Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
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Synopsis
In the town of Twin Peaks, everybody has their secrets—but no one more than Laura Palmer. In this prequel to his groundbreaking 1990s television series, David Lynch resurrects the teenager found wrapped in plastic at the beginning of the show, following her through the last week of her life and teasing out the enigmas that surround her murder. Homecoming queen by day and drug-addicted thrill seeker by night, Laura leads a double life that pulls her deeper and deeper into horror as she pieces together the identity of the assailant who has been terrorizing her for years. Nightmarish in its vision of an innocent torn apart by unfathomable forces, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is nevertheless one of Lynch’s most humane films, aching with compassion for its tortured heroine—a character as enthralling in life as she was in death.
Picture 8/10
David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me receives a 4K upgrade from The Criterion Collection, presented on a triple-layer UHD disc in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The SDR 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition image is sourced from the same 4K restoration used for Criterion’s 2017 Blu-ray, scanned from the 35mm original camera negative. That Blu-ray is included here as well, offering the film in 1080p alongside all of the release’s supplements.
The 4K does look pretty good, though the slight disappointment is that it doesn’t look that much better. The new encode—for the most part—is cleaner, delivering a more natural film texture; reds and blacks in the Pink Room (and Red Room) scenes separate more cleanly; and the image feels a touch more open in range. Still, these are modest improvements, the sort you’d expect as a baseline for any 4K upgrade.
The strengths of the previous presentation and base restoration remain fully intact. The elements are in terrific condition, with no heavy marks (though there is still the occasional spec), and details and textures come through cleanly. This does include the film's heavy yet fine grain structure, though even here, there is still room for improvement with it looking a little noisy on occasion. Colors are rich (especially those deep reds), and black levels are pretty rich while still allowing for strong shadow detail. Even so, the absence of an HDR grade feels like a missed opportunity, borderline criminal, really, particularly in the Pink Room sequence, which I think begs for it. Whether it simply wasn’t feasible or Lynch couldn’t approve one before his passing, an HDR grade would have given this presentation the kick it so desperately calls for. As it stands, it’s a solid enough image, but in no way a major leap over the Blu-ray.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - Screen Captures
Audio 9/10
Criterion again includes two DTS-HD MA options: the film’s original 2.0 stereo surround track and a remixed 7.1 track. My setup is limited to 5.1, so my comments on the 7.1 mix are still based on playback in that configuration.
Fire Walk with Me features a wonderfully dynamic sound design, and both tracks handle it beautifully, though I’d ultimately lean toward the 7.1 mix. Both offer immersive experiences, but the 7.1 track feels a bit more playful. Directionality across the rears is more pronounced, panning effects across the fronts are cleaner and more distinct, and the bass in the nightclub sequence—paired with the intentionally muffled dialogue—comes across as far more natural and effective.
Either option works well and really comes down to personal preference. Both sound sharp, balanced, and crystal clear.
Extras 7/10
Criterion includes a standard Blu-ray disc featuring all of the special features and a 1080p presentation of the film, with the 4K UHD disc reserved solely for playback. Since it’s essentially the same disc released in 2017, all supplements are ported over.
That’s a little disappointing, as Criterion still doesn’t offer much beyond what Paramount included in their earlier Twin Peaks box set. The key feature, and still the big draw, is The Missing Pieces, a 91-minute assemblage of deleted and alternate scenes edited together by Lynch. In an included roundtable, Lynch estimates that, if restored to the film, these scenes would push Fire Walk with Me to about three and a half or four hours. Long considered something of a holy grail for fans, their release was an event, and they remain essential viewing.
Technically, the footage looks to have been painstakingly restored and is even presented in 7.1 surround (Dolby Digital here, not DTS-HD as on the Paramount set). Conceptually, it almost plays like its own film, and much of the material is excellent. The extended Bowie sequence stands out, filling in more of his character’s fate and restoring his full office scene without the abstract montage found in the finished film. Other moments are pure curiosities, though still a bit of fun. But most intriguing are the glimpses of Twin Peaks’ missing townsfolk—Everett McGill, Kimmy Robertson, Jack Nance, Joan Chen, and others—whose absence helped make the feature feel darker and more insular.
It’s clear that Lynch wanted the film to inhabit the Twin Peaks world while functioning as its own, far bleaker entity, keeping focus tightly on Laura Palmer rather than the town’s eccentricities. Those quirks largely ended up on the cutting room floor, though the deleted material shows just how much more connective tissue once existed between film and series, with Lynch really only keeping anything from the show that was key to this film's story and Laura's downfall, including the drug smuggling plotline from the first season. It also highlights why the final cut can seem opaque to viewers unfamiliar with the show, since there are a number of scenes here that also clarify story points in the film. For fans, though, The Missing Pieces is certainly still a goldmine.
Criterion also retains their two exclusive interviews recorded for the Blu-ray: a 22-minute conversation with Sheryl Lee and a 20-minute one with Angelo Badalamenti. Lee’s interview is especially strong, recounting how she was cast as a corpse before Lynch, impressed by her ability, wrote her into the show as another character. She also speaks candidly about how deeply she internalized Laura Palmer, so much so that, after wrapping, she found it strange to think about herself rather than the character. Badalamenti’s piece is equally engaging, filled with anecdotes (including a funny one involving the Queen and Paul McCartney) and insights into his collaboration with Lynch. He also performs a section of “The Voice of Love,” the film’s closing theme.
Also carried over from Paramount’s release is An Actor’s Discussion, a 28-minute roundtable featuring Lynch with Lee, Ray Wise, and Grace Zabriskie. It’s not particularly illuminating, but it’s warm and enjoyable, filled with recollections that underline how close the cast became, dysfunctional family or not. They revisit a deleted scene (included in The Missing Pieces) on a laptop, share memories of filming the more intimate moments, and muse on the show’s enduring appeal. Fun, if not essential.
Still, some fresh material would have gone a long way. New interviews with Wise, Zabriskie, or Kyle MacLachlan (or, ideally, Lynch himself) would’ve elevated this edition. Criterion also omits the brief archival interviews found on the Paramount release, leaving only three trailers (U.S., international, and one for The Missing Pieces). Another minor downgrade is the lack of chapter stops, which Lynch has always demanded be left off.
Most glaring, though, is the absence of any contextual feature for newcomers. Without the series included, a short piece summarizing the show’s events would have been invaluable. The included booklet helps a bit; it reprints the same excerpt from Chris Rodley’s Lynch on Lynch found in the Blu-ray edition, where Lynch reflects on the show’s success and his disappointment in the film’s reception. Still, despite that, it won’t fill in the gaps for first-timers.
In the end, the supplements are fine, with The Missing Pieces remaining the standout. Yet without new material or broader context for the uninitiated, the features still feel more like a careful carryover than a true upgrade.
Closing
The new 4K edition is ultimately fine; an improvement over the Blu-ray, but only a modest one. The presentation still feels open to further refinement, and the supplements continue to leave a bit to be desired.
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