Review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Introduction

Following the success of the TV series Twin Peaks, creator David Lynch decided to make a prequel to tell the story of what happened in the period leading up to the opening episode. And as with many TV series, this prequel went straight to the larger screen instead.

I`m not actually going to write a lot about what happens in the film (or the TV series) as it is far too easy to spoil things by letting something important slip. It`s fair to say that a reasonable knowledge of the series is required to experience this film fully, but even if you`ve never seen Twin Peaks before, there`s still plenty in it for you.

Video

Oh dear. We do get a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, but it`s not very good. The print is a bit of a mess, with dirt, dust, scratches, blotches and rings all spoiling your viewing pleasure. How did such a young film get in such a state, and why did nobody do anything about it?

Given some of the striking images on display, it`s a shame that the eye is constantly distracted by all the marks on the print. If you can ignore them for long enough then there is plenty to both entertain and disturb the eye.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack, which is how the film was recorded. There`s nothing inherently wrong with it, but some of the ambient sounds and some of the music would really have enjoyed having a DD5.1 remix. Given the lack of care lavished on the print, it`s not surprising that there`s no remix.

Fans of the series will spot Julee Cruise appearing in the film, and you`ll also hear the instrumental version of "Falling" during the film.

Features

Oh dear. Absolutely nothing. Not even a single subtitle track.

Conclusion

An intriguing and fascinating film is let down by an incredibly poor disc. It`s the sort of film that you want to watch time and time again to pick up on things that you missed last time and to try and make some sense out of some of the more bizarre moments. The film is peppered with scenes where Lynch is trying to mess with your head, and some great performances help him along.

What a shame that the disc is so poor then. The picture is poor, with far too many distracting blemishes. The sound is ok, but a bit of effort could have made it better. And the lack of extras is criminal, particularly with an alleged hour of deleted scenes in existence.

If you`ve not seen the film then you should rent it, but no-one should buy such a poor disc. Wait for the much rumoured region 1 version to appear.