The illustrious final film of Heath Ledger (Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale) and the new film from director Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing: In Las Vegas, Brazil), The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (TIDP for short, to save my hands some stress) is a visual treat for the mind, as we have come to expect from Terry Gilliam. Gilliam is also better known for his role as a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Also TIDP stars many other big names: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Collin Farrel, and Christopher Plummer. Even the minor characters will shove cameos in your face: Tom Waits and Peter Stormare to name a few. But the real star of this movie is Verne Troyer, no joke, it is amazing to see the man who was mini me in a starring and very respectable and intellectual role. Heath Ledger of course also gives quite a performance, not on par with the Joker, but still not awful to watch. So, the easiest way to deal with TIDP is going to be to not do too much summary and to try to write out my very mixed feelings about this movie.
Quick Summary: Doctor Parnassus is a story telling monk who makes a deal with Satan for everlasting life, he wins their bet, but continues to bet again and again with the devil, losing everything. Their contest? The two race to see who can add the most souls to their flock by the end of a set time period. The devil uses trickery and deception, while the good doctor uses a magic mirror to help people achieve a type of nirvana by their making the choice of good over evil. In the modern day though, Doctor Parnassus has trouble helping people on the right path which is more difficult than the quick way of Satan.
So let's start with the good. This is a work of art, every scene is more beautiful then the last and this is a plus seeing as how this is a long movie. The overall plot and its attempt at a social commentary is fairly well written, and it even carries some of the finer wit that Terry Gilliam is well known for. There are also some really great performances provided by the big names, but the man who plays Mister Nick (Tom Waits) is really my favorite, as he plays a fantastic villain.
Now for the bad. This movie has a really great idea, but the plot starts to become muddled about an hour in and never really finds a way to recover itself even in the conclusion which left me the most confused of all. The movie ends with such neutral motions that the credits roll before you even know that it's over. This movie didn't live up to my expectations and so with no real reason to recommend I have to leave the Imaginarium and return to the real world fairly bored with what i saw there.
Pros
-beautiful imagery
-great villain
-not a bad social commentary on wrong and right
Cons
-plot falls flat in the middle
-below par for Gilliam
Verdict
4 shots
