The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Had I known walking into this film or paid more attention to the opening credits that it was a Terry Gilliam movie, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. There was always that "Hey this is like a Terry Gilliam rip-off" going on that was very distracting to me...

If the devil asks you "How much are you willing to bet, there will be a day when the sun doesn't rise?" Be careful how you answer...

If the devil up the ante and offers you a deal to make your life livable since you have to wait 'til the end of the world for the previous bet? You better be careful how you answer...

The devil is also the least of your concerns, when you have to deal with man...

The movie takes its time, wandering through the plot in the normal Gilliam fashion. Characters think they are in control and have some semblance of hope only to find themselves pawns to thier weaknesses. Lots of side characters fall to the sides as props, falling victim to good people doing bad things with good intentions, and bad people doing good things with bad intentions...

Even though the movie was convoluted and surreal, the characters all acted pretty realistic. You could tell that some had the intentions to do good, but were at thier essence incapable of doing so. Choices were hard, and no one was a hero.

It was just missing the "We're sorry we brutally tortured your husband and killed him. It turns out we had the wrong guy the whole time! Please sign this receipt for the body's disposal, and have a nice day!" kind of feeling; but it was dark. The cast was amazingly good, everyone payed their parts perfectly, lines flowed, the plot unraveled like tangled christmas lights, and in the end, you feel like crap.

A perfect Gilliam film.

There's no real need to rush to see this in the theatre other than to send a message that people want actual cinema at the cinemas, rather than the usual blockbuster crap. Catch a matinée or wait for it on video.