The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

I saw this movie for the first time shortly as it came out in 2010. It was a great inspiration for me as a fresh student of metaphysics through the programs at The Monroe Institute. It was the subject of the first interaction with my future and current wife whom I met there that year. We remembered it recently during our wedding anniversary and decided to see it again. I wrote and she edited my two metaphysical books some years ago. Now with my knowledge I can point out some wonderful aspects of this great movie. It is a story about tremendous power of imagination. As Albert Einstein famously said, logic can get you from point A to point B, but the imagination can get you anywhere. After showing images of lower astral plane called sometimes the purgatory in religions or Focus 23 in the Monroe system the storyline quickly moves into the describing the layered essence of metaphysical reality. And protagonist Dr. Parnassus is letting everybody know that moving through those layers is not easy to learn and it is hard work. He is immortal and wishes that he could die and speculates that the universe is sustained through stories. He has the contract with the devil and thus needs to continue his ability to create alternate metaphysical reality, so stories can be manifested there by wishes of those who want to enter the Imaginarium through the magic mirror. Elie Wiesel once said that God created man because he loves stories (It is leading quote in my second book). Dr. Parnassus is able through his mind transform the thoughts of his clients and crew members into alternative metaphysical reality and manifest them there. However, if more subjects are in his Imaginarium, their manifested thoughts interact and create bizarre but telling situations. The single older lady while inside is surrounded and fascinated by the giant high heel shoes. The gang of financial gangsters and one discredited member of Dr. Parnassus’ crew create the ladders leading them seemingly somewhere very high. But they get nowhere and because of their spoiled and dirty minds their ladders crumble. I liked that and fully agree with the logical conclusion that consequences of our bad actions will be happening some day and somewhere else in metaphysical reality regardless of whether you call it a heaven, hell, or whatever. The religions are not only ones teaching that. But much more powerful is a personal experience to peek into a future afterlife. We simply continue after physical death here on this planet, whether you like it or not. And as Slovak proverb says, “As you make your bed so you shall lay in it.” This wonderful movie is also about that.

One of my favorite movies. Only movie I've ever paid full price for!! Absolutely love it. Great movie, and a great back story!!

Are you ever in the mood for something fresh and original? Are you tired of all the safe movies designed for the masses? Well, take a trip through the mirror of Doctor Parnassus. Terry Gilliam I like his films... Most people know that this was Heath Ledger's last role and that he died during the filming process, but what surprised me was how much he is actually in the movie. I would say around 50% of it. His performance is really good here as expected. He showed us that we were looking at a guy who had just begun to scratch the surface of his talent. Christopher Plummer (Doctor Parnassus) and Tom Waits (Satan) both turn in equally excellent acting showcases. Even newcomer Lily Cole does a good job. Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell fill in the gaps that Ledger could obviously not. Depp gets the least amount of time, but all three bring the right amount skill to each "tribute" version of Ledger's character. Since Ledger was able to film all the reality parts before his death, his ever changing look could easily be explained in the fantasy realm. I think most who give it a shot will find themselves lost in the the mind of one Dr Parnassus and love it. :-) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is first and foremost a Terry Gilliam film, which could make or break the overall experience for you. Gilliam has a very specific style that is best described as an LSD trip with a more cohesive story. His films are usually incredibly visual, are wrapped around a unique story, and above all else spectacularly weird. The one thing his films can always guarantee though is originality. Doctor Parnassus is very similar to Gilliam's The Brother's Grimm, which also starred Heath Ledger. At least as far as visuals go. So if you're not a fan of other Gilliam films like Time Bandits, Baron Manchausen, Twelve Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, or Tideland among others, then it's safe to say you probably won't enjoy this film. The other piece of information that's worth knowing going into this is to not expect much Heath Ledger. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell were brought in for a reason. You're left wanting more, which is probably a good thing. It's not a stab at Depp, Law, or Ferrell as they all portrayed Tony pretty flawlessly. Ledger is around long enough to show potential. He has a few standout scenes and a great speech or two. Then he's gone. Out of the three actors that also played Tony, Depp did the best job. When you first see Johnny Depp as Tony, he still looks like Heath Ledger. His actions, his body language, his dialogue, it all feels like the same character. Without giving too much away, it feels as if Tony changed every time he stepped through the mirror. Well, that's not entirely true. It's more like Tony's true nature was revealed more and more with each transformation.

It's 'supposed' to be weird & dreamlike, so don't take the plot too seriously. Fans of this fantasy genre will likely enjoy it although it may fall short if you're in the mood for real depth. Great visuals & special effects, the kind that make it worth rewatching just to catch more of the details. I enjoyed it enough... and don't regret buying the DVD, although it's less than a 5-star in my collection as well. Interestingly successful at adapting the storyline with other headline actors to accommodate finishing of the film after the untimely death of Heath Ledger. As a fan of Johnny Depp, however, I am probably partial in saying I probably would've enjoyed it much more if JD had played the main character from start to finish. Christopher Plummer brings nobility to the cast & Lily Cole is very easy on the eyes. One missed opportunity - The bonus features didn't do much to enhance appreciation of the film as they do in some other DVD sets. All in all, a valiant rescue of a film that may not have ever been released. All members of the cast did a good job & complemented each other nicely.

This is not a movie for thinking, it's a story designed to take you down the rabbit hole. I thought this may have been a bit over the top but was in the mood, after a really long day that lasted a week, for a little escape. I did watch the Art of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus first. It was free when I saw it. Great way to preview without trailer highlights & get a feel. I forgot, how great Heath Ledger is. One of those Kevin Spacey actors that just gets lost in his craft & takes you with him. I don't normally synopses bc I feel you should discover a story on your own but it's kind of necessary here. Dr Parnassus has the ability to pull people into his mind to achieve their fantasies. So take that concept & add the over the top Monty Python Sir Terry Gilliam, & Heath is just perfect in this beautiful fantasy. It's very hard to keep a story on point while being pulled into a fantastical, theatrical, mind altering world. Somehow, that's exactly what was satisfied here. I'm so glad I bought this not just rented. It has that Alice inWonderland quality, I love visiting over again.

Sadly this was Heath Ledgers last film. They were able to piece it together somehow

I am so sorry to give this movie such a low rating because it’s not fair to flat out say that a movie sucks without considering the time, planning and work that goes into it. For me, this movie is so frustrating to watch! It has all of the ingredients to make a masterpiece... great actors and wonderful special effect ideas. However, it falls short with big story plot holes, useless scenes and dialogue. It was as if someone influenced by the movies Brazil and Baron Munchausen (two of my favorite movies) tried to make an epic building it around scenes they wanted to see in the film regardless of the story. It didn’t work. And I suppose that is the reason I never heard of this film until seeing it on Amazon.com a few days ago. I removed one star for the long length of the movie. Easily this story could have been told in an hour and fifteen minutes, not two hours. While watching it you actually feel as if you are wasting your time. A movie should never do that. You should realize so much time has past after you are finished watching it. Even bad movies keep you engaged while seeing noticing the hilarious blatant faults. The shots are beautiful and epic, but do nothing to add to the story. There is a long 5 minute shot of a bird flying that you’ll never see again in the movie. This movie is filled with empty fluff like this. I removed a second star because the filmmakers had so much potential at their disposal and yet convoluted the story with huge plot holes and a very cliched ending. The cast is incredible and giving their very best. There are some scenes that are simply amazing to watch. The special effects are sometimes fake looking, but that really worked in this film to embody the fantasy element of the doctor's imaginarium. The problem with this film mainly lies in the fact that even with such a brilliant cast, I can’t say that I particularly felt sympathy for any of them or wanted any of them to succeed or fail. And ultimately at the end I just didn't care what happened to them. Again, sorry for the low rating.

I enjoyed this movie. Somehow I overlooked this movie years ago when it first came out. If you have never seen this movie before, by all means make the purchase. The story line deals with an old man who makes a deal with the devil( in exchange for his soul he lives a very long life) when it time to repay the devil the old man tries to outsmart him. Some of the actors are Heath Ledger, and Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Lily Cole and Christopher Plummer. I suppose you could let a young child watch this , there are a couple of moderate sexual scenes but nothing too explicit. The movie lasts about two hours. I enjoyed this movie there were plenty of special effects and fantasy scenes, and there was intrigue as well as humor.