Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Emily Day 11.04.09 / 10am

   I too was looking forward to viewing this film. I waited in the long rush line and hoped to see Heath at his best. but when the film began I found myself so caught up in the star studded cast and brilliant display of sets and costumes that I was lost in the dialog and plot. Those distractions took away from the movie and I believe it affected my opinion of what I had just seen. I would love to watch this film again.
2. Tamara Mamukelashvili 11.04.09 / 10am

   I was very excited to see the film, mostly because of Heath Ledger like everybody else, and movie itself too obviously., But I have to say the visual effects/elements were very powerful and mind blowing, but because of that it was pretty hard to had the mind at the plot-line, also the music was loud so sometimes dialogs were hard to hear. Makes me think, that the movie was more about visual elements more than the story itself. But it was a great experience seeing it at the festival.
3. Lisa Blondell 11.04.09 / 11am

   I definitely think you need to see this film more than once to truly understand what it’s about and what the director wanted the audience to feel while watching the film. I was also distracted while watching. Not only was the visual effects of CGI and costumes a distraction, the idea that this is Heath Ledger’s final film stayed on my mind from when the director dedicated the film to him during his introduction speech before the screening up until the final credits where there is a thanks to the Ledger family. The first time Ledger is on screen, he is hanging by his neck from a rope. Instead of thinking that this is just part of the film, I could only think about Ledger’s death. There was much irony throughout the film, and although Gilliam wanted to quit production when the death of his lead character happened, he believes there was some sort of miracle from the “movie Gods” that influenced him to continue.
4. Guy Dolev 11.04.09 / 7pm

   With plenty of expectations from Terry Gilliam’s past work as a writer/director (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), I joined the anxious rush line to see the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and had a smile plastered on my face as I entered Grauman’s Chinese theater for its screening. Certainly, there were elaborate costumes, well-known actors (playing alongside a heretofore unknown actress who we’re likely to see more of from now on), and perhaps a self-indulgent amount of motion graphics. While I feel that the work is visually stunning and the acting is perfectly suited to what Hollywood audiences enjoy, the film seems to oscillate between its moral overtones and the qualities aforementioned that are characteristic of mindless entertainment. Those who are hoping for another Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or even Time Bandits, perhaps, are setting themselves up for disappointment, not because the film is a catastrophe (which it is, in my mind), but because it doesn’t have the outright intention of entertaining based on the lowest common denominator.
   That the legend surrounding Heath Ledger’s death precedes any knowledge of the film itself is likely to disturb and distract most who see it from the moral story itself, though only time will tell how the film will age. Since it appears to be assembled haphazardly, I’m afraid the film won’t stand up to time, nor should it, especially against the director’s impressive oeuvre of modern classics. It might sound hypocritical and contradictory, but I have to admit that I’d like to see the film again to see what more can be gleaned from it, although I can’t honestly recommend seeing it to any but diehard fans of Terry Gilliam, Heath Ledger or Johnny Depp, whose appearance lasts no more than a few minutes.
5. Linda Ersbacken 11.08.09 / 11pm

   I have to say too, that I felt like the director didn’t have a direct motive to create, or finish the film I felt. Perhaps he had some great ideas for the creative fantasy scenes, and after Heath’s death and his decition to continue, it was unclear why the film was made the way it was. it’s not very entertaining, and it doesn’t have a clear ideology. The question is how we would review the film if there were no famous actors in it, and the director wasn’t famous. How would we have reacted if we didn’t go in with such high expectations?
6. Mishone Feigin 11.09.09 / 1am

   I completely agree with this review. The film’s plot was scattered and incomplete in my opinion. Also, I thought that some of the acting was typical and cliche, with the exceptions of Tom Waits and Colin Farrell. The images were beautiful and larger than life, and seemed like they were right out of a Salvador Dali painting. By the end of the film, I was lost and frustrated. I respect Gilliam’s attempt to save the film after Heath died. That must have been a great challenge. And I so much admire Depp, Farrell and Law coming in to finish the film and that they donated their salaries to Heath’s daughter. Overall, the film left with an empty feeling.
7. Lea Encarnacion 11.09.09 / 11pm

   The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is another one of those films that had huge hype but turned out to not live up to its expectations. Even Terry Gilliam himself asked the audience to lower their expectations right before the film started. The story was weak and had themes that were too common to expect in a fantasy setting. I felt that some elements of the movie weren’t explained well enough which could have enhanced the story a little better. What really stood out in this film was its amazing, theatrical and pop-up book-like visual effects and depiction of Dr. Parnassus’ Imaginarium. The star studded cast along with stunning artwork is a good reason to see this film.
8. Tanisha Camacho 03.24.11 / 2pm

   The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, what a beautiful disaster. Coming in, you can’t help but root for a success, but no amount of rooting could save this film. Let me be clear, by no means, is the film “bad”. It is poorly constructed, possibly because they had to put together and fix what they could, understandable. The problem does not lie in the cast, the costumes, or even each individual scene, those were great. The problem lies, undoubtedly, in the storyline itself. You can’t help but be confused and a bit annoyed about where it’s going, basically nowhere. All in all, I definitely did not regret seeing it. It being Heath’s last film, a great effort, even a great idea. Although the end result wasn’t spectacular, it was definitely worth my time.

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