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Movies / Upcoming / The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

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Reviews Counted:61

Fresh:40

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.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:16-10-2009

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... 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 of THE BROTHERS GRIMM, Christopher Plummer of 12 MONKEYS, and Tom Waits of THE FISHER KING. [More]

Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield

Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law

Director: Terry Gilliam

Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriter: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

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  • Many Centuries Ago
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    The Imaginarium
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    I'm Underage
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    Trailer #1
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  • It's Barry
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    Reach for the Clouds
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  • Closing Time
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    Inside the Imaginarium
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    Easily Disproved
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    Just Tell Me What You Want
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1 - 4 of 12

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Reviews for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Somewhat intellectually mushy and sentimental, though never less than visually impressive.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
10/20/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

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.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/20/09
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

There are thrilling flashes of Gilliam getting back to top form here. A scrappy movie with more ideas than it can control, but one born out of a passion and determination that are wholly infectious.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
10/16/09
Olly Richards
Olly Richards
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s unlikely Gilliam’s own, undeniably brilliant career will be revitalised by this rambling, undisciplined and indulgent piece of work.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/16/09
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Terry Gilliam is perhaps the only director who could lure in the late Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell AND Jude Law - and still produce a phantasmogoric stinker.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment 2 Comments
10/16/09
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

A eulogy, a polemic, an intriguing mess: Dr Parnassus is ultimately more worth your time than many a polished creation, and it's a must for Terry Gilliam completists, but this time out he delivers a feast for the eyes more than he satisfies intellectually

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/16/09
Catherine Bray
Catherine Bray
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s mad and beautiful and bewildering; it represents a unique vision; it’s a peek into the treasure trove of oddities that is Terry Gilliam’s head.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
10/16/09
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gilliam’s imagination rubbing up against his constricted budget, and CGI showmanship is not on any level his forte. You miss the hand-made charm and extravagant matte-work of Brazil, even Baron Munchausen.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/16/09
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sadly, Parnassus’ stop-start narrative frustrates, while much of its melancholy relies on Ledger’s involvement. Still, there are those moments.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
10/16/09
Josh Winning
Josh Winning
Little White Lies

[Gilliam's] most vibrant and alive film in years, his rich mind synthesised and running wild for a memorable adventure.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment Comment
10/16/09
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Digital Spy

Gilliam struggles to create a coherent frame for his visual ambition.

comment Comment
10/16/09
Ben Walters
Ben Walters
Heat Magazine

Like the cartoons of Monty Python, the results are weirdly inspired and fitfully amusing but mostly unfathomable. Such is the delirium of Doctor Gilliam.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
10/16/09
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

Gilliam’s plotting is typically ramshackle, but the fantasy visions are wondrous. Top job of rescuing Heath Ledger’s cruelly curtailed contribution, too.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
10/16/09
Kevin Harley
Kevin Harley
Total Film

The film is too much of a shambles, but it is brave and courageous; not tainted by anything other than circumstance and passion.

Full Review Source: Filmstar Magazine | comment Comment
10/16/09
Thom Hutchinson
Thom Hutchinson
Filmstar Magazine

A cheerily irreverent memorial to Ledger. Ledger, meanwhile, immerses himself enthusiastically into the low-budget spirit of Gilliam’s film.

Full Review Source: Uncut Magazine [UK] | comment Comment
10/16/09
Nick Hasted
Nick Hasted
Uncut Magazine [UK]

A grotesque squandering of time, talent and a great idea.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
10/16/09
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

A visually inventive fantasy romp that's big on imagination, but almost impossible to follow.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
10/16/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

A rambling, unruly salute to the transformative power of the imagination that is filled with visual inventiveness, wilful eccentricity and even a burst or two of Pythonesque humour.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
10/16/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

No amount of visual pyrotechnics can cover the fact that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus never quite knows what it is doing, where it is going and why. The pencil hadn’t done its work before the digital geniuses moved in.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
10/16/09
Andrew O'Hagan
Andrew O'Hagan
This is London

This surreal universe is the highlight of Terry Gilliam's film, showing that the former Monty Python has not lost his ability to astound audiences with visual wit.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
10/16/09
Sun Online
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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 Opens in new window
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. Opens in new window
More...

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