First “Dark Knight” had to go and be all non superhero-y and now the contrarian genre bug has gotten its claws into my “X-Files.” The subtitle for this sequel is “I want to Believe,” which is, of course, the show’s slogan… um, for anyone who remembers the show. That iconic slogan captured a wandering 90s malaise and referred at once to FBI Agent Mulder and Skully’s investigation of the supernatural/occult/various peoples of the blood sucking fish persuasion. It’s appropriate this time too but not in the creature feature way one would think. And, beyond what one might think, not even in the other ways one might think (as a topical call to believe in today’s fractured governing body). So, then, rather then going after aliens or an alien controlled Bush administration (which would have been totally cool by the way), the “belief” here is entirely faith-based, referring to one’s belief in higher powers, the church and the possibility for redemption. All major characters this applies to, from out beloved agents (now a couple–yay) to the pre-cognitive/ child molesting priest that claims he hears god and assists the retired agents as they head into “the darkness” one more (last?) time.

This free floating desire to believe also refers to the villain, a gay Russian organ thief played appropriately by one of the Cylons from “Battlestar Glatica” or Budget Daniel Craig as I like to call him which is a hell of a lot easier than writing his real name Callum Keith Rennie. And, no, the of the day doesn’t have tentacles. He’s not a vampire. And he doesn’t levitate with insane in the membrane psychic abilities. This departure makes for one of the most extreme cases of genre skipping I have witnessed since Paul Schrader’s “Dominion: A Prequel to The Exorcist,” and just as dogmatic too! It is, for all intents and purposes, devoid of any tangible supernatural presence and avoids all the trappings one expects from an X-Files adventure. Which means: no special effects. No guns. And no aliens. Not one! And yet… the film worked for me. It’s ability to connect with these characters is a minor marvel. They carry the plot a long way; past, even, my nostalgia for the series and desire to believe in the series itself.

This is a wonderful film. The problem is, it’s just not a good “X-Files” film. Fans will and have ripped into writer/director/creator Chris Carter for taking the series away from them but I rather respect what he’s going for. Maturity and thoughtfulness, after all, is not a summer staple.