MOVIE REVIEW - THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

MOVIE REVIEW - THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

It seems Terry Gilliam has continued to pay a heavy price for his creativity. From the beginning of his career with Monty Python to his directing efforts, he's struggled every inch of the way. This led to an unfair reputation of being a cinematic ratbag, with Imaginarium sadly fuelling his fearsome status. Notorious as the film in which Heath Ledger was starring when he died, that it was able to be finished is a testament to Gilliam's tenacity. It also serves as a reminder of the talent that dispersed that fateful day with Ledger's swansong marking a perfect end to a short but memorable career. Immortal showman Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) leads a travelling theatre troupe. With a cast of colourful characters including dwarf Percy, the centrepiece of his show is a magical mirror enabling entry to other dimensions. Although the strange carnival is a hit with punters, this comes at a cost as Parnassus, due to an ancient pact with the Devil (Tom Waits), must either give him five souls or his young daughter. When peculiar outsider Tony (Heath Ledger) joins, the good Doctor enlists his help in saving his daughter through the parallel worlds in which she has become trapped. Whatever can be said of Gilliam's skills, his visual palette always amazes. Imaginarium sees his vivid mind run riot with a blancmange of fantasy and colour masking a dark tale of good vs. evil. At its core 'Imaginarium' is about the limitless power of people's imaginations and our ability to create our own version of paradise. In Tom Wait's typically arch manner, the Devil represents the mundane forces attempting to stifle creativity. Sometimes you wonder if Gilliam is having a joke at our expense, as the plot mirrors a lot of the struggles he's been through in the Hollywood system where profit always wins over originality. Although the story is interesting and visually impressive, Imaginarium suffers from Gilliam's inability to clearly articulate his ideas. Maybe it's a bit much to expect of the old rebel. His previous films have fallen into this same trap with a very haphazard story-telling approach. But if some sequences don't work as well as they should there's always something to gleam from the acting and dazzling scenery. The main cast provide plenty of conviction in their roles, with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell doing a great job in standing in for Ledger who steals most of his scenes. Terry Gilliam deserves a lot of praise for the flack he's received over the years. Imaginarium is probably not the best he's done, but his unique style and determination to finish the film in Ledger's memory counts for something in a profession needing more of his quirky endeavours. Move Review Rating 6 / 10 Movie Review by Patrick Moore THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS released in Australia on Thursday 29th October 2009. If you have any comments to make about this Movie Review, then please use the comment box, titling your comments with Movie Review THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia. Official HomePage click HERE