Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me







Director - David Lynch

Genre - Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller



This is David Lynch's weakest film and a disappointing addition to the brilliant TV series, 'Twin Peaks'. Kyle MacLachlan's reported refusal to be more involved obviously hurt the film. MacLachlan's quirky portrayal of Agent Cooper is the highlight of the series and what made it successful. Sheryl Lee who plays the tragic femme fatale, Laura Palmer is left to carry the film and she's not bad but it all seemed forced. Even the music by Angelo Badalamenti seemed uninspiring here. A pointless prequel - sort of like having a comb when you're bald.

2.5 STARS!

All about Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Comments

Ed Howard said…
Ouch. I disagree, this is among Lynch's best, as well as the first indication of the more willfully surreal, narrative-bending work he'd engage in with the films he made after this. It certainly didn't deliver what fans of the series might've wanted as far as closure, but then I don't think Lynch wanted to do that so much as he wanted to explore his own fascination with the series' darker side. This contains some of Lynch's most terrifying sequences, and the amazing ending in the Red Room of course.
We're completely astounded that you like this. It was critically and commercially panned when it came out for a reason. As rabid fans of the series, we felt 'Fire Walk With Me' should never have seen the light of day.
Ed Howard said…
I can certainly see why this would be a disappointment to a "rabid fan" of the series. I like Twin Peaks too -- at least the first season and selected moments from the second -- but more importantly I like Lynch in general. My guess is that Fire Walk With Me would appeal more to those who appreciate Lynch's recent films, than to those approaching it solely as an extension of the series. What do you think of Lost Highway or Inland Empire? I would be very surprised if someone who liked recent Lynch didn't also like this movie.

The Twin Peaks movie deliberately sidesteps the question of resolving anything from the series, which is one reason why fans of the show were so annoyed by it at the time it came out. Looking at it now, I think it's a great film in its own right and a crucial step in Lynch's development as a director.
We thought 'Lost Highway' and 'Inland Empire' (we've reviewed this) were both good films. Lynch is one of our favorite directors too and it pained us to write a bad review of 'Fire' as much as it pained you to read it.

Alas, we could not bring ourselves to treat this as a stand-alone film, to disconnect it from the series. It is impossible for us. The series was ahead of its time and this was way before great series like 'Heroes' and 'Lost' were created. It was and still is, the best series ever on TV for us, up to this second.