Finally I can check off one of the films on my January-Filmlist: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. First of all I would like to say that I saw the movie in the original version (English) and that I will try not to spoil too much, if anyone who reads this, is planning to go to the movies him/herself. ;)

Plot/General thoughts
The world of the imaginarium was done pretty well; the storyline was different from many other movies. You were able to find access into the constructed world, after being totally lost in the first 15 minutes of the movie. Afterwards, you are really drawn into the world and movie; I was not able to predict the end of the movie, which is a big plus. Surely, the film is categorized in the genre “Fantasy” – and it really is from beginning to end.

Cast
As I already wrote in my overlook for January, actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell shared the part of Heath Ledger, since he died when the movie was in the middle of its production.

Heath Ledger played the sections of which his role was in reality and did well. Again in this movie, you realized, what a great actor he was. It kind of was a weird feeling seeing him on screen, knowing that you will never see him in future movies anymore; that you will only be able to see him on previous movies on DVD or television. His part in this movie does not come close to his part as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”, though. But the Joker was simply the ‘part of his life’ and can not be beaten.

Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell shared the part when you were in the imaginarium.
Colin Farrell -again- played the part we already know of him – the seducer. Partly, I thought he seemed insincere and did not fulfill his part completely.
Jude Law was disappointing. I simply could not find anything good in his part, or his acting. Nothing fitted to him. Despite of that, I was wondering throughout the movie, if he always has been a bad actor? If the circumstances were different, I would even consider him as a miscast, but I think I will just give him the credit that he tried.
Johnny Depp was the actor of the “substitutes”, who did his job best. He acted great; his role and acting actually grabbed the viewer’s attention additionally to the plot. On a side note: He actually looked pretty similar to Heath Ledger in some scenes.

Upshot
If it was not Heath Ledger’s last movie, I doubt that I would have went to see it, simply by going after the plot. Nevertheless: The movie has its charm, despite of the few lacks in the substitute cast and some individual scenes. The whole fantasy world which is constructed in the movie is magical. But I was just not totally awed by it. It did not knock my socks off. In general I also think about how this movie was hyped, because of Heath Ledger’s “last” part. Surely, the movie would have been better, if he was able to play every part on his own, but unfortunately that was not possible. Because of this “unfinished” part, for me personally, Heath Ledger’s “last” part is in “The Dark Knight”.

My Rating (1= worst nightmare, 10= needed on DVD immediately)
5/10