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Director: Terry Gilliam
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Adventure
Year: 2009

You sort of have to know what you are getting into when you go see a Terry Gilliam film, otherwise you are going to run out of there feeling like you want to thump somebody’s butt with your boot. The fact is, from my experience, that Gilliam tends to split the audience into two groups, the ones that think he is some sort of underrated genius and the ones that, well…think he is not. That’s a terrible way to describe the rift that Gilliam can create with his films, considering that a lot of the people I have met, that do not like his work, are militant about it.

But when one is taking strides to move out of the mainstream the way Gilliam does, I can not help but admire him. SO, for the record, I am one of those that will be partial and biased toward his stuff, because his films seem to tap into the subconscious in ways very few can. Originally famous for his eclectic animations in Monty Python, Gilliam has built up quite the repertoire of films: Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Tideland among others. Some of those have been highly acclaimed others only tepidly received but if there is one thread that runs…scratch that, if there is two threads that run in common among his work is that one, his imagination knows very few boundaries and two, most of his stuff falls under the radar.

I am sure that Imaginarium would have been another secret jewel the way Tideland was, if it were not for Heath Ledger’s (Dark Knight, Brokeback Mountain) untimely death. Having just finished a fantastic run as the Joker in the second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, and rumored to be a shoo in for an Oscar nomination that year, his accidental death brought a lot of attention to this film he left incomplete. Halfway through production, Terry Gilliam had to deal with the unenviable task of fixing a half finished work in which one of the main characters no longer was accessible.

No stranger to on-set troubles (See the Lost in La Mancha documentary), Terry Gilliam found an innovative way to solve this issue, utilizing the talent of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Collin Farrell to fill in for the role, requiring some re-working and re-shooting in order to get it to work. Strangely enough, it almost seems to fit in too perfectly with the storyline we are presented with, which, to nobody’s surprise, is one little white pill short of a trip.

The story revolves around Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer; Up, Syriana), an ageless man who gambled with the devil and put his daughter’s life on the line. It was a bet that took place ages ago and now, the Devil, also known as Mr. Nick (Tom Waits; Wristcutters: A Love Story, Coffee and Cigarettes), is coming to collect the girl on her sixteenth birthday. Aware that time is running low, Parnassus tries to gamble yet again, this time trying to save his daughter, but with the strange entourage of his, which help him run a movable theater which allows you to travel into the Doctor’s imagination, the process will not be easy.

Trying to describe this film in one paragraph is difficult and it most likely sounds like a mind warp, but if you know Terry Gilliam’s style, then you also know this is pretty much his default setting. The plot reads, strangely, very much like a combination of Being John Malkovich and Mirror Mask. Needless to say, the visuals are stunningly strange and interesting, taking us from the somewhat weird world we are used to, to the uber weird world that exists inside the good Doctor’s mind.

Imaginarium is a very enticing concept and story that nevertheless still feels a bit fragmented. Once has to wonder how much of that is due to the fact that Heath Ledger’s character had to be split between four people that do a decent job but never quite shine, or to a script that does not do the necessary job to truly root the characters we are shown. Surprisingly enough it is the relatively unknown Andrew Garfield (The Other Boleyn Girl, Lions for Lambs) as Anton, that steals the show. It is not that the other actors fail to bring their characters to life, but rather that they do not get us to care enough to push this film from being simply good to being something magnificent.

Still, with an original plot, amazing visuals, plenty of humor, dark fantasy and a heavy dose of imagination, this film is still definitely one to see and likely to become a cult favorite. While this is perhaps not Terry Gilliams best work, it is still one of those films that must be watched and are easily enjoyed.

Rating:
Comments: Not quite for children, there are a number of dark themes approached here in a frightening enough fashion that the average kid will be rather disturbed. There might have been some brief nudity as well.
Quote: Tony: Don’t believe everything you read. Especially The Mirror.