Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

With a limited release on Christmas Day and facing stiff competition from films such as Nine and Sherlock Holmes, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus should sue their marketing team. If this film is depending on the power of being Heath Ledger’s last film alone, then they are in big trouble. It has already been released in UK and still there is a lack of word of mouth for this film, and so far no major award nominations despite several screenings in and around LA. This includes the pre-release screening hosted by the Society of Audio Engineers that was luckily shown at my film school, giving me access to Terry Gilliam’s latest film.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is about an epic battle between good and evil. Many centuries ago, Doctor Parnassus made a deal with the devil and gained immortality. But the gambling man later lost another bet, the terms of which dictated that on his daughter’s 16th birthday she would become the property of the devil. Now Doctor Parnassus has made a new bargain with the devil, just as Heath Ledger’s character shows up. But who is this amnesiac man? A savior for Doctor Parnassus’s daughter, or the devil’s sidekick?

The strong point of the film is the look of the movie. Even before we enter the Imaginarium, Terry Gilliam fills the screen with various images to stare upon. Some complex, others just juxtaposing to create a world full of detail. Then there is the Imaginarium itself. The Imaginarium is a world through a magical mirror, and once one enters it, their dreams come true. But one must be careful, for the devil works inside as well, and if you are tempted by old Nick, you may never come back out. Mainly CGI-based, but like Avatar, the Imaginarium uses CGI to its advantage. Each time a characters enters the mirror it is a completely different world, sometimes dark, sometimes light, but always wonderful to view.

Another aspect of the film I enjoyed was the casting. I’m not a huge fan of Verne Troyer (who you probably remember as Mini-me from the Austin Powers films), but his one-liners in this film cracked me up. Each of the characters played their parts, but didn’t try to stand out. Including the wonderful last performance of the late, great Heath Ledger. He put on a wonderful last act, which Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all had to live up to. Depp and Law channeled him best, but I won’t say it was entirely Farrell’s fault for not acting like Ledger due to what the character was going through at the time Farrell filled in.

For the most part the script was strong. Filled with plenty of jokes, but it still managed to be dark at times too. The script balanced these two tones and moods quite well. Everything was going along great, until you reach the third act. Either the film failed to explain the rules properly, or (in my opinion) the film explained the rules and then broke them. The question at the end of the movie isn’t what, but how.

I wanted to like this film, but the last act killed it for me. I do, however, recommend seeing it on the big screen instead of renting it, just for the visuals. Also, if you like ambiguous endings, I would definitely go see this film. Be sure to stay to the end of the credits to be confused even more. Otherwise, the fact that this is Heath Ledger’s last stand means that it deserves a viewing as well.

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