Release Date: December 25, 2009
Running Time: 122 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Christopher Plummer, Richard Riddell, Lily Cole, Verne Troyer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell
Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), 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. Valentina (Lily Cole) is now rapidly approaching this ‘coming of age’ milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles – and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all!
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus takes the meaning of fantasy very seriously. Doctor Parnassus’ theatre company brings the chosen few from its audience into their wildest dreams…only to force them to choose between good or evil disguised as good. The audience isn’t the only one with an ultimatum on their hands. Doctor Parnassus made a deal with the devil and time is running out before one of the two get their happy ending. Coming along for the ride is a new member of the company, Tony, played by four different actors, including Heath Ledger who died while the film was still in production. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all stepped into Ledger’s role. While the explanation of this is not truly explained in the film, the script was re-written in such a way where the film allows the viewers to decide for themselves why Ledger’s character is the only one of the theatre company members to change appearance.
Viewers may not start to become invested in these characters until just before Tony comes along, once the characters seem to really come to life. The performances are terrific, though there’s simply not enough back story or depth to these characters. It’s a shame because these are such colorful characters who deserve to have their entire stories told. As for the story…this film is ultimately so imaginative that it is at times too complex to fully understand.
I admit, I was lost after Colin Farrell came into the picture as the leading up to the conclusion was very chaotic. To make matters worse, there was a fairy tale ending before viewers even fully understood and could sympathize for how Anton and Valentina grew up and grew to love each other. Sure, the latter seems predictable and maybe a love story doesn’t have a place in this story…but at least acknowledge the root of it to appreciate the bloom. That sums up the many sub-plots very well too. The ideas are fantastic but the execution is sometimes a bit open ended. That may be a result of having to re-write the script after Ledger’s death, so it’s up to the viewer to decide if they are still satisfied with the depth of these stories.
Having said all of that, the film is worth watching for the visuals alone. The visuals are beautiful, just captivating! What a masterpiece Terry Gilliam has created. If you’ve ever wanted to be taken on a very unusual and yet still fun
magical ride, this is the film to watch.
Favorite Moment: Valentina’s dance with the devil speaks volumes.