Terry Gilliam's new film is an enjoyable mess. It's filled with sumptuous imagery, a unique mythology, and entertaining performances. Unfortunately, the narrative makes little to no sense. Nevertheless, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a return to form for Gilliam in some ways, employing many of the stylistic trademarks that were absent from his other works this decade. The absurd humor, fantastical premise, and quirky art direction all seem like they're from a Gilliam film from the 1980's, not the 2000's.
     The imaginarium of the title, as far as I could gather, is a portal to someone's mind. Inside, whatever the subject imagines is given form. Complications only arise when more than one person enters the portal at the same time causing a conflict of imaginations. And the imaginarium also steals souls... I think. Anyway, the imaginarium is controlled by the oft-drunk Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) as part of a traveling sideshow. He is joined by the diminutive Percy (Verne Troyer) who stands by Parnassus's side despite being used and abused. The act also includes the Doctor's beautiful daughter Valentina (the lovely Lily Cole), whose 16th birthday is causing her father a mysterious amount of trepidation. Valentina's would-be beau Anton (Andrew Garfield) uses sleight-of-hand and his natural showmanship to act as ringleader of the Parnassus circus. He is only upstaged by the arrival of a mysterious stranger.
     The marketing for this film was smartly centered around this being Heath Ledger's final film. His is not a very meaty role, but we do get plenty of irresistible charm and some reminders of why his acting talent is sorely missed. His death came during shooting, leaving Gilliam scrambling to find a way to finish the film. Luckily, Ledger had finished most of the scenes set in the real world, with only the portions of the film set in the imaginarium still remaining. To the rescue came a trio of big name stars who put aside their usual salaries in order to help out a friend. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell each take on part of the job, and all do an admirable job of mirroring Ledger's performance.
     Despite Ledger's talent and charisma, Gilliam isn't content to make him a stand-in for the audience and grant viewers something stable in an otherwise chaotic film. No, his character too has a mysterious past and shifting motivations. At times it appears that he wants to help Dr. Parnassus's troupe, and at others it seems he's just in it for himself. Perhaps there might have been re-shoots that would have clarified his character had Ledger survived, but given the incomprehensibility of the rest of the film I doubt it. I haven't even touched on the main plot of the film, which involves immortality, deals with The Devil (Tom Waits), and a competition for souls. The narrative isn't worth spending too much time on, as there isn't any way to completely make sense of things.
     Some movies seem impenetrable at first but draw you in and encourage you to unravel their mysteries. With Parnassus, one never gets the feeling that further study would be worth the trouble. Best to just enjoy what's there. The movie is never dull--sprinkled with plenty of comedic moments. The performances are entertaining at worst and engrossing at best. The set design and overall look of the film are classic Gilliam. In a way, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus works in the same way as the traveling sideshow act in the film. It's colorful, amusing, and inspires wonder. But at the same time, it's just a bit of nonsense, certainly not worth more than a few dollars or a couple of hours of one's time.