The beautiful special effects sequences can drag on, but Gilliam's crafted an intriguing, old-fashioned fairytale framework for them.
Comment
11/02/09
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
65
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:60
Fresh:39
Rotten:21
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Terry Gilliam remains as indulgent as ever, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus represents a return to the intoxicatingly imaginative, darkly beautiful power of his earlier work, with fine performances to match all the visual spectacle.
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: In THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, director Terry Gilliam continues the trippy tradition he began with inventive films such as TIME BANDITS and BRAZIL. This time, he reteams with Heath Ledger... [More]
Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield
Director: Terry Gilliam
Reviews for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Top CriticIf fantasy is your thing, take a trip through Gilliam's mirror and drink your fill, but don't blame me for your indigestion.
11/01/09
Top CriticThe film is classic Gilliam, the imaginative brilliance tempered by moments of incoherence and a strange lassitude.
10/29/09
Top CriticDoctor Parnassus is sometimes exhilarating, sometimes merely deranged -- but since excess and fragmentation are Gilliam's trademarks, his virtues are impossible to separate from his vices.
10/28/09
Top CriticA visual feast is served up in former Monty Python cast member Terry Gilliam's fantasy -- credited to "Heath Ledger and friends" -- that should enthral loyal fans of the veteran's colourful film history, but is more than likely to baffle Gilliam novices.
10/28/09
Top CriticIt's unlikely Gilliam's own, undeniably brilliant career will be revitalised by this rambling, undisciplined and indulgent piece of work.
10/28/09
Top CriticFor a film that lost one of its key players, Heath Ledger, mid-way through production, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is remarkably cohesive. Marks a return to form for Gilliam.
10/28/09
Top CriticThe film continually shifts in and out of coherency, much a like a radio trying to fix on a station broadcasting from far, far away.
10/28/09
Top CriticA hard to fathom storyline and obvious CGI effects detract from an otherwise big-hearted final film for Heath Ledger.
10/27/09
Top CriticThe script could have done with a little more work and the story loses its way more than once, but the weird and wonderful world Gilliam and Ledger have created is worth a peek.
10/25/09
Top Critic[Gilliam's] got this imagination that shoots off into the stratosphere and, to a certain extent, you've got to travel with him. But there's no one like him in film.
10/21/09
Top CriticOn one level this is a typically chaotic and rather overdone fantasy from Terry Gilliam, but on another it’s an immensely touching film because it contains Heath Ledger’s last screen appearance.
10/21/09
Top CriticDoctor Parnassus parallels Terry Gilliam and his most recent work: many complex ideas, grand intentions and miserable luck leading him down a path to nowhere, forcing him to start over with nothing one more time.
09/28/09
Top CriticWhatever my reservations, and they are only few, I welcome back the Gilliam of old.
11/09/09
It's weird, wicked, wonderful and whacky for sure - much more a dark fantasy than a horror film (Waits' amazing Devil notwithstanding) - but it's also done with finesse, beauty, emotion and aplomb.
11/04/09
The melding together of the streamlined urbanscapes of modern London with the old-time production design of the Parnassus carriage, not to mention the CGI wonderlands beyond the mirror, is a spectacle that's worth the price of admission alone.
10/29/09
Top CriticThis is a wonderous, dark and opulent film, that captivates and moves the audience. Fans of Ledger or Gilliam will feel rewarded for their time in the Imaginarium.
10/29/09
Top CriticThose willing to ignore these indulgences are guaranteed to be swept away by the sublime visuals, energetic performances and Gilliam’s own incredibly unbridled imagination.
10/27/09
Top CriticSomewhat intellectually mushy and sentimental, though never less than visually impressive.
10/20/09
Gilliam takes us on a whimsical flight through his imagination with this scruffy, messy movie. The plot doesn't really hang together, but the cast and imagery are magical.
10/20/09
Latest News for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
October 25, 2009:
Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
He's known as Captain Chaos and his productions are notoriously problematic. Brazil (1985) almost never saw the light of day when battles raged over final cut. On The Adventures... More...
October 25, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
October 18, 2009:
See Doctor Parnassus and chat to Terry Gilliam
It's the film audiences around the world have been curious about: Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, snatched from the jaws of disaster after one of its... More...
October 12, 2009:
New: Brand New Trailer Now Online.
More...
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