The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick.
It is no doubt that Terry Gilliam is a very imaginative guy that his imagination would have him screwed around by the studios and the industry. It really is such a double edge sword. The problem is that it is very much a Terry Gilliam film that casual audiences and non Terry Gilliam fans would find this a turn-off. Story-wise, it really isn't much to the imagination and the characters doesn't get that decent amount of development and depth, making them a little bit unappealing. However the visuals and the effects (both in practical and digital) are very wistful and wonderful. As for Heath Ledger's very final performance, it is not as memorable as it was for the Dark Knight, but it was indeed charming as are all three of his replacements. I wouldn't highly recommend it as a starter for the films of Terry Gilliam (watch either Time Bandit or Brazil, heck even Monty Python and the Holy Grail), but for those who are Terry Gilliam fans already, go and check it out.
3 out of 5 stars
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