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Gilliam's strength, as always, is in having the ability to project the craziest depths of his imagination on to the big screen and this film provides the ideal platform for him to showcase his stunning visual conceptions. The 'Imaginarium' itself is a spectacle of fabulous colours, wonderfully bizarre landscapes and alluring visions; each personal to whoever enters through the magical mirror of Dr. Parnassus' mysterious travelling sideshow.On the face of it, this vague idea along with an unparalleled cast sounds like it could be a winning concept for another masterpiece from acclaimed filmmaker Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King, Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but I think it lacks the substance to make it a winner. Having said this, credit should be duly given to Gilliam, as the sudden death of Heath Ledger before filming had finished meant that some of the script had to be rewritten and other actors drafted in to complete Ledger's part (Depp, Law and Farrell).The plot is hazy and with so much going on throughout it is very difficult to summarise. Dr. Parnassus (Plummer) is accompanied on his travels by his 15 year old daughter, Valentina (played very well, actually, by model-turned-actress Lily Cole). They are joined on the road by two more assistants; the somewhat irritating, yet harmless character of Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Parnassus' "number two", Percy (Troyer). Parnassus possesses the extraordinary power to invite people into their own imaginations through the main attraction that is the Imaginarium, which appears to be a completely ordinary two-sided mirror from the outside. Once inside, however, people are enticed one way and another and eventually, required to choose their fate. Heath Ledger effortlessly plays Tony, an ambiguous, enigmatic character who brings charisma and charm to the failing sideshow. It is very much a supporting role and he turns up towards the second half of the film. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law each bring an interesting dynamic to the character, even though they feature only for short spaces of time within the Imaginarium.I would like to watch this film several times more before making my mind up completely as to whether I like it or not; but the main reason that I wouldn't put this amongst Gilliam's best is that it is quite slow-moving in places, where Gilliam seems to have gotten so carried away with his imagination-land that some of the other scenes are lacking focus. It is also difficult to feel any empathy or emotion for the characters, because even with some excellent performances – particularly Plummer as Parnassus himself – there are no distinct personalities to love or hate. In this sense, it is quite possible that this will appeal to cult fans of his niche film-making style. In any case, it is absolutely essential when watching this film that you abandon the desire for a plot in any conventional sense of the word and accept that, in order to appreciate it, your imagination must take over…
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