The last movie Heath Ledger worked on before he died. But wasn't able to complete. So they got other actors such as Jude Law to finish it.
The film tells the story of a street performer-magician named Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), whose magic mirror causes those who enter it to visit fantasy worlds of their own making. At the time of Ledger's death, he had completed most of his scenes outside the mirror, but had filmed none of his fantasy scenes. Depp, Law and Farrell, respectively, were brought in for these fantasy sequences, with the idea that they might embody other aspects of the Ledger character.
But the effect of these replacements is merely strange, and not in a good way. For example, whenever Ledger approaches the mirror, you may find yourself having this irrational thought: "Don't go through it! You'll be dead again!" Then, each time Ledger crosses over and becomes another actor, Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown try to be light about it and have the character be nonplussed at having a new face. But there's nothing funny about this. It's depressing and macabre.
To his credit, Depp tries to strike an arresting balance between playing the role and acknowledging Ledger's death. Something in his manner, melancholy and impassive, tells us that he's thinking what we're thinking, and this impression is further aided by an odd speech, in which he talks about famous pop culture heroes who died young. Such brief moments suggest a way that "Imaginarium" might (just might) have worked, as a bizarre combination fantasy riff and tribute to Ledger.
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