Starring: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer
Director: Terry Gilliam (The Brothers Grimm, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
Running Time: 2 hrs 2 min
Release Date: Jan. 8, 2010
Budget: $30 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 71%
“…lively action and excellent visual effects.” Todd McCarthy, Variety
“…an elephantine mess.” Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
The fantasy and magic is memorable enough, but the most unforgettable thing about The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is that it features Ledger’s final performance. Since he did not finish filming before his death in January 2008, Depp, Law and Farrell stepped in to complete the role of Tony, an amnesiac who is taken in by Dr. Parnassus (Plummer). The doctor and his troupe travel around giving people a glimpse into their imaginations. While this is an intriguing, whimsical premise, the storyline is unfortunately tangled and often incoherent. The visuals, however, are breathtaking, and the performances of the three actors portraying different facets of Ledger’s character were seamlessly interwoven.
