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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
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Summary: A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.
Country: France
Directed By: Terry Gilliam
More information at the Internet Movie Database

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus belongs to 9 collections
1. IMDB Top 250 (public: moderated by ppinocchio - 29 stars)
2. Surreal (public: moderated by Spunkie - 13 stars)
3. Mindfuck (public: moderated by moses - 12 stars)
4. Eligible for Academy Award Best Picture 2009 (public: moderated by Ross - 2 stars)
5. 82nd Academy Awards: Nominated (public: moderated by Ross - 1 star)
6. London (public: moderated by djross)
7. Multiple actors playing the same character (public: moderated by whatismyname)
8. Films to see (private: kevinjoseph)


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What other users thought -- ordered by your TCI
TCI User Score Tier
na prowler
80
T7
waits. plummer. ledger. GILLIAM. the ending could've worked better, but anyway... GILLIAM
na toby5
85
T9
na unx
86
T9
na JokerXgg
50
T6
na peder
75
T5
The more I think back on it, the more I think I like it. It simultaneously feels like a progression and a return to form. Tom Waits as The Devil has to be the greatest casting decision of the decade. I will definitely be giving Imaginarium a second viewing, and I encourage anyone who felt unsatisfied by it to do the same.
na TheDeek
66
T4
na Hanne
75
T9
na hh75
84
T7
na CinematicESP
77
T3
Perhaps too whimsical for its own good, inconsistent in terms of tone, with a climax that is strange and slightly unsatisfying. That said, Ledger, Waits, Plummer, Depp and Farrell are all great, and the costume design is incredible. It's certainly imaginative. I could watch it again.
na nrpayne
70
T6
Imagery is outsatnding. The basic outline of a plot is there, but anything more specific and the story begins to fall apart. Try not to think to hard about fitting the pieces together and just enjoy the scenery. Ledger is ok, but not exactly how I want to remember him.
na pommy64
84
T6
na ellinikos
75
T6
Visually, it's a tour de force, but the plot is lacklustre and appears to have been cobbled together from disparate elements in an attempt to save Ledger's legacy. In fact, his performance is surprisingly good, but not enough to make up for the weakness in the narrative structure and the hokey memorial elements. Unfortunately, the film (like Parnassus himself) is destined to become nothing more than a curiosity of storytelling rather than the magnum opus it might have originally intended.
na Johnny6Gun
65
T8
na Freddi_
76
T5
na chasemayer
86
T5
na d3fault
82
T5
na lunk
100
T8
na kramertron
76
T4
na LmanofMGS3
83
T4
na M.Habarta
85
T6
na Stradivarius
71
T4
Has a lot of charm and great moments, but its shortcomings are far too numerous. The story is disjointed and you're never given a real firm grasp of any of the characters or their motivations. Its unclear who or what is truly driving the story forward and it lacks momentum. Tom Waits was fantastic however.
na zordon
96
T10
na air_ror
81
T7
na Nouilles
78
T5
na Sekzee
65
T2
na panchovilla
90
T9
na PeterLeb
85
T10
na kgbelliveau
89
T9
Way more solid a film that I could have ever imagined it being, I was drawn into the world that Gilliam masterfully crafted. The actors were brilliant. This film as a finished product was an awesome tribute to Heath Ledgers brilliant career. This role was perfect for his talent, and for time he was in the film you could sense that he cared about his craft. Farell, Depp and Law did awesome stepping in for Ledger, as good as they were one couldnt help but wish that Ledger had completed the role.
na allu22
87
T5
na mbuchelly
45
T1
na StarSiren
79
T7
na thebestaunti
70
T2
na O_o
75
T7
na cblur21
67
T6
na Peter_Pain
70
T6
na bren
78
T7
na Monsterix
90
T10
na frederic_g54
79
T7
The more I think about it, the more I love it. Heath Ledger was one talented actor and what a great film to leave us with. Admirable in its determination to tickle the imagination, Gilliam's latest film is indeed a breath of fresh air. It stalled during Jude Law's segment (but then again, I'm not a big fan) and opinions will differ about the film yet it's one I highly recommend. I'd never heard of Lily Cole before but the girl showcases some irresistible flair. Can't wait to see it again.
na Agwoq
94
T10
na TGulp
75
T8
na Void
3
T7
na onetwothree
40
T2
na donkanee
76
T6
na umka
75
T7
na walkearth
40
T3
na bobyang
70
T6
na tendrilsfr20
66
T7
Very fun but unfulfilling movie. Actors and setpieces: great. Plot and characters: less so.
na muutanet
79
T8
As the name of the film lets us know, this is a thriumph for old storytellers, immortal stories and imagination. After a loose start the plot finds soon it's path and gets better and creates deeper meaning towards the end. This is also a story of fear of death, disappearing into oblivion. And since Gilliam is fighting against modern dullness, Lily Cole is ingenious choise for lead. An icon of modernity. And she survives on her role nicely I must say.
na Kavu
84
T9
Original, imaginative and not nearly as hard to understand as most people make it out to be. A worthy testament for Ledger.
na martryn
76
T6
Although the film is still pretty decent, you can tell that it suffered with the death of Heath Ledger. For Ledger fans, this is obviously a must watch. For fans of Gilliam, you'll not be surprised, really, though I wouldn't consider this one of his better works.
na Eddie Yang
79
T5
na fleurdelys
65
T5
na cambelboy
75
T6
na corruptelite
68
T7
na kafka1325
60
T5
na penchu
65
T4
na ananda
55
T5
na mausi-masya
80
T4
na stariachi
75
T8
na madiso
60
T7
na NineInch9
80
T5
na Nitku
60
T4
na Floggn
83
T8
na sickdesigner
100
T10
na cakejunkie
77
T8
na funsamf
85
T8
na fletch
65
T4
na childintime
40
T4
na yesistasty
66
T2
A disappointing effort from an excellent visual director. This film is one of the most unfocused I've ever seen, and a couple of promising ideas are left unrealized.
na Crazy Jack
60
T4
na rettelo
66
T3
na mendeljef
65
T5
na Caleb Juice
85
T8
na propercio
80
T8
na grimsooth
58
T6
This is a real work of art, so I like it in-spite of itself. It reminds me a lot of "Pan's Labrinth" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and similarly would likely be an interesting experiance on your mind altering substance(s) of choice (though if those are depressants you'll likely fall asleep). "About? Please, we've moved beyond your petty notions of plot development and continuity . . . but here's a hint: The devil is involved."
na venom256
55
T1
This one wasn't good. Fair enough it was Ledger's last film and that gives it some added background but as a film, it was poor. Storyline was shoddy, the characters had no personalities, and the film left me kind of depressed. Had Johnny Depp been in the movie from the start, perhaps it might have turned out better as he can add life to any role/film.
na imdb
74
T8
na Frenetico
83
T6
na szumi
83
T8
na Sandokan
78
T6
na alinag
55
T3
na Cahadras1
68
T3
na daniel.kojak
77
T7
na Infenso
70
T6
na divide
76
T4
na robotchicken
73
T7
na Paradiselost
78
T6
na SirRobbie
60
T4
na wohni
70
T5
na boski-alonso
35
T3
na Elekoise
50
T6
na daniel
80
T10
na neggbird
81
T8
na alexandroid
80
T7
na hristos
60
T5
na KasperL
40
T3
A disappointment. The quality of the visuals inside the Imaginarium doesn't match the (considerable) breadth of Gilliam's imagination and the story was borderline uninteresting. What saves the movie were the superb turns we're treated to by Plummer and, especially, Mr. Tom "I'm cool even as the Devil" Waits.
na von krogh
76
T7
na FliXt
84
T7
na Zeno
77
T7
na manifold
70
T4
na ColonelTigh
96
T9
na noelus
85
T9
na spikex
65
T2
na Darkling
60
T5
na Ilu08
75
T5
na wawwhite
75
T5
na danielldb
70
T6
na Wintermute_
75
T6
na FoolForALife
65
T7
Was great in the first half or two thirds, as long as the Imaginarium does not take over. But when it happens (when Jude Law comes in), the movie loses its feel for the narrative tempo. Besides, I really would have loved to see how the picture looked like, if the special effects were all handmade. Just as the first time the mirror is entered. The whole CGI trickery takes away a lot of soul and heart out of the flick as it looks way too clean. Great ensemble though.
na In Lieu Of
72
T5
Heath's last is a decent movie. Interesting story and fairly well acted but it's just a little too bat-shit insane for me to really love. Although, I must say that I can't truly claim to understand exactly what is going on after only one viewing. I don't really get what Parnassus is exactly or why the Devil seems to mess with him so much and yet also help him out at other times. It was enjoyable but sad due to Heath's death but it would have been nice for The Dark Knight to have been his last.
na demrahc13
57
T2
na bertonia
80
T6
na Blair
80
T5
na Ezoterik
73
T7
It's not nearly as good and poignant as Tideland. It's not nearly as quirky and offbeat as Fear and Loathing. But Imaginarium still manages to touch all the right chords. The acting is simply impeccable and the images in the Imaginarium sequences are pure art. Sadly the script is barely coherent and at times plain stupid. Could be much better.
na dacruz
60
T6
na deadbill
93
T7
na Merc
70
T5
na Bagmad
87
T9
na monclivie
77
T7
na Razorclock
79
T6
na omekotitel
80
T9
na Hkit
88
T7
na nunstrangler
43
T2
Since Ledger died during production, Gilliam had Depp, Law, and Farrell play variations of the same character to melancholy effect. It's fool-the-eye, existential smoke and mirrors from Gilliam's obviously overloaded and exhausting imagination.
na mayo
30
T1
na Siltem
70
T8
na SirStuckey
88
T9
A film I saw alone and was glad because I knew my friends wouldn't like it. As with most GIlliam it truly is an acquired taste but I found it to be a visually stunning movie with more originality than I have seen in most movies in the past few years. The acting was wonderful by the main cast with only Troyer feeling a bit off. I thought Law, Farrell and Depp did as good of a job as could be asked playing Ledger in the Imaginarium. It's great to see his final role get pulled off into a full film.
na corley
75
T8
na silviox
75
T4
na calendula
70
T4
na bmmello
79
T6
na Cuculiza
65
T5
na oxiukas1
7
T4
na jenya291182
96
T10
na filmaffinity
65
T6
na follower
60
T6
A lot of interesting ideas but none of them are really worked out well. The plot feels incoherent and ends in an anti-climax. Great visuals and great performances by Waits & Ledger/Depp but Garfield is extremely annoying and while Lily Cole is obviously very pretty, she's not a great actress. Overall an enjoyable film, but disappointing nonetheless.
na kjfellows
77
T6
na mardilv
85
T6
na ralexwr
63
T7
na Murderface
85
T10
na Gladstone
6
T8
na silversand
79
T7
na mosesismoses
69
T3
na Mike417
80
T7
na Indy
82
T7
na Flo2233
80
T5
na b4con
70
T4
na OMGFridge
75
T8
I enjoyed it greatly. Terry Gilliam definitely pulled it off. Heath's last role was a good one and was covered well by his supporting entourage. The story maybe could of been touched up on but only a minor thing there. Visually it was something else.
na lionesque
80
T8
na vordhosbn
80
T8
na Randoom
70
T7
na pompousass
20
T6
A Gilliam exercise in excess, as dense, as heavy, as torpifying as a Christmas fruitcake. (Or as Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Brothers Grimm.) The muffled narrative gets overpowered by the relentless production: the desolate stark smoky post-apocalyptic real world and the digitalized escape-scapes, a bit of Oz, a bit of Wonderland, a bit of Middle-Earth, a bit of Maxfield Parrish crossed with Salvador Dali.
na Vergere
77
T6
na canna
75
T9
na somms
80
T9
na Chatiz
65
T6
Quite silly. But 'enjoyful-silly' more than 'ridiculous-silly'. For the most part. .... and damn that Lily Cole is one tasty doll!
na mikeparasol
84
T8
na Serenitie
70
T5
na johnshaft
71
T5
na chiefg
80
T7
na alacienputa
76
T3
na Crooky
55
T3
na SarahG1988
90
T8
Make of it what you will but TIODP is a grossly engaging film with some fine performances and a plot which oozzs originality. One of 2009's best films for me. ...not too sure on Lily Cole though..
na Jos
75
T6
na Fran
85
T9
na korbenPL
34
T3
na Grouchy
86
T7
na maggotlala
100
T10
na spazzPP2
88
T7
na mindheart
6
T3
na AbortedHugs
80
T9
Really wish Jude Law had another profession.
na ArinMB
83
T6
na Stim
76
T9
The plot isn't solid but I was willing to let it flow and did enjoy it. Parts of it are tacky but it's strangely appealing. Tom Waits is truly fantastic and steals the show. It's not as strong as some of Gilliam's other work but it's certainly enjoyable, accessible and rather beautiful.
na SilverSB
7
T8
na RealMacgyver
70
T5
Extremely weird, well it is Gilliam, but the second half felt kind of disjointed
na Iustae
90
T10
fabulous, fascinating, freakish and fantastic!
na Holcane
3
T2
na kedar1981
80
T8
na ilija666
70
T5
na tielardurdin
83
T9
na Vertiggo
50
T2
na ReCreation07
88
T8
na roofs_runner
83
T7
The movie really confused me. I've prepared myself to dive into the charming world of imagination but somewhere in the middle I started to realize that it was too much for my brains. Too much of imagination, very fertile and amazing, but which leads to nowhere, I would say, with the story so weirdly told that I didn't get who was bad and good. Ledger was as always good. It's a real pity we will not see him again. The whole cinematography lost a young, shining diamond.
na revers
79
T8
na c.r.a.z.y.
4
T5
na fabioleal
48
T2
na Hagbard
79
T6
na Richterman
7
T7
Waits is great and plays an interesting character as expected. Ledger's character took an interesting turn. Overall, I liked the movie but there were some elements that prevent me from thinking it was a great movie.
na Sagremore
80
T9
na One_Louder
85
T8
na pilgermann
78
T8
My rating is a first impulse. I feel this needs second viewing. I feel at home in most of Gilliam's bizarre works but this is one's up there pretty high on the strangeness-meter. The film feels heavily flawed in many ways, but it's utterly unique and fascinating in others.
na Silver
7
T8
na Empire
3
T6
na Hamburger
81
T6
It's definitely lesser Gilliam, but some of the magic is still there.
na Filligan
84
T6
A lot about this I loved, a fair bit fell short or felt false. There's no point saying Gilliam is a brilliant man with a glorious mind, it's common knowledge by now. I feel a little conflicted in terms of writing, as it felt deprived of a little focus and character development, but at the same whatever re-writes were done because of Ledger's passing are flawless. It's sad seeing Ledger on the screen for the last time; some moments in the film feel like an eerily natural tribute to him. Moving.
na MCR
68
T7
na FrederikA
60
T6
As always with Gilliam: Its as if he threw a hundred idea-balls up in the sky and only managed to catch a handfull... On the other hand... Tom Waits as the devil... Not a bad thing for any movie...
na pietias231
72
T6
na lagartazul
70
T4
na thaklos
67
T3
Gilliam's Parnassus is creative, but expresses its ideas with an unpurposeful vagueness. The dialogue and character development is weak, and leaves the bold themes unable to find personification. We see many charming exteriors, but are given precious little insight. There are unanswered questions, which is acceptable only if the audience wants to find out the answers. Pomp and swagger cannot rescue this film from its undeveloped characters and haphazard plot.
na Potatoez
93
T10
Visually awesome, well executed solution to death of an actor
na Charlie
75
T7
na emtilt
57
T5
Really unfocused.
na naratemari
80
T8
na Warren
75
T3
na bigfish
84
T7
na schnofel
35
T2
na perrydebian
65
T2
Too strange for my personal taste
na nikolajrh
70
T8
na bing
45
T1
As much as I love Gilliam, this film screams 'salvage operation'. Awkward, lacking pace and substance.
na MadcapLaughs
71
T5
The imagination shown throughout is fantastic, the humour is darn good and the performances are generally great - Waits is incredible, Ledger, Plummer and Depp are all great and I still really like Farrell even if most people don't. Unfortunately the story is poor with bizarre start-stop pacing, extremely weak backstory for George, overly blurry motivations and an unsatisfying ending to our time in the Imaginarium. Gilliam's imagination is just so terrific though that I can forgive most of this.
na KMcNeil
65
T7
So weird that you have to like it despite all its shortcomings. Any movie with Waits, Plummer and Gilliam directing is movie worth watching despite severe pacing problems, weird shifts in tone and subpar acting from some of the involved (Jude Law and Lily Cole, I'm looking at you). I'd like another movie with Waits as The Devil. Please? Somebody? Anybody?
na Koalafish
65
T5
na Carlospro
80
T6
na Scarface
72
T7
na hekkon
75
T5
na transpalet
70
T3
na BlzOfGlry
85
T6
na Miriam.1989
90
T10
na Ofterdingen
38
T3
na hewtwit
80
T7
na LouisMazzini
71
T5
na areels
55
T3
na filmcricket
55
T5
na cowfrappe
64
T6
Despite its beauty and supposedly high concept, the makers of this film really don't seem to care if the audience understands anything that's happening. Still, it was somehow still fun to watch, and Gilliam's visual flair is quite apparent.
na MaxS
55
T2
na elfgirl121
96
T10
na jpb33
40
T6
na denese
68
T5
na CitizenX
55
T6
the movie wasnt bad, it was well made with almost too much creativity, problem i had with it was that its boring and i didnt like the soundtrack
na ddyment
33
T2
na kneudorf
65
T9
na iSean413
85
T7
na nandorizzi
60
T5
It's hard to tell if the film is too messy, due to the unfortunate loss of Heath Ledger. Probably, a bit yes, but anyway, the Gilliam's films, do not tend to be easy or common. Admittedly, it is another film that will mess with the minds of most artistic or ultra sensitive, but let me again a feeling for his film, somewhere between beautiful and wierd too much.
na niksaan
80
T9
the imaginarium of dr. Gilliam ... 2 hours of fantasy and magic
na imnotlaughin
70
T8
na kubo
83
T6
na daria.wrazen
70
T6
na dunnypop
72
T3
na JahRas
83
T8
na sengir
77
T5
Another disappointing effort by Gilliam, the abundance of great visual ideas and the occasional touch of satire can't save the movie from the emptiness of it's characters and lifelessness of the performances (seems like every actor of the great cast is on automatic pilot). From it's undeveloped storylines to it's rushed and almost tacked on ending, it saddens me to the see the master director falling short of the greatness of his earlier films once again...
na Kristin
77
T8
na Cowman
60
T4
It seems there is also a thing like "too much" creativity when you make a movie.
na oblakoff
89
T10
na Rufflesack
73
T7
I really liked it. While Ledger's death probably and bizarrely improved the film (as I think the sollution makes it only better) it sure seems to have lost it's way slightly and lacks focus. It can't seem to decide on a main protagonist, and subsequently loses a great deal of narrative force. Still, Gilliam is clearly back on form here and considering circumstances it's quite impressive that this movie has been pulled together this well.
na julianaesk
84
T7
na Dean Franz
17
T2
Despite having made one of my absolute favorite movies (Fear & Loathing...), Giliam still holds the dubious distinction of having made two out of maybe 10 or 12 movies I've had to shut off before the end and vowed never to watch again (Bros Grimm & Tideland), and this one very nearly followed suit. If not for Tom Waits I'd have probably walked out. Disjointed and whimsical to a fault, it's also tedious and annoying and for every good idea there's a fucking truckload of halfbaked, childish shit.
na Sinister
70
T4
na phxrabello
75
T6
na Coheed
50
T3
na Gody85
57
T7
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