The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Review
The last decade has been very frustrating for filmmaker Terry Gilliam. He attempted to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in 1999, only to have things turn sour quick as the lead actor suffered a herniated disc (Jean Rochefort) and the sets were heavily damaged from floods. The film was eventually canceled, though not all was lost, as a second crew was hired by Gilliam to archive the production, and those frustrations of what could of been can be witnessed in the documentary Lost in La Mancha. Then there is the The Brothers Grimm, a movie dropped by original distributor MGM, only to end up in the hands of those meddling siblings known as the Weinstein Brothers. Word on the street is there were some heated battles between the parties and on-set tensions were high.
Everyone was stunned at the tragic death of Heath Ledger on January 22, 2008, which caused The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Gilliam’s first original project in many years, to grind to a halt. Terry fought to to keep everything going and reconfigure the story, and to not lose the impressive performance from a great actor who was taken from us so suddenly.
For centuries Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) has had a knack of making deals with Lucifer (Tom Waits) and always seems to get the short end of the stick. The devil has arrived to collect his prize, Parnassus’ gorgeous daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) on her sweet 16. Parnassus was given the gift of being able to bring the imaginations of people to life with a special mirror that is aboard his theatrical barge.
They befriend Tony (Heath ledger), who is literally hanging from a bridge and clinging to life. They bring him on board for the show and he immediately uses his charm and good looks to bring in more money and customers to the faltering sideshow. Valentina falls head over heels for him, but beware, there is always a snake in the Garden of Eden. Tony has a past he would like to forget, and as the skeletons in his closet come looking for him, he makes his way in and out of the grandeur of the mirror and propels the viewer into an amazing wonderland of sights and sounds.
One last bet is put on the table, one to save or doom Valentina – the first to collect five souls shall have her for eternity. What transpires is an extraordinary journey into the extravagant landscape and scope of your mind brought to life by the power of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
I tip my hat to Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell for coming to the rescue and filling the void left by Ledger because they all play important parts as they become three different versions of Tony that materialize on the other side of the mirror. They are 100% believable as they seem like they were always part of the master plan. Kudos to Terry Gilliam for not giving up and pushing forward with his incredible vision. Christopher Plummer is outstanding as an old man who just wants to see happiness for his daughter and make amends for his selfish decisions – his best performance since Murder By Decree.
The visual artistry on hand is making me believe that CG truly does a have a place in cinema. While I have balked at the idea for years because it comes off so cold and lifeless, I have to admit the last several movies I’ve seen are making me think otherwise. The visuals by effects supervisor Richard Bain and John Paul Docherty are nothing short of flawless. Having just seen Avatar, I can tell you the work here blows James Cameron’s national debt sized budgeted film out of the water. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a little insipid at the beginning, but from that point on it’s a fantastic looking film with a big heart. Best described as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen with 21st Century gadgets.
Rating: 
