The James Logan Courier

By Zola Boyd, Courier Staff Writer

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the latest surreal trip through the uniquely brilliant mind of director Terry Gilliam.

Called "disjointed" and "confusing" by some critics, it is a film about the power of the imagination, and its scenes fade in to one another like fragments of thoughts and dreams.

Christopher Plummer stars as 1000-year-old doctor Parnassus, who travels around London in his horse drawn Imaginarium. The Imaginarium consists of an ornately decorated folding stage upon which Parnassus, his ethereal daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), an awkward teenage boy who does magic (Anton) and a sarcastic midget (Verne Troyer) perform around a mirror that can access the imagination of who ever enters. In other words, when you enter you enter your own imagination and the imagination of whoever else is inside, which turns out to be quite dangerous sometimes.

The problems start for Parnassus and his odd brood when stumble upon Tony (Heath Ledger in his final role), a corrupt but charismatic charity owner with unclear intentions. When Ledger passed away in the middle of filming, the script was changed so actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell could play the role of Tony in different scenes to show his two sided nature.

All of the actors in the film play their roles convincingly, but the highlight of the movie was Tom Waits in the role of the devil.

The bizarre plot and unconventional storytelling may not be what moviegoers are used to seeing, but i thought it was a welcome change from the same recycled plots and dialogue seen in most movies in theaters. I'd definitely give this movie two thumbs up and recommend it to everyone, go watch it.