Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Criterion 4K UHD Review
“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” is among David Lynch’s best films.
1992’s “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” is a prequel film to the 1990 television series “Twin Peaks” penned by David Lynch and Robert Engels. The story kicks off with a prologue involving the FBI investigating the death of Teresa Banks. Strange things happen including the mysterious disappearance of FBI Agent Chester Desmond. The story jumps ahead one year to the final 7 days of Laura Palmer’s life. The Homecoming Queen is going through hell as she is sexually abused, haunted by BOB, addicted to cocaine, and experiencing horrors within her own family.
Infamously panned at the time of its release, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” has been embraced more over the years and rightly so. The fact that it’s now in the Criterion Collection speaks volumes alone. It’s understandable why the initial reaction was so divisive. “Twin Peaks” fans were likely hoping for (and expecting something) entirely different to this, but when has the late great David Lynch ever done what fans wished for? Lynch has always marched to the beat of his own drum. That’s what made him a true original artist. Instead of doing a continuation of the series (which he would obviously do later on with the masterful “Twin Peaks: The Return”), he made a prequel film that was tonally different. It wasn’t as quirky as the series and was markedly darker as the film touches on subject matters such as sexual abuse. Yes, some of Lynch’s trademark humor is present here and familiar faces like Dale Cooper do appear, but this story largely takes viewers down a disturbing journey by showing Laura’s agonizing final days.
Much like any David Lynch, ‘Fire Walk With Me’ is not the type of film that can be easily categorized. It’s a mystery, it’s a psychological drama, it’s a horror film, it’s otherworldly, and it’s a small town drama. There’s plenty of surreal and strange moments involving everything from David Bowie’s cameo to the Red Room. As with any David Lynch film, ‘Fire’ really demands rewatches and grows on you over time. Is it a bit self-indulgent? Perhaps, but the film is nothing if not layered, challenging, and unconventional. The film reminds you that there is nothing quite like a David Lynch. He was on his own level and made films that continue to be talked about to this day. That’s a rare thing in this day and age.
This review can’t end without mentioning Sheryl Lee. The actress goes all out here to deliver a truly incredible performance as the tortured Laura Palmer. How her career didn’t go up and up after this is beyond me. Ray Wise is also perfect as the horrifying Leland Palmer.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p. How does it look? The 4K digital restoration maintains the print grain while offering up sharper image quality.
Audio Track: 7.1 DTS-HD MA and 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 7.1 track has more depth, but you can’t go wrong with the original 2.0 track either.
Extras (On The Blu-ray):
* “The Missing Pieces”- For those that may have been underwhelmed by “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” this Lynch constructed companion piece film is a must. In case you may not be aware, “The Missing Pieces” is a 91 minute feature composed entirely of deleted scenes. There’s a plethora of great material here involving characters like Dale Cooper, Norma and Ed, Josie and Pete, Sheriff Truman, and much more. Would it have been great to see some of this material in ‘Fire’? Absolutely, but it’s great to see all of the deleted footage in a bonus film form regardless.
* A thick booklet featuring credits, an excerpt interview from “Lynch On Lynch,”
* A fun 2017 interview with Angelo Badalamenti, a 2017 interview with Sheryl Lee, and a quirky cast roundtable discussion from 2014 with David Lynch, Ray Wise, Grace Zabriskie and Sheryl Lee.
* U.S. theatrical trailer, International theatrical trailer, and “The Missing Pieces” trailer.
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