The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (**)

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. 122 mins. PG-13. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Written by Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown. Starring Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Verne Troyer, Tom Waits, with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

When Heath Ledger died, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus was almost left incomplete, never to see the light of day. And while I'm glad Terry Gilliam stuck with it, and gave audiences one last chance to see Ledger on screen, I wish he had made a movie more worthy of audiences' time. Gilliam has long been on the decline. He really hasn't made a good film since 12 Monkeys in 1995. Imaginarium does little to change that. Sure, there's Gilliam's trademark visual flights of fancy scattered throughout and there's an absurdity to the drama that remains patently his, but the script for Imaginarium is an impenetrable and confusing mess. It has something to do with the devil (a sly Tom Waits) coming for traveling carnie Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his merry band of freaks, though I'm really not sure. Every once in a while, Gilliam will grab your interest with an inventive visual or with one of the star cameos from Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, all of whom pitched in to complete Ledger's performance. The rest of the time, you're left twiddling your thumbs wondering why you fell for Gilliam's ruse again (oh, that's right - Ledger). Gilliam may have another great film left in him, but he's going to have to pick better scripts. There's only so long he can coast on Brazil acclaim. As for Ledger? The film world will certainly miss him, but do yourself a favor. Make The Dark Knight your last memory of him and avoid this clunker.

- John