Review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) by Halfwelshman — 29 Aug 2012

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a visually stunning film even by Terry Gilliam's incredibly high standards, and is packed full of oddball energy and interesting ideas about dreams, imagination and reality.

Christopher Plummer and Lily Cole impress, as does Tom Waits' mischievous villain, but Heath Ledger under-performs in his final screen appearance, and his "apples and pears" accent is nearly as bad as Dick Van Dyke's in Mary Poppins (though not quite as awful as Don Cheadle's in the Ocean's films).

The film hinges on a number of fantastical trips into the titular imaginarium, and these largely work, with Ledger's character Tony played by a different actor for each sequence (a clever last-minute story change to accommodate Ledger's tragic and untimely death).

The best imaginarium sequence is the one with Jude Law as Tony because of its sheer surrealism and Law's utterly batty performance. The film never even comes close to coming together as a whole however, and occasionally the convoluted plot becomes incomprehensible.

Somehow Gilliam's zaniness keeps the film watchable throughout, and while you may not always know what exactly is going on, you'll feel like you've been on the ride of your life. Parnassus will certainly bemuse some viewers, frustrate others and amaze yet more (divisiveness is what Gilliam does best), and I'm really not sure which of those camps I belong in, as I feel confused, annoyed and mesmerised at various points, often changing my opinion of the film from scene to scene.

It's more an oddity, a strangely captivating collage of elements rather than a complete package, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is an undeniably unique and memorable viewing experience.