I saw this film nearly a week ago, but I have been putting of reviewing it because, quite frankly, it was an underwhelming experience. Having shielded myself from reviews before seeing Terry Gilliam’s latest effort I didn’t have any preconceptions. However, I did expect to either love it or hate it. Unusually I am finding it difficult to muster any kind of emotion about The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. But here goes.
Le Plot:
Doctor Parnassus is an immortal mystic who can subsume living beings into his mind when in a trance. This ability is the central theme of his shambolic travelling theatre troupe, made up of a lovelorn cockney actor, his statuesque daughter Valentina and a dwarf (played by Verne Troyer, or Mini Me as most people know him as). One night they stumble across Tony (Ledger) hanging by his neck underneath a bridge. After saving him and reviving him, the charismatic amnesiac quickly becomes an integral part of the troupe as he wins the affections of Valentina and helps the Doctor to liberate more souls in his Imaginarium. It also turns out the Parnassus is a problem gambler, constantly competing with the Devil (an excellent Tom Waits) to the eternal detriment of those he loves.
You may have heard that this is Heath Ledger’s last film. He died during filming, and so rather than ditch the work he had already done, many other famous and handsome chaps were recruited to take his role. This was possible because the film takes place on two planes of existence, one being the ‘real’ world and the other being the mental landscape of the eponymous Doctor P. In a slightly clumsy opening section it is established that sometimes your face can change when you become an astral projection in the mind of the good Doctor. This allows Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to take over the part of Tony during these portions of the film.
This is a film packed with plot, implied lore and flights of imaginative fancy. It is also one of the most disjointed and inconsistent films that I have ever seen. The flip-flopping between the multiple actors doesn’t help, but it’s just a small part of a much larger problem. Narrative threads are started, sub-plots are suggested, relationships are begun and messages are hinted at. But nothing is explained, nothing is concluded and so it’s very hard to care about anything. The hyperactive story never settles down, and though it isn’t short on ideas, a little bit of self-censorship would have gone a long way to improving this messy film.
There is a little bit of a problem with the visuals as well. With a small budget the effects look terrible at times, as if technology hasn’t moved on since Fear and Loathing over 10 years ago. I know this film would have been impossible without the CGI, it’s just that when they occasionally use sets and lighting to create the mental worlds it all looks much more convincing.
In all this is a film that will confuse adults, bore children and have little lasting impact. But it is not ‘bad’ by any means. It shows promise again and again, but never lives up to itself. Which is a pity.
For more on Heath’s acting and some constructive criticisms, check out this article. Oh, and if you disagree with me and loved The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, let me know.
