Update: MTV Movies Blog has this quote from Chris Carter:
“It’s really Mulder’s faith in the paranormal that is the faith that he’s wrestling with,” the co-writer/director said. “So while you can see a church in a photograph, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s about religion.”
So, the movie is more about Mulder’s faith than Scully’s. That’s good news. That is exactly where the focus should be.
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I want to believe The X-Files sequel will be good, and still, I’m starting to have doubts. At first I was very excited about the new X-Files movie, mostly because of this behind the scenes photo from BestWeekEver.com that seemed to suggest it would involve a lycanthrope.
When ShockTillYouDrop.com did a visit to the set of the sequel they tried to confirm that lycanthrope angle but couldn’t. Still, one of the quotes they did get was this:
…we were looking for a case that could expose things about them [Mulder and Scully]
Now it seems we know what that case is. Read it (Ain’t it Cool News) here or (X-Files News) here. There is no mention of werewolves. There is, however, a mention of a priest. That there would be a priest in the movie was also hinted at as a part of the ShockTillYouDrop.com set visit piece I mentioned earlier. And finally, we have this photo from Cinematical showing Mulder and Scully in what appears to be a church.
All right. Let’s review. There could be a werewolf but it’s unconfirmed. The case exposes things about Mulder and Scully. There is a picture of Mulder and Scully in a church or some other religious institution which, as Cinematical writes, “fits with that new I Want to Believe title…”. With that, let’s discuss my concerns.
In my opinion, the weakest part of the original series was the emphasis placed on Scully’s faith. In the show her function was to be the scientific voice of reason in contrast to Mulder’s outrageous theories and leaps of faith. That was the dynamic that drove the show - the balancing between the explained and unexplained; faith and hard science. But whenever the writers brought out Scully’s faith in God that whole dynamic changed. In fact, there was no dynamic anymore. There was just Scully dealing with her religion and Mulder sympathizing with her. At those moments it was a different X-Files. Some people would argue that it made the show better giving the series and the characters more depth and complexity. I say those people are wrong.
Judging by all that I have read about this movie there seems to be a distinct possibiltiy that this is the direction this project is headed. Nothing is confirmed and all we have is rumors. I am still looking forward to seeing X-Files: I Want To Believe but at this point I’m also slightly concerned.
While we wait. Mulder and Scully by Catatonia: