DVD picks

'Assassins,' 'X Files' and the DVD Generosity Theory

It takes a lot to get me into the multiplex these days. Something in me snapped a couple years back. The relentless advertising, the ridiculous prices, the bombastic trailers that are either full of spoilers or completely misleading. Even the local art house joint has been letting me down. Last movie I saw there, the projection bulb was noticeably dim, and the projectionist framed the reel so that the boom mike was visible in half the shots. Made me crazy.

So now I'm the guy that exhibitors are most afraid of -- the guy who has decided to move to DVD and home theater more or less exclusively. I just don't mess around anymore. When there's a serious film I really want to see, I wait for the DVD. I have a decent TV and sound system, and staying home gives me more control and flexibility, and it costs less. I can toggle on the closed captioning when I want it, rewatch scenes and access the bonus material immediately. What's not to like?

The other side of that coin is that DVD is also a much more forgiving medium. We're all familiar with that invisible line where we decide a particular movie isn't quite worth the trek to the multiplex: "I'll wait for the DVD."

For me -- and many others, I suspect -- such was the case with "The X Files: I Want to Believe." And it's a perfect case in point. Had I seen this at the theater, I probably would have felt rather let down. This isn't really a summer event movie, although it was certainly marketed as one. There are no big explosions, no eye-popping effects, no thrill-ride chase sequences. Instead, it's a nice, smart little thriller that is right at home on DVD.

The movie reunites agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) -- the Believer and the Skeptic, respectively -- from the long-running Fox television series about an FBI paranormal investigation unit. Now retired from the Bureau, Mulder and Scully reluctantly team up one more time to investigate the disappearance of a fellow agent.

"I Want to Believe" lacks the grand, mythic scope of the last "X Files" movie, and deliberately so. Fans of the TV series will recall that there were two basic episode templates for the show. The "mythos" episodes advanced the overall story arc of Mulder's chase for aliens, while the procedural episodes featured self-contained, monster-of-the-week adventures.

"I Want to Believe" falls into the latter category, and it plays more or less like a superior episode of that variety, stretched to 90-plus minutes and overlaid with a sepia-toned nostalgia for the way things were. Mulder and Scully look older, wiser and sadder. Or that may just be Duchovny and Anderson.

The best moments in the film are the quiet ones between these two, whose chemistry remains potent, if somewhat mellowed and settled. They're like an affectionate divorced couple who still know one other better than anyone else does. They just can't make it work.

But regrets be hanged -- there is a mystery to be solved, and our heroes go about it in typical "X Files" fashion. They explore dark rooms, exchange meaningful glances and make startling discoveries in the old clip file. This particular dilemma involves a psychic priest, bleeding eyes and a cadre of very creepy Russians with an interest in organ transplants. Can't argue with that.

It's all played in an agreeable minor key, and there are even some worthwhile rhetorical questions asked about the medical ethics of prolonging life. (That seemingly unrelated subplot with the sick kid is there for a reason.) Director Chris Carter gets the most out of his cast, his script and his very chilly British Columbia locations. The DVD release adds an unrated cut -- a few extended gory scenes -- and some standard extras, including a gag reel.