http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/

Terry Gilliam is one of the best directors around. He is one of the few who can balance good visuals effects with story, and characters. His films are usually about what isn't shown and explained rather than what is. There are many themes that he uses in his films, but the most used is the imagination. Most of this characters have trouble seperating reality from fantasy. Tideland is a great example of this where the little girl retreats into her own world to escape the real world, and in Brazil where Sam retreats into his own dreams to escape the dystopia he lives in. The Imaginarium of doctor Parnassus is the same. In this film Doctor Parnassus, played by the brilliant Christopher Plummer is an immortant man who promised to give his daughter to the Devil when she turns a certain age. The devil is played by Tom Waits, who does a great job at being weird and appearing out of nowhere. Doctor Parnassus takes his imaginarium mirror on the road with a dwarf, his daughter, and a slight of hand expert.This film is not what it seems from the trailers. It is very complex and at times quite convoluted. Gilliam has always been a very visual director, and with this he goes all out. The imagination scenes are all very beautiful and well done.They are all unique and are meant to show the imagination and mind of the person who enters the mirror.

Sometimes when more than one person enters the mirror different imaginations are mixed, which can lead to many strange results. One in particular involves dancing policeman was probably the most surreal. There has been a lot of talk about this film, but sadly not about the film itself. Many are hyping it because it is Heath Ledger's last film. While he is good in it I think it is unfair to give it tons of hype based around him. Christopher Plummer is the real star of the film, and while Ledger's death was sad he is not the most impressive part of the film. The power to control people's imaginations is all because of a deal Parnassus made witht he devil, and he has to collect souls for him to keep his power and his daughter.He of course has never told anyone this for obvious reasons. Eventually the traveling gang encounter Heath Ledger hanging by his neck under a bridge with a flute in his throat.He gets rescued and Parnassus is scared that the man is a tool of the devil since he can't rememeber his name or why he was was hanging under a bridge. He travels with them and seems to be natural at drawing crowds. There is also a love triangle between him, the daughter Valentina, and the slight of hand guy Anton.Many people have said this film is self indulgent, and overly complex.

Well to be fair it kinda is, but in the best possible way. The story has many layers, some obvious and others more symbolic. It is probably not a coincidence that Doctor Parnassus looks like a god with his long beard and powers, and having the devil involved makes it easier to see. I can understand many people not liking this film. It is not one to enjoy on a casual day off. However I think it has some mass appeal. The mainstream will love it's beautiful visuals, and Heath Ledger while the hip indie intellectual crowd will dig it's complex narrative and metaphors, and Heath Ledger. Since Heath died during filming his part is sometimes played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. This sounds a lot weirder than it actually us. In the real world part of the film Heath is the star, but whenether he enters the mirror he changes into one of those actors I mentioned. This works surprisingly well, and even the characters in the film don't recognize him when he changes and this gets thrown into the plot. I will probably give this another watch, I find it oddly fascinating. I don't know if I would recommend it to everyone, but Terry Gilliam fans will probably love it. I thought it was fantastic, but again I can understand why many wouldn't. It is a very odd film that is not for everyone. My only real complaint about it personally other than it's confusing plot is Verne Troyer as Percy. He is pretty good, but there are other actors like him who could have done better like Peter Dinklage. This is a small complaint though, and it doesn't effect what the film that much. This is one of the most unique films of the year. Whether you think you will hate it or not, I wouldn't miss it. This is one of the best films Terry Gilliam has made. It is an entertaining film sure, but it is also a complex and deep film about the mysteries of life, and the the stretch and limits of the imagination.

Overall I give it a 9 out of 10.