The human
imagination is a wonderful and mysterious place. At a young age we are
encouraged to explore the world around us with a creative eye. As we get older
however, we lose that connection to the imagination that we once had and
replace it with adult thoughts of bills, the economy, and our next vacation.
Doctor Parnassus has a different idea for how people should see the world as
they grow up in The Imaginarium of Doctor
Parnassus.
Set in
present day London, Doctor Parnassus (played by the legendary Christopher
Plummer) and troupe ride around the streets in his traveling show, where he
promises the paying audience the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience
their imagination and are given the chance to choose between happiness and joy
or sadness and darkness. He is an immortal man who a beautiful daughter,
Valentina (played by supermodel Lily Cole) who is about to turn 16. Valentina
existence came at a heavy price after making a bet with the devil himself who
goes by the name of Mr. Nick (Tom Waits). The bet (which I will not spoil) Parnassus
made is catching up to him and he has one last chance to make things right
before Valentina's 16th birthday.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is...
trippy. Creating a film set in a person's imagination is a whole different ball
game with many different twists and turns that to a linear mind seem out of
place and silly, but all is fair in this backdrop. It was eerie to see Heath
Ledger up on the screen knowing that he has passed away. At times it made it
hard to focus on the story when that thought keeps tapping on your shoulder.
Despite that sad truth, Ledger did a wonderful job playing Tony, a mysterious
man who cannot remember who he is. I applaud Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin
Farrell, who all helped fill Ledger's shoes to finish his final film. Each man
put their own spin and take on the same character. With a concept of
imagination, writer and director Terry Gilliam was very fortunate to be able to
put new people in the same role and not make the audience question why they
were there.
In light of
the more positive notes, there are some serious downsides to this movie. The
plot was very interesting, but not easy to follow. It was difficult to remember
the plot when every other scene is consumed in giant designer shoes, gondola
rides on path-changing waters, and giant pits of beer bottles. This made it
hard to connect with the story and the characters when there were so many
distractions. It is definitely a sight to see with all that Gilliam created,
but it became overload quite quickly.
The film is
rated PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking. There
were a few violent images and there was a smidge of language, but the funny
thing is, most children would not want to see this movie because of the extreme
contrast in scenes from nothing but dialogue to entering into an imaginary
world. This would be a great film for someone who enjoys Gilliam's works like Brazil.
Just remember to keep an open mind and be ready for anything. I would also
recommend this movie to someone who wants to see Heath Ledger's last role on
screen. Yes, it is haunting to see him, but his acting abilities are remarkable
and he completely delves into his character.
In theaters 01:08:10
