Review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) by Michael V — 18 Nov 2011

This being a Terry Gilliam film, you know it's going to be fantastic in a classic sense, complicated with many original characters, and something that not only you can watch more than once but it demands that you do so.

The story is built up in layers and seemed to me perfectly cast. The cast had perhaps more heavyweight star-power than any contemporary Hollywood blockbuster could ever dream of Ledger, Plummer, Depp, Law, and Ferrel.

Each of them bringing their talents to the table even as Tom Waits steals the show popping up unexpectedly every now and then in the most unusual fashion. I particularly like the play between Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits playing the devil quite brillantly.

I found it interesting to see the visual influences in this film as well. The fantasy segments all have the mark of the director's animation days with Monty Python and everything else about this film screams back to his days of making films in the 80's.

But this is not a film for everyone. The ending is not a Hollywood style happy ending by any means, but one that reflects on the nature of life. The plot is not as predictable and the clichà (C)s used in the film aren't the sort you usually see.