ridiculous rating

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I had this movie on my DVR since forever because the title was catchy. I didn't know who directed it. I didn't know who starred in it. Had I known it was a Terry Gilliam film I would have watched it sooner. I didn't know what to expect when I finally started to watch it. It was revealed to me it was directed by Terry Gilliam. Then is that Christopher Plummer? YES! Is that Heath Ledger? ! Is that Johnny Depp? YES! To me every scene contained an Easter egg. However this type of film is not for everyone. Gilliam is known for his strange films but Doctor Parnassus is Gilliam times two raised to the power of odd. I won't divulge the plot because it is difficult to discern. Instead, I'll list the Terry Gilliam films I've seen in order of my preference and you can decide if our tastes jibe and, if so, how you might enjoy Doctor Parnassus. 1. Twelve Monkeys 2. Brazil 3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail 4. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 5. Jabberwocky 6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 7. The Fisher King 8. Time Bandits 9. Baron Munchausen 10. The Brothers Grimm

Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is the Obie One Kenobi character. Anton (Andrew Garfield) matches up with Luke Skywalker with Valentina (Lily Cole) fitting in as Princess Leia. Tony (Heath Ledger) takes on the Hans Solo role with the Devil sitting in for Darth Vader and Percy (Vern Troyer) becomes R2D2. Chewbacca and C-3PO sat this one out. The imaginary sets were Monty Python's Terry Gilliam's imagination and Montreal filled in for Europe.

If you know nothing about the backstory of this film, you'll be in a much better position to enjoy watching it. It's a very strange fantasy whose setting is a cross between a magician's show and a travelling theater group. The ringleader, Christopher Plummer, has made a deal with the devil before the start of the film: he'll live forever but when his daughter Lily Cole turns sixteen, the devil will claim her. After they find Heath Ledger and adopt him into their troupe, their show becomes more strange and fantastical.The film is split into four sections, and once again, if you don't know the backstory behind these splits, it's actually an interesting take on the story. Heath Ledger's character is introduced, and each time he performs the magic show, he's transformed into a different actor to show that the show alters him. The other actors are played by Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law, and they're all very believable as changed versions of Heath.The visual aspects are quite impressive, if you like movies like this. As a child, if you loved the odd world of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and you usually like magician films, you'll probably really love The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Parts of it are quite good, but all in all, it was a little too weird for me. Plus, I knew what happened during the making of this film. Once you know what happened, it's pretty impossible to like it.

Very Much like His Peers Tim Burton and Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam is an Artist's Artist. He is that First and Foremost and the Imagination Gilliam puts on the Screen in the Form of Surreal Imagery is Always Unique and Interesting. This One is No Different. Inside the Mind of Dr. Parnassus is where Gilliam Shines with a Landscape of the Unreal and the Viewer is Certainly Taken to a Place that Never Existed Before. That is what the Art of the Best Cinema does Best.But this is a Tedious Pleasure and is also Quite Unpleasant at Times. Terry Gilliam is a Filthy Fellow. Not Profane, just Dirty, in that the People, Places, Props, Sets, and Costumes Outside the Mind of Parannus are in Need of some Serious Scrubbing. Watching it makes You want to take a Shower. Everything is Ragged and Unhealthy Looking.The Film is a Jumble of Juxtapositions and Clutter Standing In for Complexity. By the End of the Movie the Excessive Exhilaration is Exhausting. As Stunning as it may be to Look At, there is a Feeling that You Want it All to be Over With. When it is, there Might be a Sense of Disappointment along with Relief because it Doesn't Add Up to Much.The All Star Cast, with Stand-Ins for the Early Departed Heath Ledger by His Friends as Homage, Manage to Bring the Thing Home. That Works as a Nice Eulogy but the Film doesn't Quite Work as a Whole.