Some people won't care for this movie, even though they were able to finish it with out Heath Ledger who had died of an overdose during filming. They used several other well known actors and rewrote the script to make it work.

Terry Gilliam is a genius. His movies are surreal and philosophical. They have a moral to them and they always show the problems with humanity or human egos. It is a necessary evil to root out the human frailties and errors. It allows the viewer to see a new angle to their lives.

This movie has all that and more. I rate it in my top ten list for movies of this genre.

In London, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) leads a troupe of traveling entertainers including his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole),midget Percy (Verne Troyer),and Anton (Andrew Garfield). Parnassus claims that many centuries ago, he gained immortality from the devil Mr Nick (Tom Waits). However it's a trick that turned everlasting life into everlasting torment. Then one night, they find Tony (Heath Ledger) hanged off a bridge. When he comes to, he can't remember anything.

It's got the wild imaginings of director Terry Gilliam. This is one rambling disjointed crazy confusing mess. And it has nothing to do with replacing the deceased Heath Ledger with 3 other actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law. I understand that part. Everything with the devil is just confusing. It is weak storytelling. However I have to give him credit for visual style.

In London, the sideshow troupe of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) promises to the audiences a journey to the "Imaginarium", an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus where dreams come true. In the stories that Doctor Parnassus tells to his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole),to the midget Percy (Verne Troyer),and his assistant Anton (Andrew Garfield),he claims to have more than one thousand years; however, when he felt in love for a mortal, he made a deal with the devil Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) trading his immortality per youth. As part of the bargain, he promised his son or daughter to Mr. Nick on the sixteenth birthday. Valentina now is almost in the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus bets with Mr. Nick that whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize. Meanwhile the troupe rescues Tony (Heath Ledger) that was hanged on a bridge by the Russians that explains why he had been chased and he joins the group. Tony and Valentina fall in love for each other and the jealous Anton discovers that his competitor is a liar.

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is another original movie with the surrealistic and imaginary world of Terry Gilliam and last work of Heath Ledger that had to be replaced by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell in the "Imaginarium" to complete the missing scenes. Further, the trio of actors has donated their income with this film to Heath Ledger's daughter to guarantee her financial situation in the future in magnanimous attitudes. The duel between Doctor Parnassus and Mr. Nick together with the vision of the world of fantasy of Terry Gilliam is awesome. For those that liked this movie, I would like to recommend the also surrealistic "O Homem Que Desafiou o Diabo". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Imaginário Mundo do Doutor Parnassus" ("The Imaginary World of Doctor Parnassus")