You don’t like Lynch and want only the “fun quirky small town”.
That is a valid point of view and there is honestly an over abundance of that to find.
There is only one David Lynch.
PS - skip The Return
I had watched the first season years ago and a friend of mine finally sat me down to watch the rest last year. After season two we had some weeks pause before starting season three and I remember telling him how excited I was to get some closure on the story. He just looked at me and said nothing.
The movie contains the biggest spoiler for the first 12-ish episodes of the show. You also will not know or care about the characters in Fire Walk With Me if you haven’t seen the show.
In general, always watch content in release order.
It's a random detail thrown in to make Twin Peaks more convoluted (which I love) he says the name of some anchient South American diety that sounds like Judy, but spelled different. Supposedly if they got with their male counter part (probably the man in the mirror from the show) their union is supposed to end the world.
Watch the first two seasons first, otherwise you will lessen your experience and fun you gonna have with Twin Peaks. The first time you watch something you need to see it in release order, even if it is a prequel released afterwards, the movie expects you as a viewer to know certain stuff already.
Shout-out to the massive dickhead at Newbury comics in Dartmouth MA in 2006 who answered this exact question with "eh yeah you'll be fine"
Watch at least the first season before the movie (or do literally anything you want!)
It was my introduction to Twin Peaks, and it was quite some time before I had the chance to see the TV series. I knew going into it that it was a prequel, so I understood that I was watching the events leading up to the series pilot, which pops off with a grand mystery that lasts all season and into the 2nd one, which the movie technically spoiled but did not lessen my enjoyment of.
With that said, it absolutely, instantly became one of my favorite movies and. It scared. The. Shit. Outta me, as a full grown man. Amazing movie, and it was a long time before I was comfortable watching it alone. You can absolutely enjoy it on its own, and I would dare say that I gained a greater enjoyment for it than some fans got at the time, because I hadn't seen the show, not in spite of it (it was a box office flop). I would jump at the chance to see it in theaters if it were me, but you'll likely find my opinion in the minority.
as someone who saw the movie first, I feel like it stands on its own. you will miss some context, but my god. I can't remember crying harder at the end of any other movie.
The movie (and the secret diary of Laura Palmer) do so much to make you care about her. During season 1 I kind of got the feeling that she was just a shitty person until some of those reasons were revealed. I also felt that way about Rachel Amber from Life Is Strange which is heavily inspired.
I don’t think “understand” is the right word - I think the better word is “feel”…you’ll want to watch the first two seasons to more properly feel FWWM. I don’t want to give anything away, but try to put any and all storyline/content expectations aside before you watch the film too.
My brother in Christ you can watch all twin peaks seasons and firewalk with me fifty times and you're not going to understand it. That's what makes it beautiful. That said, technically Firewalk with me is a prequel to season 1
This was my introduction to Twin Peaks back in the nineties. It didn’t make any difference to my experience. It was the moment I fell in love with Lynch. I immediately purchased the original series on VHS and binge watched it. Then waited 25 years for the Return. Makes sense to watch whatever comes to you first in my opinion. The whole thing is a giant beautiful puzzle
>Do I need to watch Twin Peaks in order to understand the movie?
no.
understanding what the twin peaks are helps. understanding how lynch lost his show to network meddling helps.
understanding lynch is speaking to you helps.
the language of the medium is effective, but you must be open to listening. fire walk with me is lynch asking if you are listening.
So I watched firewalk with me before seeing the show. It made very little sense to me and it definitely spoiled a crap ton of the show. I still ended up LOVING twin peaks, but I really wish I didn’t see the movie first.
Please don’t.
If you're not intending to watch the series, then whatever, but you'll have the killer spoiled just by watching the trailer. Basically you won't have any context for anything, so I wouldn't recommend going to it without viewing the series.
I'm going to disagree with the majority and say it's ok to watch fire walk with me first. I'm a big David lynch fan, and I actually saw fire walk with me before twin peaks. It didn't really ruin the show or anything and i still enjoyed it after the movie. Twin peaks can be slow at times and is kind of a soap opera with mystery, whereas the movie is a mystery with soap elements. The movie is also more palatable to start with since it's basically a longer more entertaining episode of twin peaks. Both are great, I just personally don't think it really matters which you watch first.
I watched FWWM simply because of David Lynch and loving his other work and it’s some of his best work. It was literally my entry point into twin peaks, I wasnt interested the series and the return until I saw FWWM.
Edit: in case I wasn’t clear it’s a great standalone horror film.
I saw it in the theater when it came out, before I saw the show. I very much enjoyed it but I was pretty lost. It's a great movie to see in a theater if you get the chance so go see it.
Watch in release order. I promise you. Fwwm with me is amazing, but it also very much assumes familiarity with the series and is not at all accessible to newcomers. And it spoils a lot of the original series
I love that you’re genuinely asking if you need to watch the show the movie is based on in order to understand it 😂. That’s like asking if you need to watch the first movie to understand the sequel.
It's a valid question. Sometimes a film's sequel will stand on its own, sometimes a movie based on a show will stand on its own. Other times, if you don't watch the original, the movie will make zero sense, because the writers expected you to come in with all the understanding from the first production.
So no, it's not a silly question to ask.
Definitely. You have to watch the first season. I zoned out during season 2 when it first ran and have only really watched Lynch’s last episode from it since.
You don't have to, but you should. The first season of Twin Peaks especially is excellent and it will give you more of a connection to the character so that the movie makes more sense and affects you more.
Watch the show first, though there are parts of season 2 you can easily skip (basically from when the killer is revealed until the finale, though I'm sure there are more detailed lists online).
You won't understand everything about the movie no matter what, but it'd be way less interesting not having watched the show and got invested in who Laura Palmer is.
Mm yeah watch the first two seasons, the movie is like the real finale/epilogue after the 2 og seasons tbh, and before the 2010's revival happened (which you watch after the 2 seasons+the movie)
You need to watch the seasons first, then FWWM, and then season 3- The Return. It won't punch you in the gut if you don't get to know the characters first. And don't watch this movie if you're having a really depressing day....it's so brutal.
Nah, the movie stands alone on it's own. It's more of a proto Mulholland Drive than a direct continuation of the show. Watch the movie and then do the show if you want to explore the world further.
I had to watch the movie for a class and I hadn't watched the show pfeciously. I understood the movie just fine, even though it was somewhat "convoluted". I remember being confused by a few things, though.
This is a very weird series, but you'll be even more lost if you jump into the movie without having any pretext. I don't know that you'll find it enjoyable.
There are a lot of weird layers to this show, the plot, the characters, and a lot of it is heavily intertwined.
It honestly took me a couple viewings of the series before I really started to appreciate it.
Granted, I am a moron and it takes a while for things to click for me.
do NOT watch the movie without watching the first two seasons. It won’t make any sense. I can’t believe anyone is saying otherwise.
Thats kinda one of the reasons it didn’t do well in theaters the first time around.
i think if you do, you’ll have a much different experience watching the show afterwards if you choose to do that. idk if it would be bad necessarily, just different than how it was intended to be consumed, yk. i love twin peaks and think everyone should watch, so i think you should get into it however you want. but it would spoil the whole show for you and possibly ruin the novelty
Watch the show first. Not only because of spoilers but for the insane tonal shifts from the show to the film. I’d always recommend watching in release order
Yes, but no, but yes. Even with watching two seasons, you may not understand all of it. Yet, you can watch it as a stand alone film and still get the understand the story without seeing the series.
This is where it all starts so yes go for it. Your familiar with his art, so you will love this movie as a stand alone or starting point Into the twin peaks world.
i'm late to this thread
hey OP, just watch it, the film stands on its own just fine. any confusion will just add to your experience. trust me. and trust David Lynch, he knew
I have seen FWWM in its various cuts many times. I guess I will try to cultivate a beginner's mind and imagine the film as a standalone product.
Not only will you be missing out, not only will you be spoiled, but you will also be deprived of an important emotional experience that Lynch was trying to convey.
I swear I am not one of those obnoxious art snob people. I could write a long essay but this but I legit believe that David Lynch has been developing a kind of vocabulary in film, and that it, like mathematics, depends on you understanding earlier work in the curriculum. I don't think you should see *Mulholland Drive* without first having seen *Lost Highway*, for example. Lynch has been building and you have to take the journey with him, in release order, to really get it.
But also, the end of *FWWM*, without being informed by *Twin Peaks*, loses something important Lynch was trying to convey: about the town, about the character herself, and so on.
I really wouldn’t watch it without having seen the original 2 seasons before
After watching the first 2 season, I’d suggest not watching it at all. (I’m one of the few who thinks the movie is…..awful….)
For anyone reading this, it’s completely bad advice.
Downvotes galore. Lots of people like slow burn rapey, miserable, nonsensical bullshit. I just don’t relate. The show is better ;)
You don’t like Lynch and want only the “fun quirky small town”. That is a valid point of view and there is honestly an over abundance of that to find. There is only one David Lynch. PS - skip The Return
Perhaps
I agree completely. Movie is terrible compared to the show and ruins several things about the show for me.
Understand is a strong word
I had watched the first season years ago and a friend of mine finally sat me down to watch the rest last year. After season two we had some weeks pause before starting season three and I remember telling him how excited I was to get some closure on the story. He just looked at me and said nothing.
Cooper comes back THIS episode, right? Right???
You mean Mr Jackpots?
"HelllllOOOOOOOO...!"
Watching the film before the show will both spoil twists in the show and rob the the film of its impact.
The movie contains the biggest spoiler for the first 12-ish episodes of the show. You also will not know or care about the characters in Fire Walk With Me if you haven’t seen the show. In general, always watch content in release order.
"I'm not here to talk about Judy."
Spoiler for the books. He doesn't say Judy.
Is that it..?
It's a random detail thrown in to make Twin Peaks more convoluted (which I love) he says the name of some anchient South American diety that sounds like Judy, but spelled different. Supposedly if they got with their male counter part (probably the man in the mirror from the show) their union is supposed to end the world.
Apocrypha. hidden scripture 'Book of Judith'.. JUDI/YAHWEH.
Watch the first two seasons first, otherwise you will lessen your experience and fun you gonna have with Twin Peaks. The first time you watch something you need to see it in release order, even if it is a prequel released afterwards, the movie expects you as a viewer to know certain stuff already.
You should definitely watch the show, but you still won’t understand anything 💀
Yes
Liberally construing the word “understand”.
All you need to know is that there was a fish……in the percolator
One of the greatest tv mysteries of all tine
Shout-out to the massive dickhead at Newbury comics in Dartmouth MA in 2006 who answered this exact question with "eh yeah you'll be fine" Watch at least the first season before the movie (or do literally anything you want!)
You like Lynch enough to drive an hour and a half to see a movie but have never watched Twin Peaks?
THAT is the question
It was my introduction to Twin Peaks, and it was quite some time before I had the chance to see the TV series. I knew going into it that it was a prequel, so I understood that I was watching the events leading up to the series pilot, which pops off with a grand mystery that lasts all season and into the 2nd one, which the movie technically spoiled but did not lessen my enjoyment of. With that said, it absolutely, instantly became one of my favorite movies and. It scared. The. Shit. Outta me, as a full grown man. Amazing movie, and it was a long time before I was comfortable watching it alone. You can absolutely enjoy it on its own, and I would dare say that I gained a greater enjoyment for it than some fans got at the time, because I hadn't seen the show, not in spite of it (it was a box office flop). I would jump at the chance to see it in theaters if it were me, but you'll likely find my opinion in the minority.
It's one of my all time favourite and scariest films. Luckily I wa
Luckily I am old enough to have seen it in the cinema on first release. Unluckily I hit post too early on my first message
as someone who saw the movie first, I feel like it stands on its own. you will miss some context, but my god. I can't remember crying harder at the end of any other movie.
The movie (and the secret diary of Laura Palmer) do so much to make you care about her. During season 1 I kind of got the feeling that she was just a shitty person until some of those reasons were revealed. I also felt that way about Rachel Amber from Life Is Strange which is heavily inspired.
Me too. I walked in to the movie without having seen the show and it's my top movie viewing experience of all time. OP I say do it!
I don’t think “understand” is the right word - I think the better word is “feel”…you’ll want to watch the first two seasons to more properly feel FWWM. I don’t want to give anything away, but try to put any and all storyline/content expectations aside before you watch the film too.
My brother in Christ you can watch all twin peaks seasons and firewalk with me fifty times and you're not going to understand it. That's what makes it beautiful. That said, technically Firewalk with me is a prequel to season 1
Which does spoil the murder mystery of season one, which is the main plot of that season.
True
This was my introduction to Twin Peaks back in the nineties. It didn’t make any difference to my experience. It was the moment I fell in love with Lynch. I immediately purchased the original series on VHS and binge watched it. Then waited 25 years for the Return. Makes sense to watch whatever comes to you first in my opinion. The whole thing is a giant beautiful puzzle
>Do I need to watch Twin Peaks in order to understand the movie? no. understanding what the twin peaks are helps. understanding how lynch lost his show to network meddling helps. understanding lynch is speaking to you helps. the language of the medium is effective, but you must be open to listening. fire walk with me is lynch asking if you are listening.
So I watched firewalk with me before seeing the show. It made very little sense to me and it definitely spoiled a crap ton of the show. I still ended up LOVING twin peaks, but I really wish I didn’t see the movie first. Please don’t.
If you're not intending to watch the series, then whatever, but you'll have the killer spoiled just by watching the trailer. Basically you won't have any context for anything, so I wouldn't recommend going to it without viewing the series.
I'm going to disagree with the majority and say it's ok to watch fire walk with me first. I'm a big David lynch fan, and I actually saw fire walk with me before twin peaks. It didn't really ruin the show or anything and i still enjoyed it after the movie. Twin peaks can be slow at times and is kind of a soap opera with mystery, whereas the movie is a mystery with soap elements. The movie is also more palatable to start with since it's basically a longer more entertaining episode of twin peaks. Both are great, I just personally don't think it really matters which you watch first.
I watched FWWM simply because of David Lynch and loving his other work and it’s some of his best work. It was literally my entry point into twin peaks, I wasnt interested the series and the return until I saw FWWM. Edit: in case I wasn’t clear it’s a great standalone horror film.
It would help but, as it's mostly a prequel, you'll kind of be okay with it. Go for it, it's a pretty intense film.
I saw it in the theater when it came out, before I saw the show. I very much enjoyed it but I was pretty lost. It's a great movie to see in a theater if you get the chance so go see it.
No more confused than any other Lynch movie. It might be his meanest. Great movie
Go ask this over in r/twinpeaks.
Watch in release order. I promise you. Fwwm with me is amazing, but it also very much assumes familiarity with the series and is not at all accessible to newcomers. And it spoils a lot of the original series
Go ahead and watch it but you still won't understand it, I promise lol
I love that you’re genuinely asking if you need to watch the show the movie is based on in order to understand it 😂. That’s like asking if you need to watch the first movie to understand the sequel.
It's a valid question. Sometimes a film's sequel will stand on its own, sometimes a movie based on a show will stand on its own. Other times, if you don't watch the original, the movie will make zero sense, because the writers expected you to come in with all the understanding from the first production. So no, it's not a silly question to ask.
Good friend of mine absolutely refuses to go near twin peaks because he saw the movie first
DONT WATCH IT BEFORE TWIN PEAKS!!! It will literally spoil the entire show
you’re going to want to see the show first yeah
Yes you do.
Yes
Yeah you kinda do.
You need to watch Twin Peaks anyway, so do yourself a favor and start the show
You won't understand it either way. The movie will spoil the show. I think it would be a fun watch in the theater, if you don't care about that.
Definitely. You have to watch the first season. I zoned out during season 2 when it first ran and have only really watched Lynch’s last episode from it since.
I would say watch the movie, THEN the series, as it'll make a lot of stuff in the series make sense.
Yeah a lot of stuff that isn’t supposed to yet
You realize the show isn't supposed to make sense right away right? It's a mystery for a reason.
But definitely go see it just binge it
Even after you watch Twin Peaks, you *still* won’t understand Fire Walk With Me
This was my first experience of both Twin Peaks and David Lynch and I loved it!
You don't have to, but you should. The first season of Twin Peaks especially is excellent and it will give you more of a connection to the character so that the movie makes more sense and affects you more.
Watch the show first, though there are parts of season 2 you can easily skip (basically from when the killer is revealed until the finale, though I'm sure there are more detailed lists online). You won't understand everything about the movie no matter what, but it'd be way less interesting not having watched the show and got invested in who Laura Palmer is.
Is the movie any good?
I've debated that with myself for 31 years. At the moment I'd say yes, but it has many flaws.
Mm yeah watch the first two seasons, the movie is like the real finale/epilogue after the 2 og seasons tbh, and before the 2010's revival happened (which you watch after the 2 seasons+the movie)
You need to watch the seasons first, then FWWM, and then season 3- The Return. It won't punch you in the gut if you don't get to know the characters first. And don't watch this movie if you're having a really depressing day....it's so brutal.
Nah, the movie stands alone on it's own. It's more of a proto Mulholland Drive than a direct continuation of the show. Watch the movie and then do the show if you want to explore the world further.
I had to watch the movie for a class and I hadn't watched the show pfeciously. I understood the movie just fine, even though it was somewhat "convoluted". I remember being confused by a few things, though.
This is a very weird series, but you'll be even more lost if you jump into the movie without having any pretext. I don't know that you'll find it enjoyable. There are a lot of weird layers to this show, the plot, the characters, and a lot of it is heavily intertwined. It honestly took me a couple viewings of the series before I really started to appreciate it. Granted, I am a moron and it takes a while for things to click for me.
do NOT watch the movie without watching the first two seasons. It won’t make any sense. I can’t believe anyone is saying otherwise. Thats kinda one of the reasons it didn’t do well in theaters the first time around.
At least season 1
i think if you do, you’ll have a much different experience watching the show afterwards if you choose to do that. idk if it would be bad necessarily, just different than how it was intended to be consumed, yk. i love twin peaks and think everyone should watch, so i think you should get into it however you want. but it would spoil the whole show for you and possibly ruin the novelty
You should watch Twin Peaks first, but whether or not that will help you understand the movie is debatable.
Watch the show first. Not only because of spoilers but for the insane tonal shifts from the show to the film. I’d always recommend watching in release order
Yes, but no, but yes. Even with watching two seasons, you may not understand all of it. Yet, you can watch it as a stand alone film and still get the understand the story without seeing the series.
This is where it all starts so yes go for it. Your familiar with his art, so you will love this movie as a stand alone or starting point Into the twin peaks world.
i'm late to this thread hey OP, just watch it, the film stands on its own just fine. any confusion will just add to your experience. trust me. and trust David Lynch, he knew
I have seen FWWM in its various cuts many times. I guess I will try to cultivate a beginner's mind and imagine the film as a standalone product. Not only will you be missing out, not only will you be spoiled, but you will also be deprived of an important emotional experience that Lynch was trying to convey. I swear I am not one of those obnoxious art snob people. I could write a long essay but this but I legit believe that David Lynch has been developing a kind of vocabulary in film, and that it, like mathematics, depends on you understanding earlier work in the curriculum. I don't think you should see *Mulholland Drive* without first having seen *Lost Highway*, for example. Lynch has been building and you have to take the journey with him, in release order, to really get it. But also, the end of *FWWM*, without being informed by *Twin Peaks*, loses something important Lynch was trying to convey: about the town, about the character herself, and so on.