The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Cast: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield
Dir: Terry Gilliam
Rating: 5/5
After the death of Heath Ledger back in January 2008 in the middle of filming Terry Gilliam's latest movie it looked like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was never going to make it to the big screen.
But when Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law all stepped forward to help complete the movie in memory of the late actor there was a light at the tunnel for filmmaker Terry Gilliam.
The movie follows Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.
Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality.
Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick.
Valentina is now rapidly approaching this 'coming of age' milestone and Dr Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate.
Mr Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls.
It's fair to say that you will see no other movie like this in 2009 as Terry Gilliam's wacky imagination spills over onto the screen in the form of some beautiful visuals that you can't help but get swept away with.
What you have to applaud is that Terry Gilliam completed this movie at all and despite the trouble that the filmmaker faced he has this is a superb movie.
The movie is just drenched in imagination and storytelling and it really sees Gilliam return to what he does best.
The big surprise of the film is that Heath Ledger is in more of the movie than first thought and the transition between the actors is totally seamless, in fact it works really really well.
Ok so the script loses it's way a little every now and again and could possibly have done with a little more work but that doesn't take away from it's originality that will sweep you up and make you laugh from the word go.
But at the centre of this movie is a father and daughter relationship that is incredibly tender, despite the hardships that they face and the secrets that Parnassus keeps from her.
The scenes Christopher Plummer and Lily Cole share are some of the most emotional of the movie as Parnassus desperate tries to protect his only child from the fate he decided for her.
And while the casting of Lily Cole raised a few eyebrows she copes with the role of Valentina and she holds herself well alongside Plummer, Ledger and Garfield.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a movie that you should just sit back and enjoy as it will transport to another world like no other movie this year.
But at the centre of this film is an actor who's career has been cut tragically short and Dr Parnassus is a tribute to Heath Ledger as we get to see him work his magic on the big screen one last time.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Heath Ledger