The X-Files: I Want to Believe
So last Friday (a week ago, that is, I just kept not finishing the write-up) I finally got to see The X-Files: I Want to Believe. It's not that long ago, but it feels longer. I'm still tired. 25 just doesn't bounce back the same way 18 did. Erg. Anyway. I loved it. I guess I'm pretty easy to please, though, I went 'OMG GILLIAN IS SO PRETTY!!!' the first time Scully showed up on the screen, and after that I didn't much care what happened as long as Scully was awesome.
So I get that there is no way to please all fans. I get that a lot of people dislike all the MSR. But I just don't see what was so very horrible about it. Scully was still Scully. Mulder was still Mulder. And it wasn't like they could take back everything they did in the last 3 seasons, even if that's what a lot of fans want (I'm not one of them).
And I, for one (and apparently pretty much the only one), liked Mulder and Scully together. It makes sense that they couldn't have kept running forever, and although it would have been nice to have a little bit more back story on how it was that they could stop running and Scully could get a job using her own name, it was still acceptable to me. They had an easy close-ness, and the little shipper inside me *squee*d shamelessly at how they're totally *together* now. I abandoned MSR mid-season 8 when Reyes came along, but I spent so many years looking for every little glance and touch and turn of phrase that the response to MSR is entirely instinctual pleasure. And it felt right to me. They're still together, there's no reason they shouldn't be (other than that fanfic I'm writing where they separate shortly after the series finale, and Scully goes to have lots of hot sex with hang out with Vicki Nelson in Toronto). They stuck together for 9 years, and just kept gravitating back towards each other, regardless of everything they went through. Mulder was always an ass, and Scully just couldn't stay away from him, and it's still like that, only now they actually have a house together instead of apart, and Mulder is crazier than ever before. What was the recurring theme throughout the series was just cemented after this 5-year gap, they can never get out of their old patterns no matter how much they try to reinvent themselves, or find themselves, or whatever. Although really, that's just Scully's story, Mulder was the same as always, but Scully actually tried something else, she tried to be someone else, but whatever ties her to Mulder and investigating is just too strong for her. She may have realized that she hates it, and doesn't want to live like that, but it's too late for her to get away. Which has been pretty darn obvious since Season 3, or so.
I love Scully so very very much. She's been broken so many times over the years, and the scars are all there, but giving up just isn't an option no matter how much she's afraid that she will give up, or give in, or whatever. There's something in her that's just stronger than everything the world has ever been able to throw at her, even when she doesn't believe so herself. Which is of course what makes her so damn amazing. And I fell for her back when I was 13 or so and truly believed that all obsessions were Real Love, so she's special. She's real.
I wasn't too happy with the case. It was too over-the top with Scully's condemnation of pedophiles (not saying pedophilia shouldn't be condemned, it absolutely should, but I remember her being able to question criminals without freaking out), and the church, and her strange power-struggle at the hospital, and the head-transplanting, and the psychic, and the so on and so forth. There was no real story there, just a jumbled mess. And people have said that it felt just like an extra-long episode, but that would mean two episodes, and this was more like 5 episodes that they threw in a blender, and then picked whatever floated to the top. I'm aware of all the complaints that our attention-span is getting shorter, and probably mine has, but I completely prefer episodes to movies. An episode (of whatever show) has clear boundaries, and each one usually has one clear case. Sometimes a movie works too, but they should try to cram too much into it just because there's an extra hour they don't know what to do with. Case-wise I liked the first movie so much more.
And even said that I don't care too much about the case, but if I may put on my Sarah Warn goggles for a moment, I'd say that this is the second time, right, in all 9 years + 2 movies that they've had a gay character on the show (correct me if I'm wrong, I'd be *more* than happy if my show had a better track record here)? The first was that cool lady in all things who passed with flying colors (and somehow bore a striking similarity to Melissa Etheridge in spirituality), and the second was a crazy-ass couple where one was molested by a priest and the other was a mad scientist? Yeah, not too good with the gay portrayals there, X-Files.
And re: William, someone said that they were disappointed that why, if nobody was coming after them anyway, did they have to give up William. And honestly, I don't much care, I never much did care about William other than by extension of how awesome it was to see Scully and Reyes with him, and protecting him, and all that, but really, a child in that house with the two of them? It's such a bleak place (and I'm not trying to make un-subtle references to Bleak House, it's just honestly the first word that comes to mind). They're both too wounded and crazy for that to be much of a healthy environment for a child to grow up in.
And WTF Amanda Peet? That is, not directed at the actor, but rather at her character, but I've forgotten the name of her character, because I so didn't care about her. I'm sorry, Amanda Peet, and I liked you just fine on Studio 60, although it would have been even better if you'd gotten together with Sarah Paulson's character, but your character in this particular movie, not so much. Which isn't to say I wanted you dead. I don't like it when the good guys die.
Over-all feeling was too dark, too tragic, too sad, too depressing. The show was always dark, but they didn't use to go for the melodramatic extra-tragedy, and there's a difference. They went there with all the depressing shots, the depressing music, they played up the horror. It used to be that it was scary because the story was scary, here it felt more like they deliberately played up the horror-angle whenever they could. And I hate that. I really really *REALLY* hate that. I don't mind movies or TV-shows that are scary, but when they deliberately make them so with sets and music and camera angles, then it means they don't trust the story to be strong enough to carry that by itself. And the story didn't have to be weak, but they made it so by all the fancy decorating. (I don't have the vocabulary to explain exactly what I mean, but I was listening to the commentary on The Hours, and the director was talking about how he deliberately made the choice in a crucial scene to keep the camera static, instead of trying to evoke emotion by pulling in closer as the shot went on, because he trusted the actor would deliver the emotion the scene required, and he didn't want to interfere with her interpretation by adding a camera-move that would only serve to distract the viewer from the actual source of emotion. Or some such. And that's sort of what I mean here. It's not the actual story that sucks, but they deliberately play it up so.)
What else? Can't think of anything right now. The kiss at the end was sweet, but went on a little too long, and the music at the time was dumb. That said, my little shipper heart squeed, of course. Interestingly, that scene where they're in bed together? I kept thinking 'get away from her, you bearded crazy man!' But the kiss was sweet. The shot after the credits was weird. Amusing, but weird. I think I'll relegate that to 'didn't really happen other than in my dreams', because it was too silly. Gillian in a bikini, though? Yes please. Ooooh, yes please. It truly was Scully's movie, and I'm so happy that it was. I'm so happy that there was so much of Scully in it, and her struggles were way more important than Mulder's. She's amazing.
So I get that there is no way to please all fans. I get that a lot of people dislike all the MSR. But I just don't see what was so very horrible about it. Scully was still Scully. Mulder was still Mulder. And it wasn't like they could take back everything they did in the last 3 seasons, even if that's what a lot of fans want (I'm not one of them).
And I, for one (and apparently pretty much the only one), liked Mulder and Scully together. It makes sense that they couldn't have kept running forever, and although it would have been nice to have a little bit more back story on how it was that they could stop running and Scully could get a job using her own name, it was still acceptable to me. They had an easy close-ness, and the little shipper inside me *squee*d shamelessly at how they're totally *together* now. I abandoned MSR mid-season 8 when Reyes came along, but I spent so many years looking for every little glance and touch and turn of phrase that the response to MSR is entirely instinctual pleasure. And it felt right to me. They're still together, there's no reason they shouldn't be (other than that fanfic I'm writing where they separate shortly after the series finale, and Scully goes to have lots of hot sex with hang out with Vicki Nelson in Toronto). They stuck together for 9 years, and just kept gravitating back towards each other, regardless of everything they went through. Mulder was always an ass, and Scully just couldn't stay away from him, and it's still like that, only now they actually have a house together instead of apart, and Mulder is crazier than ever before. What was the recurring theme throughout the series was just cemented after this 5-year gap, they can never get out of their old patterns no matter how much they try to reinvent themselves, or find themselves, or whatever. Although really, that's just Scully's story, Mulder was the same as always, but Scully actually tried something else, she tried to be someone else, but whatever ties her to Mulder and investigating is just too strong for her. She may have realized that she hates it, and doesn't want to live like that, but it's too late for her to get away. Which has been pretty darn obvious since Season 3, or so.
I love Scully so very very much. She's been broken so many times over the years, and the scars are all there, but giving up just isn't an option no matter how much she's afraid that she will give up, or give in, or whatever. There's something in her that's just stronger than everything the world has ever been able to throw at her, even when she doesn't believe so herself. Which is of course what makes her so damn amazing. And I fell for her back when I was 13 or so and truly believed that all obsessions were Real Love, so she's special. She's real.
I wasn't too happy with the case. It was too over-the top with Scully's condemnation of pedophiles (not saying pedophilia shouldn't be condemned, it absolutely should, but I remember her being able to question criminals without freaking out), and the church, and her strange power-struggle at the hospital, and the head-transplanting, and the psychic, and the so on and so forth. There was no real story there, just a jumbled mess. And people have said that it felt just like an extra-long episode, but that would mean two episodes, and this was more like 5 episodes that they threw in a blender, and then picked whatever floated to the top. I'm aware of all the complaints that our attention-span is getting shorter, and probably mine has, but I completely prefer episodes to movies. An episode (of whatever show) has clear boundaries, and each one usually has one clear case. Sometimes a movie works too, but they should try to cram too much into it just because there's an extra hour they don't know what to do with. Case-wise I liked the first movie so much more.
And even said that I don't care too much about the case, but if I may put on my Sarah Warn goggles for a moment, I'd say that this is the second time, right, in all 9 years + 2 movies that they've had a gay character on the show (correct me if I'm wrong, I'd be *more* than happy if my show had a better track record here)? The first was that cool lady in all things who passed with flying colors (and somehow bore a striking similarity to Melissa Etheridge in spirituality), and the second was a crazy-ass couple where one was molested by a priest and the other was a mad scientist? Yeah, not too good with the gay portrayals there, X-Files.
And re: William, someone said that they were disappointed that why, if nobody was coming after them anyway, did they have to give up William. And honestly, I don't much care, I never much did care about William other than by extension of how awesome it was to see Scully and Reyes with him, and protecting him, and all that, but really, a child in that house with the two of them? It's such a bleak place (and I'm not trying to make un-subtle references to Bleak House, it's just honestly the first word that comes to mind). They're both too wounded and crazy for that to be much of a healthy environment for a child to grow up in.
And WTF Amanda Peet? That is, not directed at the actor, but rather at her character, but I've forgotten the name of her character, because I so didn't care about her. I'm sorry, Amanda Peet, and I liked you just fine on Studio 60, although it would have been even better if you'd gotten together with Sarah Paulson's character, but your character in this particular movie, not so much. Which isn't to say I wanted you dead. I don't like it when the good guys die.
Over-all feeling was too dark, too tragic, too sad, too depressing. The show was always dark, but they didn't use to go for the melodramatic extra-tragedy, and there's a difference. They went there with all the depressing shots, the depressing music, they played up the horror. It used to be that it was scary because the story was scary, here it felt more like they deliberately played up the horror-angle whenever they could. And I hate that. I really really *REALLY* hate that. I don't mind movies or TV-shows that are scary, but when they deliberately make them so with sets and music and camera angles, then it means they don't trust the story to be strong enough to carry that by itself. And the story didn't have to be weak, but they made it so by all the fancy decorating. (I don't have the vocabulary to explain exactly what I mean, but I was listening to the commentary on The Hours, and the director was talking about how he deliberately made the choice in a crucial scene to keep the camera static, instead of trying to evoke emotion by pulling in closer as the shot went on, because he trusted the actor would deliver the emotion the scene required, and he didn't want to interfere with her interpretation by adding a camera-move that would only serve to distract the viewer from the actual source of emotion. Or some such. And that's sort of what I mean here. It's not the actual story that sucks, but they deliberately play it up so.)
What else? Can't think of anything right now. The kiss at the end was sweet, but went on a little too long, and the music at the time was dumb. That said, my little shipper heart squeed, of course. Interestingly, that scene where they're in bed together? I kept thinking 'get away from her, you bearded crazy man!' But the kiss was sweet. The shot after the credits was weird. Amusing, but weird. I think I'll relegate that to 'didn't really happen other than in my dreams', because it was too silly. Gillian in a bikini, though? Yes please. Ooooh, yes please. It truly was Scully's movie, and I'm so happy that it was. I'm so happy that there was so much of Scully in it, and her struggles were way more important than Mulder's. She's amazing.