Review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) by Adam F — 28 Mar 2014

The special effects and costumes in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" are first rate, but from the final product it's obvious that the production was quite troubled and often it's a mess. The plot of the films follows Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his theatre troupe as they try to make ends meet by exposing people to the Imaginarium, which is like a dimension of imagination that has the power to save people's souls (I know it doesn't seem to make much sense, I had a lot of trouble following some of this stuff myself). Basically the troop encounter a stranger, played by Heath ledger. He sorta, kinda falls for Parnassus' daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole) but they cannot be together. She has already been promised to Mr. Nick/The Devil (Tom Waits) when Parnassus made a Faustian pact: his children (once they turn 16) in exchange for immortality. The troop has to find a way to beat Mr. Nick in a contest, utilizing the Imaginarium to save more souls than Mr. Nick can damn before Valentina's quickly approaching birthday.

There are quite a few good ideas in the film that are well explored. One of the most interesting is Tom Waits as Mr. Nick/Satan, who appears to be less concerned about actually winning the bets against Dr. Parnassus than he is in keeping the wagers and competitions going for his own amusement (and the torment of the doctor). There is also this running theme about imagination being this other realm people can go to in order to rediscover himself or herself and how it is often required for people to save themselves from their mundane lives. Visually, the film is very imaginative, with beautiful costumes and sets and some pretty unique imagery (particularly during the Imaginarium).

On a story level, it's pretty rough. There are some points where it's very muddled and doesn't really feel like it makes any sense. You've seen actors play younger and older in films but Lily Cole is supposed to be playing a 15 year-old (she is nearly 16 but not yet as the film begins) pretending to be a 12 year-old (since Parnassus doesn't want anyone to know she's nearing the age where Mr. Nick will come and take her) and it is not convincing in the least. There are also some creepy moments where our main character (played alternatively by Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Collin Farrell and Jude Law) seems to be falling for her, despite the fact that the character is a grown man, way too old for a teenager. There are also some plot elements that are introduced but never really explained, such as this magical whistle that prevents choking that Ledger's character (he doesn't really have a name) carries with him at all times. It feels like there are large chunks of the story missing. When we learn Parnassus' backstory, we hear that he gained immortality through a deal with the devil and was once a peaceful monk living in a remote temple. Yet some years later he abandoned his post and is aimlessly wandering the world but we never find out why. There is a "villain" that is introduced in the beginning of the story that meets a fate that is never really explained or followed up on. This, and other strange developments leave you confused. Are they intentionally left vague and ambiguous? Did you miss something because the character is actually seen later in the film with a different actor or actress portraying him? Is it all meant to be symbolic and trying to find any logic actually pointless? Who knows.

The story is often muddy, with some character's goals changing from scene to scene and we never really get any rules explained to us when it comes to the actual Imaginarium. While watching it you'll shift from excited about the content to frustrated and even bored as you struggle to understand what exactly is going on in the story. Thankfully when it comes to the visual element of the film the sets are very well done and quite creative. It's beautiful to look at and there are no two moments in the Imaginarium that look the same so in terms of eye candy it's never dull. There are moments where the special effects are not cutting-edge but that is really because of the film's budgetary limitations so while it's worth noting, it's nothing that is worth mentioning in terms of elements that detract from the overall quality. Really, it's unlike any movie you've seen just because there are so many segments where the elements that look like they belong... well in the imagination of a madman. The story isn't of the same quality though and while watching it, you have to be paying attention to even attempt to get a grasp at what's going on.

It's a shame that during the production Heath Ledger passed away and the crew were forced to patch together the film with the shots that were already taken together and get other actors to fill in the rest. It's clear that this hindered a movie that was already way out there in terms of logic and that really makes the movie difficult to follow. "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is an interesting experiment but as a narrative it leaves a lot to be desired. I guess I do recommend it just because it's an interesting experiment but I say rent it before you buy it on Blu-ray and commit any shelf space to this Terry Gilliam effort. (Blu-ray, May 11, 2013).