Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 4, 2015

The death of Twin Peaks didn't come by cancellation. No, it was a violent implosion that brought an end to David Lynch and Mark Frost's cult phenomenon. After garnering high praise from spellbound audiences and critics in 1990 with its first daring season, the tragically short-lived series began to fall apart a year later, with a more erratic second season that, in retrospect, was doomed to fail almost from the start. Not only did network execs make the decision to up the episode count from seven to twenty-two, hoping to capitalize on the show's popularity, they demanded the resolution of Laura Palmer's murder, which came just eight episodes in. With the central mystery all but solved and answers proving... divisive, Twin Peaks was forced to dramatically reorient and restructure, a necessity that slowly sent viewers scurrying. By the time the second season found its footing -- and, believe me, it did, ending with a razor-sharp arc that culminated in a jaw-dropping cliffhanger -- it was too late. Twin Peaks, which had once burned so intensely no one could look away, had been snuffed out.

The rest of the story is the stuff of post-development hell. Lynch and Frost split. Irreconcilable differences. Key members of the cast parted ways. Most stood by their director, but others, Kyle MacLachlan in particular, felt abandoned, while still others like Lara Flynn Boyle held a grudge, refusing to return to the Lynch fold. Wounded, reeling and above all obsessed, Lynch hurriedly announced, wrote and produced the now-infamous 1992 theatrical prequel Fire Walk with Me; sans Boyle and with a distressing eleventh hour change that, by MacLachlan's own request, reduced Agent Cooper's role to a glorified cameo. Booed at Cannes, eviscerated by critics and flatly rejected at the box office (earning less than $5 million), the feature film was nothing short of the saga's death knell. Twin Peaks was no more. All that remained, was Fire Walk with Me, a fatally flawed slice of closure that closes very little and, thank the Lynchian gods, will soon be remedied with Showtime's resurrection of the series, due in 2016.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fire Walk with Me delivers a decidedly decent 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation as well, albeit one that isn't as attractive or proficiently remastered as the television series' BD image. Contrast and clarity are generally pleasing, even though skintones are a tad washed out and primaries are as brilliant as they could be. Black levels are strong nonetheless, shadows are absorbing and detail is exacting. (Much more so than it is in the French MK2 Blu-ray release.) Edge definition is, for the most part, precise, textures follow suit, and grain is mostly intact. There are several scenes in which the film takes on a mildly over-processed appearance -- note the shots at the beginning of Chapter 4 for starters, when Agents Desmond and Stanley arrive at the Deer Meadow Sheriff station -- but insofar as noise reduction is concerned, it hasn't been utilized in too egregious a manner; at least not one that produces any serious smearing or negative side effects. There also aren't any encoding issues, save a hint of artifacting and noise that sneaks into some darker shots. It definitely isn't as much of a revelation as the series' remaster and resurrection -- or a product of the tender loving care afforded the show -- but it still delivers and bests everything release that's come before it, domestic or intentional.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fire Walk with Me features a first-class DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track; one more comfortable in the move to Blu-ray and an eight-channel home theater mix than the surround track accompanying the Blu-ray release of the television series. Dialogue is clean, carefully centered and neatly prioritized, even when chaos erupts or the surreal begins to seep into the real world. The LFE channel and rear speakers give their all as well, forging an able-bodied experience that's more cinematic than that which accompanies the television series. Directionality is commendable, pans are smooth and dynamics are quite good, without anything in the way of issues or shortcomings. There are a few scenes that sound a bit thin and flat compared to the rest, but it seems the film's sound design, not the lossless track, is the culprit. Other than that, though, there isn't anything to complain about. Fire Walk with Me doesn't sound like a film that was shot yesterday -- it too is a product of the early '90s -- but no matter. I doubt it could be much better than this.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Fire Walk with Me: The Missing Pieces (HD, 91 minutes): The holy grail of Twin Peaks fandom is finally available: an hour and a half of deleted and extended scenes from Fire Walk with Me, many of which feature characters, returning series actors and entire subplots that were cut or severely trimmed from the final film. Sweetening the deal is the fact that the compilation is presented in 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround. The only downside I suppose is that Lynch hasn't added the scenes back into the film to create a nearly four-hour director's cut. Scenes include:
  
  
  1. Desmond's Mo *
  2. Say Hello to Jack *
  3. Good Morning Irene
  4. This One's Coming from J. Edgar
  5. Cooper and Diane
  6. Stanley's Apartment
  7. Buenos Aires / Above the Convenience Store
  8. Mike Is the Man * / Sharing a Cigarette
  9. School Books
  10. The Palmers
  11. Laura's Party
  12. 2x4
  13. Kind of Quiet *
  14. Best Friends *
  15. I'm the Muffin / The Ring *
  16. Bob Speaks Through Laura * / Blue Sweater
  17. Sunday at the Johnson's
  18. Smash Up
  19. The Power and the Glory
  20. Fire Walk with Me
  21. Party Girl
  22. Don't Forget / Laura's Secret Stash
  23. Bernie the Mule
  24. I Killed Someone
  25. Baby Laxative
  26. Send Me a Kiss
  27. Asparagus
  28. Bobby and Laura in the Basement *
  29. Goodnight Lucy
  30. Waiting for James *
  31. Distant Screams
  32. Lonesome Foghorn Blows
  33. Epilogue
  
  * Extended Scene
  
  
• Fire Walk with Me: Archival Interviews (SD, 5 minutes): Actors Ray Wise, Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly and Madchen Amick briefly talk about their roles and the feature film in these vintage promotional excerpts.
• Between Two Worlds (HD, 38 minutes): In what he underplays as "an interesting turn of events," David Lynch interviews Leland, Sarah and Laura Palmer (an in-character Ray Wise, Grace Zabriskie and Sheryl Lee), asking Leland about family memories and life after death, Sarah about her current whereabouts and pursuits, and Laura about her reflections on life, her time with her parents, and the beyond. It's a terribly strange epilogue yet so creepy, hypnotic and effective (particularly when Laura's speaking) that it's impossible to look away. Afterwards, the actors break character and break bread... erm, cherry pie for a much lighter, looser conversation about their time on the series. "It was the best of times," Wise begins. "It was the greatest experience!"
• Moving Through Time: Fire Walk with Me Memories (HD, 30 minutes): The cast and crew of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me reminisce about the series' cancellation, the genesis and idea behind the film, the challenges Lynch faced in writing, casting and producing, MacLachlan's withdrawal from the project, recasting Donna Hayward after Lara Flynn Boyle declined to return, and other aspects of the film, its themes, characters, world, and integration of the supernatural and surreal.
• Reflections on the Phenomenon of Twin Peaks (SD, 31 minutes): Also included is another collection of interviews with key members of the cast and crew of Fire Walk with Me, shot between May and August 2000.
• Atmospherics (HD, 13 minutes): The discs' menus feature various environment and show clip loops set to series music and dialogue. Want to watch them individually? Sans text and other menu overlays? Here's your chance. Atmospherics include "Trees/Woods," "Pie," "Signs/Places," "Coffee," "Notes," "Water," "Donuts," "Owls," "The Ring" and "The Red Room"
• Trailers (HD/SD, 5 minutes): Rounding out the 10-disc set are U.S. and international theatrical trailers for Fire Walk with Me, as well as a quick teaser for "The Missing Pieces" deleted scenes.
• Fire Walk with Me Photo Gallery (HD): Production photographs from the film.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rather than a continuation, a final chapter or a twisted follow-up to the series, Fire Walk with Me plays like a film you'd catch in a movie theater in Twin Peaks, Washington. In other words, bizarre, dreamlike and not entirely what you wanted, expected or needed. Lynch, still reeling from the demise of the series, attempts to create cinema out of a cult phenomenon but only succeeds in creating something that feels like a Twin Peaks spin-off, or worse, a side story few really care about. Lynch goes big and bold, though, and there's a curiosity and a touch of filmmaker-induced hypnotism that comes with the mysteries of Fire Walk with Me, keeping it all fresh enough to remain intriguing. Flawed? Terribly. Entertaining? Not quite. Pure David Lynch? Oh yeah, even if it represents the visionary at a low point. The Blu-ray edition is solid, with a decent video presentation, an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a slew of special features, the collection of which easily tops the film itself as the disc's must-see showpiece.