Review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) by Edgar C — 14 Mar 2010

I think David Lynch would get higher ratings with me if he didn't get rid of the real interesting stuff after the first 45 minutes of his films. I was enthralled with this film for the whole beginning. Everything revolving around the detectives was gold. And then we are introduced to Laura Palmer....who shanghais the show and centers it around her tragic downfall into substance abuse and psychological damage. The writing was well done, and some of the shots (especially at the beginning and in the Lodge) are superb. But like I said, rather that give us a bizarre murder mystery unlike anything we have ever seen before, we get a tragic tale of a female gone wrong in the likes of something we have seen before. If only Lynch got those sequels made.

The synopsis is kinda tough to decypher, especially after one viewing. But that is what makes Lynch's films so fun. They are so utterly mind-wrecking that he forces you to watch his films again. Mainly to make you think like you are smarter than everyone who doesn't get it, only to have him laugh to your face about how you do not get the point. Oh, and he definitely has a "Yeah, I just did that, SO WHAT?!" attitude, which I respect in a filmmaker. His toying with reality and fantasy is mesmerizing.

One thing that could possibly affect the rating I give this film is the fact that I have not yet seen any episodes of the cult classic TV series this film is the precursor to. I have been told by a few people that it really does help with the viewing of this film. And I would not see how that is not good advice as there are many mysteries to solve in this film that correlate to the show's events.

The performances are classic Lynch, a little melodramatic, creepy and twisted at times, yet emotional and angry as well. We see some returning actors from Lynch's other films like Kyle MacLachlan, David Bowie, his favorite little person Michael J. Anderson, and Lynch himself stars in a pretty comedic role. Which is another problem I had with this film, the first half of this film is hilarious, but that dies off after the poetic remarks made 45 minutes into the film.

I really liked this film, however, I found the whole "prologue way more intriguing than the rest of the film. Maybe it's just because I love crime fiction.