Movie Review: THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

I usually wait for movies to come to The Crest so I can see them for three bucks, but last night I spent the extra seven dollars to see this movie in a newer theater with a bigger screen (I went to the Loews Alderwood 16; very nice). I am a big fan of Terry Gilliam (I have all of his films except one), and this film looked like a return to form after the egregious misstep of TIDELAND (that's the one).

So, was this the triumphant return of Terry Gilliam? Well, yes and no.

First of all, let's talk about the good: This is a wonderfully imaginative movie, with some of the most mesmerizing visuals I have ever seen. Gilliam has created a remarkable world behind Dr. Parnassus's magic mirror, a dreamworld that feels like a real dream. The imagery is lush and bizarre, wondrous and free-form. I would buy this movie just for the universe contained in the Imgainarium; it's that compelling.

The cast is excellent--a band of relative unknowns, anchored by the legendary Christopher Plummer. Andrew Garfield is outstanding, Lily Cole's weird beauty is magnetic, and Christopher Plummer is, or course, magnificent. The only weak link is Verne Troyer, who cannot act. I know the guys from TIME BANDITS are all pretty old by now, but surely Gilliam could have found a little person with some actual talent.

Heath Ledger was good, as were Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrel. I wasn't sure how this trick was going to work, knowing that it was precipitated by Heath Ledger's death, but it was perfectly in keeping with the tone of the film, and would have been a nice touch even if Heath had survived the entire shoot.

And now for the bad: For starters, someone needs to take all of Terry Gilliam's wide-angle lenses away from him. He has made a career out of shooting distorted, unsettling images with ultra wide-angle lenses (usually in the interest of the story), but now it just feels like he's settled into a comfortable laziness with his visual style, and in this particular film it is a disservice to the story. Most of his other movies are dystopic fantasies and mind-bending nightmares, and the jarring visual style has gone hand-in-hand with the subject matter. But PARNASSUS is not a dystopia, nor is it a nightmare; for all its flights of fancy it is actually a fairly straightforward story, and it deserved a more straightforward visual treatment (at least on the reality side of the magic mirror). Many times during the film I shook my head at the camera placement and thought to myself, "Terry, grow up."

Not only way the camerawork troublesome, but the editing left much to be desired. Actually, it kind of stank. The first 40 minutes were so poorly structured, and the editing so choppy, that I debated even staying for the rest of the film. There are ways to tell a story so that it builds interest, suspense, and dramatic tension, and there are ways to tell a story so that it is muddled and plodding. Gilliam chose the second method for PARNASSUS. In addition, the script was frequently mediocre, and some of the London scenes were directed in such a farcical style (and not in a good way) that I again found myself thinking, "Terry, grow up."

And of course this review would not be complete if I did not discuss the performance of Tom Waits (my favorite guy) as Mr. Nick, otherwise know as The Devil. This was both the best--and most frustrating--part of the movie. It was the best part because Tom Waits was absolutely AMAZING as The Devil, and it was the most frustrating part because thanks to the camerawork, editing, and writing, we barely get to see him.(And when I say "him" I don't just mean Tom Waits, I mean the character.) First of all, Gilliam gives him one of the worst screen introductions I have ever seen--ever--and the flashback where Parnassus and Mr. Nick strike their original bargain is way too short, and comes much too late in the movie.

Then, he shoots so much of Mr. Nick's scenes in tight close-ups that we only get glimpses of the languid, crooked physicality that Tom Waits created for the character (oh, but what glimpses!) It's not so much that his screen time was inadequate, it's more that the shots they used were inadequate. Gilliam used short, quick cuts when he should have used long, unbroken takes to let the character build up some visual momentum.

Frankly, the biggest problem with the movie is that it wants to be about the Devil and Dr. Parnassus, but they shifted the focus too much on Heath Ledger's character, which made it easy to brush Mr. Nick to the sidelines (a real shame, trust me). Now, people who know me and know how much I love Tom Waits' music might be inclined to say I am biased about his role, but I honestly think that someone who has never even heard of Tom Waits would be mesmerized by his performance. My greatest hope is that the DVD will have about an hour of deleted scenes, and that Mr. Nick will be in all of them.

All in all, DOCTOR PARNASSUS was a bittersweet experience. I will say that despite all of the problems I have mentioned, I will probably see this again when it comes to The Crest. If nothing else, I can revel in the Devil and step through the magic mirror one more time.