The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Thursday, January 13th, 2011





The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus takes you on a ride into a world of imagination and mystery inside the mind of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer). His side show act in London takes its customers into a world controlled by the ancient doctor where their wildest dreams come true…or so they think. A deal with the devil making bets against people’s souls, makes Doctor Parnassus give the customer a choice between good and evil.
The deal is even more intriguing because Doctor Parnassus has a side deal with the devil about his beautiful daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole) who is also part of the act. It is her life and soul against the souls of others who must choose the right path. Also in the act are Percy (Verne Troy), a funny little guy who keeps Doctor Parnassus in check and Anton (Andrew Garfield) who is desperately in love with Valentina.
Along the way, a mysterious stranger appears and joins the act. Tony (Heath Ledger) brings in more customers in an exciting way but he also brings nothing but his troubled past which is filled with selfishness and horrible acts. Surprisingly when Tony enters the Imginarium, his looks transform and we see him as Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and finally Colin Farrell. In the end it is up Tony to choose the right path after being on the path of evil for so long. Will he be able to save Valentina on his own? Or will he choose to save himself and continue living a life of lies?
What I liked about this movie was the beautiful images in the Imaginarium. Because I love to play pretend and have a vivid imagination, it was great to see it on the screen in front of me played out in full color. The Imaginarium world was bright and vivid while the real world of London was dark and gloomy – it reminded me of Oz and Kansas. I also really liked how Tony changed into another person in the Imaginarium but his character remained the same. Having four actors play the same person was funny and interesting. Personally, I enjoyed watching Johnny Depp play Tony because he was so confused but tried to play like he knew what was going on.
What didn’t I like? I didn’t like the way the story ended but that’s just me. And just who am I? I am ZOOMER – nice to meet ya!


