Chris Carter’s X-Files: I Want To Believe Director’s Cut – Can It Outshine the Original Movie?

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The X-Files is still fondly recalled for numerous accolades from its past, even now as it appears in the 2025 TV lineup over thirty years after its debut in 1993. Key moments might include the iconic dynamic between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s characters Mulder and Scully, or the successful transition from a five-season run on Fox to a feature film. However, when discussing standout instances from the series, it’s likely that dedicated fans will favor episodes from the original TV series or The X-Files: Fight the Future. The two revival seasons and the 2008 film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, didn’t have the same impact as their predecessors.

Back in 2025, it’s interesting to ponder whether Chris Carter’s director’s cut of “I Want to Believe,” released almost twenty years after its initial theater debut with Mulder and Scully’s first appearances since the Season 9 finale in 2002, can compare to “Fight the Future” regardless of any alterations made.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe Director’s Cut

In 1998, “Fight the Future” was the first major cinematic outing for The X-Files franchise, whereas “I Want to Believe,” released later, presented a significantly distinct take on the series. Unlike “Fight the Future,” which maintained the familiar blend of weekly Fox conspiracies and alien mysteries in a blockbuster format, “I Want to Believe” was more akin to an elongated episode focusing on one of the show’s “Monster of the Week.” This installment leaned more towards horror elements rather than aliens and was less intense with extraterrestrial occurrences.

The 2008 film, “I Want to Believe,” didn’t quite match the box office success of the ’98 movie. While “Fight the Future” made almost $190 million against a budget of $66 million, “I Want to Believe” earned close to $70 million on a $30 million budget. However, it came as a shock to many fans when Chris Carter announced on David Duchovny’s podcast, “Fail Better with David Duchovny,” that he has been given permission to create a director’s cut of “I Want to Believe.” He couldn’t contain his excitement about this development.

Duchovny interjected, noting that Carter “endured criticism for that film,” and indeed, I recall witnessing a few disgruntled fan comments back then, albeit prior to my active participation on social media. Later, Carter added:

Originally, I made my film quite terrifying, but the executives at Fox suggested it needed toning down to achieve a PG-13 rating. We complied with their request, believing we had met their requirements. However, the reviewers and rating bodies deemed it still not suitable for a PG-13 audience, asking for further edits. Interestingly, you can show more on television than what’s allowed in movies due to stricter censorship. Now, I have an opportunity to return and create the genuinely scary movie I had always envisioned. This isn’t just about releasing a director’s cut; it’s about bringing to life something that remained on the script but never reached the screen.

Indeed, his perspective has me almost questioning my criticisms towards the ending of Season 11 and that chilling revelation by the Cigarette-Smoking Man concerning Scully. (Almost.) His insights certainly make me wonder if I might have been too harsh on the film “I Want to Believe,” and it seems that some terrifying Monster of the Week episodes from The X-Files may have earned a place among my top picks. With the movie now available for streaming with a Hulu subscription, should I give it another chance?

Carter didn’t provide a specific timeline for when the director’s cut might be released, and it seems unlikely that it will be soon given he only recently received approval. His podcast episode with Duchovny was released in June, suggesting it wasn’t filmed too long ago. However, I find myself reflecting on whether my initial critique of I Want to Believe from years ago might have been premature.

Have I Been Unfair To I Want To Believe?

Admittedly, I’ve only watched The X-Files: I Want to Believe once, way back in 2008. In comparison, I watched Fight the Future so many times on VHS during my youth that I could likely recite some scenes from it by heart even today.

Instead of saying “Am I proud of this? Certainly not,” you could rephrase it as “I’m far from proud of this.” Similarly, instead of “But I mention it now to emphasize that because I Want to Believe didn’t measure up to Fight the Future for be back in ‘08, I just didn’t give it the chance it may have deserved,” you could rephrase it as “However, I bring this up to highlight that since I Want to Believe failed to meet my expectations set by Fight the Future in 2008, I didn’t give it a fair shot.

To put it simply, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz faced the task of retracting some aspects of Season 9’s finale to establish a narrative for Mulder and Scully returning to the FBI in the movie. This was quite a difficult proposition to convince people about. Initially, it seemed more like an average extended episode rather than a cinematic experience. In contrast to the numerous cameos in “Fight the Future,” this film featured almost an entirely new cast.

As a passionate cinema enthusiast, Carter’s insights have piqued my interest regarding I Want to Believe. It seems his original intent was to create a chilling experience reminiscent of the terrifying episodes from the ’90s era of The X-Files, such as “Home,” “Squeeze,” and “Irresistible.” His promise has me eagerly awaiting the director’s cut whenever it surfaces. However, I now feel compelled to revisit the original version to appreciate any differences, as it’s been a decade since my initial viewing.

It’s quite plausible that my fond memories of ‘Fight the Future’ are clouding my judgment right now, causing me to overlook some controversial decisions made by Chris Carter during the revival seasons. After all, being an X-Files fan has never been a smooth sailing experience.

If you’re yearning for another glimpse into the past, when The X-Files was at its peak, both the movies and all eleven seasons are available to stream on Hulu right now. While it might be unlikely, there’s a possibility that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson could reprise their roles again. Intriguingly, Ryan Coogler is working on a reboot of The X-Files, with Gillian Anderson on board.

Perhaps there’s a possibility that Robert Patrick could reprise his role as John Doggett in future seasons! Noteworthy is the fact that most characters from the last season of The X-Files have made appearances in subsequent seasons, except for Agent Doggett.

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2025-06-28 13:38