46 out of 52 people found the following review helpful:

Mixed Feelings

A Customer from Oxford, 17th August, 2009

This movie looks amazing, am really excited to see Heath again. However, it will undoubtedly be sad to see him in a new role for the absolute last time. He is greatly missed.

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16 out of 16 people found the following review helpful:

such a shame

hannacevik from , 12th October, 2009

Heath obviously liked working with Gilliam. that's fine. its also fine that such a tragedy shouldn't necessarily be the end of production, but i just felt that this didn't do Heath's legacy justice, and there are some scenes (you'll know which ones i mean) where you feel decidedly uncomfortable watching. not a terrible film, but not the one that Ledger's talent should be judged by. he's still very nice to look at in it though. and Lily's not a bad actress!

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12 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

A disjointed attempt at something extraordinary!

A Customer from SW London, 18th October, 2009

While Gilliam has some movies to his name, in my opinion he really should give up his day job and do something else. I have seen all his movies, not cause I'm a fan but because I generally love to watch movies and I happened to have seen what his done. Heath's performance was decidedly dodgy, he looked a little shabby (as did the majority of the film) and at times couldn't decide what accent he was doing :Aussie or British. In my opinion as with most of Gilliams movies, the ideas seem to be extraordinary, however I think he struggles to translate that onto the big screen, and the results are disjointed cinematic projects. I feel as sorry for Heath having died while making this movie as I do for Gilliam's reputation at his endless misfortunes with his productions, but perhaps it's time he takes that as a sign that it's best to pack it in. This movie's storyline was haphazard and all over the place.Frankly, I was grateful when the credits rolled. The only surprise of this movie was Lily Cole. I had never noticed before when she modelled as she's always reminded me of a child, but in the movie she does proof that she's a good actress with red fiery hair, which is a breath of fresh air seeing as there are very few redheads(real ones not bottled ones)left on the bigscreen. I hope to see her again in another film as she is very watchable.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:

The Wondorium of Mr. Gilliam

BandofOutsiders from , 19th October, 2009

Terry Gilliam thought that his new movie 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' was over when his lead, Heath Ledger, tragically died last January. He was heartbroken, as was the rest of the world, myself included, when the news was announced. Heath Ledger was an amazing actor, and I'm not on autopilot. He had such wonderful charisma and charm onscreen, unlike many today. He gave everything to his performances, lighting the screen on fire as the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' or breaking hearts just like James Dean in '10 Things I Hate About You'. I'll admit that I wanted to see 'Imaginarium' out of respect for him, but what I saw was spectacular, as the mind of Terry Gilliam painted a brilliant tapestry of pure imagination and delight before my eyes. Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is thousands of years old, he lives with his daughter Valentine (the beautiful Lily Cole), an unexplained boy named, Anton (Andrew Garfield), and a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer) - who makes fun of the way midgets walk, as he is not a midget, just a small man- who lead a travelling theatre troupe that offers members of their audiences to go through a magical mirror into the mind of Doctor Parnassus, who is able to control the imagination of others after he made a deal with the 1930s era, Chaplin-esque Devil (Tom Waits), who is coming to collect his side of the bargain, the doctor's daughter. The group is joined by Tony (Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell), who is found hanging from a conveniently empty London bridge, and starts to help them make much needed money using nothing but his past experience as a corrupt leader of a charity and his smile. Heath's performance is reminiscing of Johnny Depp's in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl'; every moment he is on the screen you want to be him, wear his clothes and have his accent. When he disappears from the film for the first time, we are overwhelmed with a sense of panic, quickly comforted by the familiar face of Johnny Depp, whose role is more of a cameo than a major part; he delivers a touching speech wrote in after Heath's untimely death, which touches on how death will make someone immortal, saved from the problems age brings with it. This was the saddest part of the movie, completely out of place and not related to any topic in the film, but not unnecessary. The other two incarnations of Tony are played by Colin Farrell and Jude Law, continuing the story and trying to keep Heath's spirit alive. The movie ends in a spectacular way that was surprising, considering the wide berth of people going to see it. The movie is essentially turned into a tribute to Heath, ending with the title card: 'Made by the friends of Heath Ledger', giving our hero a spectacular movie to be remembered for. One day I will show my children this movie and let them experience the bizarre direction, the fantastical world of Parnassus, and the one-of-a-kind star who met his maker a third of the way through filming but will always be remembered as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

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*** May contain spoilers ***

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, or The Despair of a Former Heath Ledger Fan

ButchCassidy7 from , 19th March, 2010

Having loved Mr Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight, I was very much looking forward to seeing this film. However, my expectations were crushed spectacularly upon watching this beautiful car crash of a film. The sets - as with most Gilliam films - are fantastic. However, the acting, plot and discipline of the movie are definitely not. The usually reliable Mr Plummer appears either anesthetized or pondering why he ever agreed to star in the film. Lily Cole is pretty but not overtly talented and her spoilt character is too irritating and selfish to care about. Andrew Garfield is whiney and annoying as the awful Anton and Verne Troyer is pretty much not necassary to the film whatsoever. The only performance I remotely enjoyed was singer Tom Waits as Mr Nick - the Devil - the only character seeming to have any fun. The story confused me to some extent, and I found a lot of it to be too dippy and silly to be taken seriously. The plot is also incongruous: why do some people step through the film's magic mirror in the eponymous Imaginarium and meet their worst nightmare and others a fantastic dream? Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell make the confused plot yet more incomprehensible as the other two Tony's (as Mr Ledger sadly passed before the film could be completed) and the ending with the whistle that Tony swallows is just plain weird. However, the most terrible film about the entire film was Heath Ledger. Clearly confused and unwell, a gaunt looking Ledger stumbles through his lines with all the charm of a leper and never seems sure where he is. It saddens me that this is his last performance, and also his worst: had The Imaginarium... been cancelled, the world's last sighting of him would have been as the superbly creepy Joker in Batman, not as the loathsome Tony in this train wreck.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

what a terrible mix

ferdyjenny from , 22nd February, 2010

like terrys films, normally,,quirky and pythonesque,, but this is a terrible mixture,,sorry was glad when it finished,, pllease dont waste time watching or renting,,watch on tv,, if someone buys it??? 1 star for the effects and landscapes gilliams mind creates,, sorry tel,

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Get Over It.....

JustAFanTC from from Leeds, 27th January, 2010

I understand all of the circumstances which this film has fought through and the loss of such a promising actor can certainly change the outcome of a film, take this one for instance. I some how feel that if there hadn't been so much hype around this film and the fact that Heath Ledger had not died during it's creation, I truly believe that this film would not be viewed in such a fondness. True, it looks spectacular and the effects are amazing but I am afraid that is it. Even though this film is packed with excellent actors and actresses, it seems the story (or what there is of it and what actually makes it to the end) loses them all in what seems to be a very pointless excursion into the mind of Mr Gilliam. In the past we have been treated to his enchanting style of story telling, but there was at least a plot that could be followed, despite the insanity which stared us in the face. Instead we are exposed to symbolisms which are never explained, plenty of stars portraying Mr Ledger's character (which works surprisingly well) and special effects. If these were not in the film I am positive it would have actually been quite boring. The only real selling point is Heath Ledger, who has miraculously moved up to 'acting genius' since his sad untimely passing. In my opinion saying that this film is good 'out of respect', simply degrades the performances he is well known for. This film, although wonderful to look at, is so dissapointing and I was very upset by this fact. Only for those who don't want any content to a film.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

*** May contain spoilers ***

Strangely diverse

A Customer from Watford, 10th December, 2009

I saw The imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in it's opening week, and whilst the critics slated several members of the cast and the the script itself, it is best to watch this movie with a very open mind. It is not the best film I have seen but it is one of the oddest movies too with the obvious suffering of Heath Ledger who was reported to be suffering with a viral infection and run down from the non stop filming he had been doing.Yes as previous reviewers have said he looked shabby, but so would your character be if he had been found hanging from a bridge over the Thames. Heath's performance wasn't his most shining moment but you have to keep in mind that he wasn't well but he still put in the best effort to do this film. Verne Troys character provides the amusement and Lily Cole provides the coy glamour. Out of the 3 replacements Johnny Depp provided the most intriguing and uncanny resemblance to Ledger and Colin Farrell did his memory justice, however as I am in most of Jude Laws performances... disappointing is best to discribe Jude, The film is worth a look but if you can't keep an open mind and not watch it with a massive expectation than best probably give it a miss.

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