of retirement to help determine whether the priest’s visions are real or merely a hoax. The trail of clues eventually lead the FBI to a black market organ-harvesting ring and a disturbed Russian doctor performing Frankenstein-esque medical procedures.
As a fan of “The X-Files” television series, I was really looking forward to watching this new movie. I was hoping that it would include elements of what made the television series so engaging (aliens, action and conspiracy). While it turned out to be a decent film, there weren’t any aliens or conspiracies, and the action is limited. On the plus side, the story is interesting and the acting is solid. Fans will want to own this Blu-ray disc while all others should probably consider renting it first.
The high-definition video quality of “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” is very good. Images are softer and film-like, but otherwise display fine detail. Black levels are uniformly deep throughout the movie. Colors are natural and accurate with well-saturated hues. Other than some mild film grain, picture defect mastering is near perfect with no major flaws or compression artifacts. The overall audio quality is also very good. For the most part, the soundtrack is low-key but incorporates an effective mix of each of the discrete channels. Dialogue is intelligible and firmly rooted in the center channel. The surround channels are moderately utilized for ambient sound effects and the music score. Although the low frequency effects channel is used sparingly, there are some scenes with appreciable rumble.
“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” is compatible with the “D-BOX” Motion Code™ System, meaning that if you have the compatible D-BOX equipment, your movie viewing experience will be enhanced by adding both motion and vibration to your seating. This is not a very action-oriented film and only about ten percent of this movie has motion effects and/or vibration present. Motion effects are mostly subtle and include such things as flying in a helicopter or driving in a car. For me, there is one memorable D-BOX highlight. It occurs in Chapter 17, at about the 1:18:45 mark, when Mulder’s car swerves on the road, is rammed by a snow plow, and then rolls down an embankment. D-BOX precisely simulated the side-to-side movement of the car swerving and then followed it with up-and-down movement and powerful vibration, mirroring the impact of the snow plow and the rollover. I felt like I was riding along in the car as Mulder’s front-seat passenger.
– Calvin Harding Jr.
