Somewhat intellectually mushy and sentimental, though never less than visually impressive.
Comment
10/20/09
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.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating]
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... [More]
Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield
Director: Terry Gilliam
Reviews for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
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
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.
10/16/09
Top CriticIt’s unlikely Gilliam’s own, undeniably brilliant career will be revitalised by this rambling, undisciplined and indulgent piece of work.
10/16/09
Top CriticTerry 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.
10/16/09
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
10/16/09
Top CriticIt’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.
10/16/09
Top CriticGilliam’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.
10/16/09
Top CriticSadly, Parnassus’ stop-start narrative frustrates, while much of its melancholy relies on Ledger’s involvement. Still, there are those moments.
10/16/09
[Gilliam's] most vibrant and alive film in years, his rich mind synthesised and running wild for a memorable adventure.
10/16/09
Gilliam struggles to create a coherent frame for his visual ambition.
10/16/09
Like the cartoons of Monty Python, the results are weirdly inspired and fitfully amusing but mostly unfathomable. Such is the delirium of Doctor Gilliam.
10/16/09
Gilliam’s plotting is typically ramshackle, but the fantasy visions are wondrous. Top job of rescuing Heath Ledger’s cruelly curtailed contribution, too.
10/16/09
The film is too much of a shambles, but it is brave and courageous; not tainted by anything other than circumstance and passion.
10/16/09
A cheerily irreverent memorial to Ledger. Ledger, meanwhile, immerses himself enthusiastically into the low-budget spirit of Gilliam’s film.
10/16/09
A grotesque squandering of time, talent and a great idea.
10/16/09
A visually inventive fantasy romp that's big on imagination, but almost impossible to follow.
10/16/09
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.
10/16/09
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.
10/16/09
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.
10/16/09
Top CriticLatest 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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