The X-Files: Vrach Frankenshteyn (i.e. Doctor Frankenstein) is Chris Carter's most recent reedit of I Want to Believe (i.e. believe in humanity, more than paranormal phenomena). There's also the PG-13, theatrical version and a longer, PG-13 cut that followed on disc.
The new (R-rated) re-edit is the shortest of the three and is made to appear more contemporary, as opposed to looking like a polished product from 2008, founded on 1990s sensibilities. For example, a scene featuring George W. Bush has been excised, in addition to some of the Dana Scully/Fox Mulder (Gillian Anderson/David Duchovny) relationship bridges, so that we get a sentimental (if not strained) reunion for Vrach Frankenshteyn, sans the mythic mush that diehards would rather see remain.
The aforementioned alterations (with some bloodier bits stitched into the climax) have been ballyhooed enough to make this new edition a must-see. I'm grateful for the lure, since I do favor the story more than most, and this premiere gave me cause to revisit it.
I must admit, it's the Frankenstein angle that I favor. The general concept helps resume the series' monster-of-the-week/horror-icon formula. Let's not forget that The X-Files is part of that television, creature subgenre, which includes Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Outer Limits and the Tales from the Darkside offshoot, Monsters.
In addition to the Mary Shelley slant, Vrach Frankenshteyn is a by-chance crossover of David Fincher's Seven and Osgood Perkins' Longlegs, where mystery meets grisliness. (Amanda Peet's Agent Dakota Whitney performs a stern, stand-up job shooting the overlap toward its dark, investigative trajectory, and she, like Anderson, is easy on the eyes, which doesn't hurt.) The creepy-case subplot meshes with the body-parts construction, so that the movie never feels like two episodes forced into one, ala Harold Becker's Malice. All feels seamless, even if the structuring is divided.
Of course, the "Modern Prometheus" motif permeates above all, and in this case, it establishes a flipside glimpse of stem-cell research, informing viewers that if such were to fall into the wrong hands, catastrophe would ensue: a rather daring plunge at the time of the original release, considering that the mainstream media had only presented one side of the controversy in a positive light. "Science," as we've since come to know, isn't always advantageous or trustworthy. Mad scientists (or mad frauds) do, indeed, exist.
Considering this, I only wish more had been done with the concept, perhaps with Fagin Woodcock's Franz Tomczeszyn and Callum Keith Rennie's Janke Dacyshyn unleashing a full-blown knockoff of The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant/The Thing With Two Heads or an all-out overload of aborted atrocities along the lines of Re-Animator and Frankenstein's Army. This would have solidified the monster novelty, while implanting some substantial shock value.
And speaking of shock value, Billy Connelly's Joseph Crissman emblemizes such, for as much as the soiled priest seeks redemption (and his psychic spurts seem to push him in that direction), it doesn't excuse what he is or what he's done. I'm grateful that Carter and Frank Spotnitz's script dealt with that in a frank manner (as when Scully condemns his unpardonable actions), instead of making him a poor, misunderstood "victim" who may have stumbled but (gosh darn it) didn't mean it.
At any rate, with more right than wrong having been achieved (based, that is, on my biased rundown), why did I Want to Believe tank at the box office? Well, the answer is simple. It hit theaters a week after that ubiquitous blockbuster, The Dark Knight. I Want to Believe should have been dispatched later that summer or better yet in the fall, perhaps around Halloween. If so, it may have secured a larger audience and spawned further X-Files, theatrical releases, emulating Star Trek's long-term, movie run.
So, there's my pro/con assessment. Regardless of what certain sanctimonious snoots may proclaim, Vrach Frankenshteyn/I Want to Believe may not be great, but it's still okay. If one is a sincere fan of Carter's saga, it makes no sense to ignore or besmirch this chapter. Give this latest take a shot or even a prior version. One might find there's more to appreciate than not after an unfettered view.
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