I thought that I'd start this thread as I went to see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on tuesday and really really enjoyed it. The reason for this thread is to invite conversation because I noted that Banzai had also seen it and thought it wasn't that good. So clearly, there's a division on opinion. (reviews are split as well about 58% good on rotten tomato too) My other half did philosopher specialising in theology (<-- not getting into that here) and he found this film to be clever and deeper then he had hoped. He's a huge fan of cinema and really really loved it. I loved the aesthetic! Loved the cinematography too but wavered on the performances put in by certain characters. What do you lovely people think? A big thumbs up, an indifferent shrug or a chilly turned back for Mr Gilliam's new flick?
Going to watch it in a few days time. Im expecting an average movie. It looks interesting and not mindboggling boring, but it's going to be one of those movies thats a "little" (not a lot) overrated for a few reasons. I heard it got very very mixed reviews a while ago and am suprised it looks okay. That doesnt say much though. Im walking in expecting a 2.5/3 out of 5`er. I'll find out soon.
I badly wanted to like it, but it was terrible. Really, really terrible. The dialogue was unclear and so was the plot. I had absolutely no idea what was happening from one point to the next - none of it seemed cohesive, and I still have absolutely no idea what the film was even about. Also, I didn't like the way the characters all completely changed personalities so frequently - it's as though the film didn't know what it wanted to be. Personally, it was so bad all round that i'm pretty sure it wasn't just a case of 'not getting it' for me - I think it was genuinely a bad film. It wasn't Heath's fault though - I was hoping i'd like the film for his sake. Thumbs down for me I'm afraid.
Fair dos. We found that it played a lot on knowledge and imagery of the bible and specifically the old testament. But then Gilliam's work has always been a little like that. I thought personally that the plot was quite clear and that the mix of cultural references with faustian tales and opposing images of biblical figures was quite fascinating. I thought the personality changes were interesting. I see the motivation but can't necessarily say that the execution was as smooth as I think Gilliam would have wanted. The only character I couldn't place was Valentina. We hypothesised but unlike the hidden context of the others we found that she was tantilisingly ambiguous. But then again, as is often the way with Gilliam's work, you'll get out of it what you bring with you. Obviously I had the pleasure of having my ear bent on the way home in the car with the deep and obscure biblical references that were prevalent in the films aesthetic. I think there will be a divide between Gilliam fans and Heath Ledger fans. But that's just speculation
I'm hoping it will be amazing, but expecting little more than over hyped art. Nothing wrong with art, mind you. Personally, I think I missed the Gilliam bandwagon a while back.
