Review: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Heath Ledger’s last film is a visually captivating piece with a plot that seems more complicated than it is. It is an imaginative story about imagination, the devil, and redemption.  The story is set somewhere in England; a traveling stage that looks like some kind of gypsy wagon from the late 19th century stops at street corners and in front of bars, advertising a trip into Dr. Parnassus’ imaginarium. Through a shiny curtain lies a world created by Parnassus’ mind and shaped by the imagination of whoever passes into it.

The story line involves the devil, who the doctor made a deal for immortality with. He now needs to compete with the devil for five souls by enticing people who enter the imaginarium to choose between wholesome things or the seedier side of temptation.

Heath Ledger’s performance is good, although it doesn’t come close to having the power of his role in the last Batman movie. Vern Troyer plays Dr. Parnassus’ driver and right hand man, and he does a good job for being a side character. Every character in the movie seems to be something of an exaggeration or parody.

The special effects are probably the film’s best feature, even in a time when cinematic special effects are hardly mentioned anymore with the vast array of possibilities available to filmmakers. The imaginarium’s scenes are colorful, whacked-out worlds where things transform quickly but almost imperceptibly.

My favorite aspect of the movie was seeing what was on the other side of that curtain whenever somebody disappeared through it, and what else unfolded as they ventured through the spectacular scenery.

At one point in the movie, Johnny Depp, who steps in for Ledger’s character for one scene in the imaginarium, has a line about dying that seems an eery but profound tribute to Ledger’s memory and untimely passing. It was a good addition for the light-hearted film that turned out to be the actor’s last.