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A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.
Heath Ledger: Tony
It's a shame many people will go and see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus for all the wrong reasons, mainly involving seeing Heath Ledger or the tantilising prospect of seeing Johnny Depp or Jude Law. Many people will expect it to be a performance rivaling his other works. Well I say this now, these silly people will be disappointed. My ears prick up upon leaving the cinema tonight, hearing the audience comment on the film made me scoff with disgust...comments of how it was a weird film, a confusing story, and a mixture of madness. Are these individuals oblivious to the fact that this is a Terry Gilliam film, the man whom brought us surreal, warped treats like Time Bandits, the masterful 12 Monkeys, the colourful Brothers Grimm, dystopia cult classic Brazil, Fear and loathing in Las Vegas...To conclude my rant, if these so called people are unaware of this, why in heavens name are they wasting their tiny minds on Dr Parnassus? The answer is ignorance and the former attraction of the late Heath Ledger.
So onto the film itself, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is Terry Gilliam addressing immortality, moralistic natures, and the black and whiteness of good and evil. Much like any of his other work we are treated to bold colours, fantasy worlds, Monty Python styled sequences which always provide quirky smiles of pleasure to those inclined, and to contrast all of this he gives us the contrast of reality, the gritty, rubbish infested, drunken rabbles of yobs and the harsh temperament of the outside world. It's interesting to be hurled into this strange life, this life of Parnassus and his unfortunate encounters with the devil whom always cheats, always makes bets, and always loses or wins for a reason.
''Are you a betting man?''
Performance wise, Heath Ledger as Tony is a mysterious outsider, he is found disturbingly hanging from under a bridge in what appears to be a noose. This for me was slightly ironic considering in real life he isn't alive anymore. His accent is still a mixture of mumbles and uncanny gruff charisma, and in some scenes he even looks like Johnny Depp, mainly the eyes.
His transformations in the dream world, Johnny Depp, one glorious scene where Depp melts the screen with his defined charisma, Jude Law on a very tall ladder running from some Russian heavies, and a hilarious Colin Farrel trying to muster an accent similar to Ledger, but still sounding Irish. His fighting with a little man turned child, had me in hysterics, not to mention his conversation and expressions in the boat part.
Christopher Plummer as the clever yet tragically fated Dr. Parnassus, excels as the main character of the adventure, somehow mirroring Terry Gilliam himself, showing his own unfortunate ups and downs of his own life, not just of his creation.
Lily Cole was simply beautiful as the loveliest damsel, Valentina. Something very unique about her dazzling features, and scrumptious figure.
Tom Waits as Mr. Nick AKA the Devil, really excels as the main villain of the piece. Tom Waits is a wonderful actor, and I haven't seen him in such a memorable role since the disgustingly squirm inducing R.M. Renfield in Bram Stoker's Dracula. He truly is a mesmerizing character here, the always smoking benevolent, woman loving demon of the piece, a wagering clever nemesis for the Doctor.
Verne Troyer as Percy, was also a lovable rogue. A truthful little bit of fun whom not afraid to speak his mind, excels in being a big character despite the height restrictions.
Overall, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a clever story on redemption and sacrifice, the flip side of physical immortality and the importance of always following your imagination. It teaches us to always ask questions...to question why strange characters lurk outside HomeBase, why they tempt us with money, why drunks are always on the street, and why violence should only be acceptable if you are the police and it's legal. Terry Gilliam really hits home with his subliminal messages and doesn't give a fuck as usual what audiences want, he does what he wants. Parnassus has style, it has depth, and it truly is a piece of dreamy, imaginative art.
''Nothing is permanent, not even death.''
8/10
