Movie Summary of The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus by Michael The Moviegoer.
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS = **1/2
“Heath Ledger’s Final Act”
Although fans of Heath Ledger will be interested in seeing his final film, it is the die-hard fans of director Terry Gilliam’s offbeat work who will actually enjoy this strange and quirky little picture.
The movie’s plot is as difficult to describe as it is to find in the movie. Christopher Plummer long ago made a deal with the devil for which he’s been given immortality. But now the devil (played by Tom Waits) has come to collect his teenage daughter. So Plummer must now re-negotiate a deal about delivering five souls or some such nonsense.
Plummer plays Doctor Parnassus, and Verne Troyer (“Mini Me”) plays his sidekick. Their carnival-like imaginarium has a secret entrance way into a dimension of fantasy. Team Parnassus crosses paths with Heath Ledger during a failed suicide attempt, a truly eerie entrance for Ledger in this film. They save his life and make him part of their plot to trap souls in the imaginarium.
Heath Ledger died before filming could be completed. But his friends Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law each took over Ledger’s character during the fantasy sequences. It’s sad to say, but this actually makes the movie work much better than it would have if Ledger had appeared in the entire film. Ledger filmed all his reality-based scenes before his death. So his character only changes actors once he steps inside the imaginarium. If only it could have been planned that way.
Still, it’s a Terry Gilliam film, and overall not one of his best. It’s simply not in the same league as “Brazil”, “Time Bandits” or “The Fisher King”. It’s a great showcase for its actors, and it does have some imaginative special effects. But the plot just feels cluttered with the debris of good ideas.
DVD Double Feature: To truly remember and honor the legacy of Heath Ledger, see his last great role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” for which Ledger won an Oscar posthumously.
Michael The Moviegoer
