Movie Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is not a good movie. The only question you need to ask yourself is: “Do I want to see Heath Ledger’s final performance”? Even if you are a Ledger fan, you may still be disappointed. The movie simply doesn’t gel and despite all the amazing visual images, it is impossible to stay engaged in the story. Ledger does a good job as Tony, the ‘Jokeresque’ scam artist but he is not nearly as good as Christopher Plummer in the title role. He is wonderful, as always, and steals the show with his portrayal of a magician/con man, with a fondness for gambling. He travels around an apocalyptic-looking London in a dilapidated vaudeville wagon. His motley crew includes his very beautiful daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole – who looks just like my friends daughter, Ariel), his tiny sidekick, Percy (Verne Troyer -Mini-Me – the most entertaining person in the film) and what do they do? I couldn’t tell. Parnassus is an outcast who has an extraordinary power; he can project people into their own imagination once they step through his magic mirror. The fascinating journey always ends with a choice which can lead to good or bad. Parnassus, the incorrigible gambler that he is, has his own problems. Having won a wager with the Devil, Mr. Nick (the actor/singer/songwriter-Tom Waits) he has made two successive Faustian deals. Granted immortality first and eternal youth next, he agreed to deliver his first-born when she reaches the age of 16. And now that she is only days away from that fateful age, the Devil is already prowling in the vicinity. But the movie always feels disjointed.
Terry Gillian, the writer/director, does one thing extraordinarily well; he is very resourceful in his cover up of the death of Ledger mid filming. He recruits Johnny Depp (who looks remarkably like him), Jude Law and Collin Ferrell to play the alter-ego versions of Ledger. Gilliam turns what could be potentially morbid, into a group tribute that actually works in the context of the film's universe. Once you pass through the Good Doctor's magic mirror, the movie suggests, you could turn into anyone. Gillian’s love for Monty Python is blatantly obvious with his twisted humor, acid inspired landscapes, bizarre creatures, well dressed devil and wisecracking midget. This is a very tough sell for mainstream audiences.
The end-credits dedication calls it "A Film From Heath Ledger and Friends," which reflects Gilliam's clever answer to a director's worst nightmare: the mid-production death of his star. Even Gilliam himself admits the movie is “a store of unused materials and ideas lying around in drawers from unmade films ... with no form as such." But it never lacks for something spectacular to look at: Monique Prudhomme's remarkable costumes, layers upon tattered layers and the gorgeous sets. Rent it or wait for it On Demand if for no other reason then to get another look at the work of the late, Heath Ledger.