Both Dana Scully and Fox Mulder have moved on since leaving the FBI. Scully is now a doctor who treats the sick, currently working to help a young boy with a rare disease. The FBI contacts her in an attempt to find Mulder, hoping he will join a manhunt for a missing agent. Mulder is in self-imposed solitude, hiding out from the agency he was once a part of. He is brought into this investigation by the attractive Agent Whitney (Amanda Peet; “Martian Child“), who appears to share Mulder’s interest in the unexplained. Since evidence of the disappearance is scarce, the FBI is primarily relying on the supposed psychic visions of a former priest. Whether the agency should believe this suspicious character and if they can interpret his clues will be left up to Mulder.
Who took the female agent and why is left unexplained for much of the movie. The beginning of the film instead focuses on Scully’s relationship with her former partner, which has remained complicated. Both actors appear comfortable slipping into their old roles as friends, colleagues and a little more. Anderson’s intensity and courage makes her character particularly appealing without jettisoning her feminine charm. The subtle humor and conviction in Mulder continues, as he gets wrapped up in this new investigation. Scully is not as interested in her former lifestyle, though too much of her story arc is spent deciding what to do about the boy. This subplot doesn’t successfully engage the audience’s interest or emotions as much as the primary mystery.
Peet’s FBI agent is a nice addition to the story. She creates a vague love triangle between the ex-partners. The tone of this mystery is decidedly darker than many of the episodes in the series and the first movie. Also left out is the alien conspiracy angle, though a couple of details are included for the sake of the fans. The priest sparks not only questions of religious belief, but whether there is the possibility of forgiveness for an unforgivable deed. The X-Files is best at creating, under the surface of an intense story, important questions about our faith in science versus our skepticism of the unseen.
Ultimately, the chase to find the missing agent only justified an ordinary television episode, not an entire movie. But for a follower of the phenomenon during the ‘90s, seeing the characters on screen again did make the overall experience worthwhile.
Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material.
