Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discussion

[DonIago]

Kind of surprised there isn't already a thread on this.

So, what have folks thought of Heath Ledger's final performance?

I just saw the film on Saturday, and I think I'm still processing it in some ways, but maybe that's giving the movie too much credit. Either way, I'm hoping to see it again.

I would say that if Avatar is the groundbreaking film of the past year, Parnassus is the -spectacle- film of the past year.

I'm not really good at this whole movie critiquing thing, but I'd be curious to hear what others thought!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

This is my single most anticipated film of 2009...and yet I still haven't seen it! Fortunately, it's coming out in Japan on the 23rd, so I'll be checking it out as soon as I can.

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

I'm slightly annoyed that this movie struck me as more profound than Avatar or Trek '09, yet it's faring a lot worse review-wise.

Then again, it's possible that I'm reading more into the film than it merits. But that's why I'm hoping to hear from others.

This is one of the few cases where I've also gone ahead and ordered a movie soundtrack without particularly looking for any reviews. The Trek '09 music is stuck in my head, but not in a way I'm finding very appealing, and the Avatar music...well, it's not sticking out in my head, but that's not a critique either way...that one I'd like to see again.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is deeper than either of those movies. I have a lot of issues with Star Trek and I'm in no hurry to see Avatar (although if I have the time, I might go see it at the IMAX in Yokohama).

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I really liked both of them, but I wouldn't cite depth as one of their strong points.

Based on reviews I'm seeing of Parnassus though, I'm not sure whether the movie actually is deep, or whether I'm seeing depth where none exists....which, actually, is something that's pertinent in the film itself.

 

[chrisspringob]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

There *is* a thread on it....from back in October, when it came out in the UK and Australia:

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=106998

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Yeah, but that one doesn't have a shiny poll.

...hm, that sounds dirty.

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Hm...I don't know whether the lack of voting means people haven't seen the film or don't know the thread is here, so figured I'd bounce it this one time.

 

[auntiehill]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I saw the film a few weeks ago, and was somewhat disappointed. The visuals were stunning--which is what I've come to expect from Gilliam--but the plot was somewhat...I don't know....mediocre...charmless. I really wasn't emotionally invested in the characters at all. It was an very interesting exercise, technically, but it all fell a bit flat.

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I think I need to see it at least one more time (I've only seen it once) to see how knowing what's going to happen colors my analysis.

I suspect how people feel about Heath Ledger's character may strongly influence their overall opinion of the film.

 

[AvBaur]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Terry Gilliam's imagination never ceases to amaze me and it has rarely been visualized more compellingly than here. Unfortunately, the story devolves into a bit of a mess towards the end. Strong actors, fascinating ideas and Gilliam's keen visual style keep the movie afloat, though.


I voted "above average". Not one of Gilliam's best, but nonetheless very entertaining. I'm definitely going to watch it again.

 

[Klaus]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Thread necromancy, as it's out on DVD so those of us who didn't get a chance in the 15 minutes it was in the theaters are finally able to see it.

...and after three viewings I am blown away. It has the bittersweetness of all Gilliam's work, but there is something a bit lighter in it somehow, and it even has a partly-happy ending. Verne Troyer was wonderful, in a Claude-Raines-stealing-all-the-good-lines kinda way, and Waits was awesome as the Devil. Lily Cole is scrumptiously good and the fantasy sequences looked great. I liked Depp the best of the fill-ins I think.

It's a mediation on the power and danger of stories, and how and whether we believe others' stories and even our own. I'l be watching it again soon.

 

[AstroSmurf]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I saw the film a few weeks ago, and was somewhat disappointed. The visuals were stunning--which is what I've come to expect from Gilliam--but the plot was somewhat...I don't know....mediocre...charmless. I really wasn't emotionally invested in the characters at all. It was an very interesting exercise, technically, but it all fell a bit flat.

I felt the same way. I also thought it was missing something... as if part of the story was left out (or had to be left out). I have yet to be able to put my finger on the what and where though. I just know I didn't get something.

I still enjoyed it for the most part. Heath, as always, was very charming and I enjoyed the dream world visuals.

 

[Klaus]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I found I grokked the characters a little better on subsequent viewings... and I bet there was some of the story left out, all things considered it's a miracle we got anything.

 

[DonIago]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Nice to see this thread getting bumped.

As with most Gilliam films I think subsequent viewings are practically essential.

 

[Davros]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

A great movie, possibly one of Gilliam's best.

 

[The Lensman]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I loved it! Waits rocked as Mr. Nick and Plummer really disappeared into the role as well. I thought that Depp, Farrell, and Law all did a good job as well....Depp, of course, really knocking it out of the park in that department.

The FX pieces were good, and the ending, with Parnassus lost in limbo was cool...though I wish it would've lasted a bit longer. Set design was also great.

It had it's flaws, it is a Gilliam film after all.....but overall I liked.

 

[stj]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

Despite Tom Waits, the Devil as a character didn't work for me. Dr. Parnassus was ungrounded, didn't seem to come from or belong anywhere, which may have been intentional but didn't get my interest. The last straw was Ledger's disappearance. Couldn't finish it. Loved Erik the Viking, Time Bandits, Brazil and Tideland, though. I was impressed by Baron Munchausen too, but, like Imaginarium, it was too frenetic and characterless for me.

 

[MyCylon]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

"Average". I went in with relatively low expectations based on rather lukewarm reviews though with the hope it would be pretty amazing. I did like parts of it (particularly some of the visuals and scenes as well as much of the acting) but overall felt it was, well, yeah, average.

Overall, I think this sums it up pretty well for me as well:

I saw the film a few weeks ago, and was somewhat disappointed. The visuals were stunning--which is what I've come to expect from Gilliam--but the plot was somewhat...I don't know....mediocre...charmless. I really wasn't emotionally invested in the characters at all. It was an very interesting exercise, technically, but it all fell a bit flat.

 

[RookieBatman]

Re: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" grading/discuss

I really liked the first part; I'm a big fan of Plummer, so it was worth it just to see him in a great role. But I had to rate it Below Average, because the ending just seemed completely pointless to me. It didn't make any sense. I thought Depp and Law worked pretty well as necessary replacements, but I thought Colin Farrell had absolutely zero believability of being the same character as Ledger, and didn't even seem to be trying to portray that. As such, the arc of that character was completely lost for me, and so I didn't feel like it was ever really resolved. And even though Parnassus seemed happy enough in the end, I didn't really dig his daughter's conclusion either. Maybe I just didn't understand it, but sometimes I wonder if it may not be that I didn't understand it, but that there was actually just nothing really there to understand.

I would, however, really like to see what (if any) changes were made to the script after Heath Ledger's death. I can't help but wonder if the dark, fairly grim ending was affected by that.