The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/]
The Gist:
I don't want to slam on this film, because I appreciate Gilliam's intentions. However, I think I might have to because the whole thing came off as a massive disappointment for me. The problem is as follows, Gilliam has a very strong set up and the first half or so of this film is intriguing as hell, but the film eventually falls apart. In the first half it sets up the odd antiquity of the traveling show against the backdrop of modern day, greasy urban London, it sets up a playful dreamscape with the underlying peril of potential destruction, and it establishes very likable characters. It's when Gilliam has to push past the unique premise to fulfill a full story arch that the film loses focus. None of the themes set up in the first half of the film are satisfactorily resolved in the second half. Also, Ledger's character sadly becomes wildly inconsistent as he is lost through the incarnations of Colin Ferrel, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp (it's a shame the film can't end with Ledger due to his death, as it stands I felt like the character just evaporated). Anyway, the premise and a curiosity of Ledger's last film is more than enough to warrant a viewing, just don't expect much beyond that.
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