Review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) by Victor T — 06 Dec 2015

Terry Gilliam is known for being a member of the beloved Monthy Python group and for being an extremely imaginative and peculiar director that crafts insanely detailed worlds and provides a surreal experience. But "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" isn't remembered for its director, but for being the last film Heath Ledger made. Is this film a worthy conclusion to Ledger´s career?

Doctor Parnassus is an immortal man that travels around London with his daughter Valentina, his assistant Percy, and his worker Anton. They travel to provide a gipsy show that promises a life changing experience, but unfortunately almost no one is interested. One day, the come along an stranger named Tony, who may change their fortune.

When it comes to Terry Gilliam, you either love his imaginative and unconventional style or you hate it, and I personally I admire it (I love "Brazil", "12 Monkeys", and "Time Bandits"), but having said that I will admit that "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is filled with imperfections. "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" counts with Gilliam´s trademark irreverent directing, the visuals are striking and full of originality (sure, they look cheap but that's the point of the Imaginarium itself), a lot of interesting ideas are executed marvelously, the acting is solid, the comedy works, the main trio of characters are interesting, Law-Depp-Farrell are a perfect representation of Ledger and the message of the history is inspiring (it is obvious that this is Gilliam´s most autobiographical film to date). With that being said this film is a mess, which is not surprising from Gilliam but what truly is shocking is the lack of organization that most of his previous films have. "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" counts with two unlikeable characters that hurt the experience every time they are in frame, the concept is underutilized, while the Law and Depp sections feel connected, the Farrell section drastically changes the tone and it is the one section that feels it was added due to the death of Ledger, the use of the Imaginarium is inconsistent, at first it was all about the buildup of what's across the mirror, but the last portion of the film is just about throwing random stuff at the audience; and the story is extremely inconsistent. Sure, Terry Gilliam movies are about ideas and creativity, thus the plot is just the excuse that gets characters to one point to another, but with this film it seemed that Gilliam wanted to tell the story of Faust combined with some autobiographical elements but then Heath Ledger´s character completely changes the story from a simple tale of a man and the Devil to the a romantic triangle.

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is a frustrating film as it has some greatness but its inconsistent storytelling and script are what breaks the whole experience. While it has its moments, this film lacks the magic that made other Gilliam films the beloved films they are. Fun but forgettable.