Imagine Me Utterly Confused About "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

Terry Gilliam. Gilliam, Gilliam, Gilliam....wow, where do I start with his film?

Some of you may not be familiar with his name. He was one of the famous men from the British comic group known as 'Monty Python.' No doubt you've heard of them? Come on...'Monty Python and the Holy Grail?' Perhaps 'Life of Brian?'

Well, anyways, Gilliam has since directed several films after the disinegration of the Python pack and 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' is the latest of them. His other movies include 'The Brothers Grimm,' 'The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen,' 'Brazil,' and 'The Fisher King.'

Personally, I've enjoyed his past films and never disliked them. I watched this film about two weeks ago (thanks Netflix) So imagine me after watching 'Imaginarium' ...with half a smile and a frown upon my face.
I expected a lot from this film and I think that was my mistake...you never expect ANYTHING from Gilliam films...I should've known that by now since I'm familiar with his work: you always get the unexpected. He is known for his imaginative, fantastical, and sometimes bizarre stories. Now, let me tell you a little bit about the film itself.

'Imaginarium' opens up in modern-day London to a grizzly, antique of a theater-troupe conducted by an old (VERY OLD) slightly alcoholic man, Doctor Parnassus (Canadian Christopher Plummer). Joining him is his 15-going-on-16 year-old daughter, Valentina (Distractingly doe-eyed Lily Cole), a wise-cracking midget, Percy (Verne Troyer AKA Mini-Me), and his young assistant, Anton (Andrew Garfield, the new Spider-Man).

We are given the chance to observe their unusual travelling lifestyle, including a mysterious mirror that leads to a person's own imagination, and to know why Valentina's upcoming 16th birthday is actually a very, very bad thing for her father.

A deal made with the Devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), requires Parnassus to hand over Valentina over at that doomed age, a deal that she knows nothing about. Totally not a sweet sixteen.

Actually...maybe it's not a bad idea to hand them over after all.

We also learn that Parnassus isn't like any other old, drunk man who hands his daughter to the Devil; Parnassus (and apparently Percy the Midget) is more than one thousand years old, caused by another bargain with Mr. Nick.

When Mr. Nick comes to collect Valentina, Parnassus decides, so he can keep his daughter, to make another bargain with the Devil: Whoever seduces 5 souls first is the one to keep Valentina. Mr. Nick, a happy gambler, is keen to make the bet. The board is now set and the game begins.

Parnassus, Mr. Nick, Percy the Midget, and eventually Anton (sort of) are the only ones who know of the deal. Valentina, not so much.

"Wait, where does Heath Ledger come in amid all this chaos?" At the right time, actually.

The troupe come across a mysterious stranger, Tony (Heath Ledger, there you go) and find him..."hanging out" on a bridge.

...That is all I want to disclose about the film...this was the HARDEST thing I've ever had to summarize. This is how confused I am by this film, but I think I got it.

Now, my thoughts: I thought the film was interesting, imaginative, but a little too long. It's a great story and I recommend that you rent it if you want to, but you REALLY MUST pay attention to know what the heck is going on. Give yourself time and an attention span.

The ending may or may not satisfy you, but there have been many rewrites to the original script due to Heath Ledger's passing, time, money, and so much more.

To me, I can see how the stress of everything on the film affected the writing of the story's later scenes. I don't know, maybe I'm just attuned or responsive to that kind of stuff, but I felt like that is what happened when I watched it.

One thing I did love is the fact that Tony's (Heath's) appearance changes whenever he enters the mystical mirror. It was a good idea for the type of genre and it worked for the film since Heath died and obviously could not be used anymore. So using Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law was a great addition. It shows me that Terry Gilliam doesn't let anything stop his movies and he can work around big potholes in his career.

So, I liked the film, but I don't know if I liked it as much as Gilliam's other movies. I was confused about a lot of things, but followed it as best as I could.

3/5

'Imaginarium' was very long and I made the mistake of watching it late at night so.

Rent worthy? By all means, if you really want to see it, rent it. It really is interesting. You will need the time though.

DVD/Blu-Ray worthy? Not to me. I think I will watch it one more time, just to see if my mind changes, but if not, that's it. I more than likely won't buy it though.

Have you seen the film yet? Did you like it or hate it? Did you watch it just cause it's Heath Ledger's last film?

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic