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I feel like that episode of The Simpsons when Ringo Starr is answering all of his fan letters with the post script, "Please forget the lateness of my reply." I have been trying to post reviews of in-theater movies while they are still in the theater, but somehow missed writing about several of these. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was a film I was interested in but skeptical about due to the trailer, which didn't really tell me anything about the story. I heard less-than-positive reviews in many places, but then a few friends were saying great things about it, so I decided it was worth a short Friday afternoon in Brea.

From the mind of Terry Gilliam comes this story, of a man who has made a deal with (or rather, won a bet against) the devilish Mr. Nick. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) wins immortality at the price of promising his daughter to his deliciously thin-mustached opponent (Tom Waits) on her sixteenth birthday. The doctor, his daughter, and a couple of others are a part of a traveling show, which appears to be merely a dramatic act on their portable stage. But there's a mirror on the stage, and when people enter the mirror, they enter the imaginarium, which is powered Doctor Parnassus' mind. He guides his subjects' imaginations, and in the world they see on the other side of the mirror, they make a choice between light and dark. When Mr. Nick comes to collect the young Valentina, another bet is made - a contest to see who can be the first to seduce five souls.

In the midst of this bet comes Tony, whom the troupe finds left hanging for dead. He is played by Heath Ledger, and this was the role he was working on when he passed away. The entire plot revolves around who Tony is and his efforts to help Doctor Parnassus beat Mr. Nick, but somehow Ledger's death doesn't seem to affect the plot at all. In a stroke of genius, Gilliam uses the imaginarium to his benefit. When people enter the imaginarium, they are often physically transformed according to their own imagination. So, all of the scenes that take place in the real world are played by Ledger, while the ones in the imaginarium are played by others. And what a replacement cast: Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell! I loved the way these three were integrated into the movie. I thought it worked seamlessly.

I entered the theater expecting something akin to the mess that was The Brothers Grimm, but as the movie progressed, I realized I loved everything I was watching. I was really surprised that so many people were disappointed with it. The same day I saw the movie, I started looking up why it had some negative reviews. All I could find were complaints that the movie was confusing, which really surprised me. I'm not sure what there is to be confused about, because while The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has its share of creative and odd moments, there is always an overall plot, and it's always moving forward towards a conclusion. Most likely, you don't get this movie, it's not because it's hard to understand; it's because you don't like its style.

This movie was successful on so many levels for me. It had a tall tale quality to it, there's a struggle with the Devil, there are interesting characters, the locales are great, the visuals are stunning, and it's one of the most creative movies I saw all year. I still haven't made a top ten list for 2009, but I'm pretty sure this movie will be on it.