The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

A number of us went out to see the new Terry Gilliam movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. I was a little concerned as the reviews I'd seen were generally of the flavor: "The movie is pretty, but the story doesn't make much sense." Well, except for a bit of confusion on my part towards the end, I found the story pretty straightforward. It revolves around the eponymous Dr. Parnassus who at one point was a holy man of an esoteric religion, but had been granted life eternal as the result of winning a bet with Mr. Nick (aka the devil, as well played by Tom Waites). However, as the result of losing another bet with Mr. Nick, Doctor Parnassus is on the verge of some, well, serious consequences. The doctor travels around London in a completely implausible vehicle with a small band of performers, trying to get the good audience to pass through a magic mirror that transports them to a personalized world created from their imaginations and desires. I was afraid this movie would frustrate me like Tidelands (and to a certain extent The Brothers Grimm) did, especially after reading some of the reviews. To my pleasant surprise I enjoyed this movie probably as much as some of Gilliam's best work, a la Time Bandits or Brazil. With computer animation technology, I think Gilliam finally has the tools to show the world the crazy ideas in his head in a surreal, yet realistic way. If you're a Terry Gilliam fan, you should definitely check this movie out and even if you are unfamiliar with his work I still think this is a great movie.