Imaginaerum (2012)

Powerful

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Imaginaerum was a random pick & mix movie I went into knowing nothing and was immediatly struck by how good everything looked. This Finnish made title looks like a AAA Hollywood movie except here the rest of the quality matches.Otherwise known as the Nightwish movie as it was scored & soundtracked by the Finnish band, this is a dark fairytale that really took me by surprise.It tells the story of a man in his final hours living a bizzare fantasy in his head while his embittered daughter deals with his condition in her own way.It is a true visual treat that though very fragmented and not the easiest movie to follow does in fact have an outstanding payoff and all comes together in the end.Looking great, sounding fantastic and with a story that comes together this beautifully my one criticism was that I wanted it to continue for longer.A wonderful movie worthy of anyone and everyones attention.The Good:Visually stunningFantastic soundtrackDevastatingly well writtenThe Bad:Should have perhaps been longerCouple of weak moments that damage the flowThings I Learnt From This Movie:I should start listening to more Nightwish

Warning that spoilers may be below:This is one of those movies you truly need to watch twice to get the full meaning and impact -- not because there is a twist or it's especially hard to get, but because as things are revealed, you can find parallels between the real world and the dream world. It's not until the final scene when all the jumbled pieces come together that one can see and understand all the metaphors hidden throughout the journey of a dying man with dementia (caused at least in part by multiple strokes) and mental illness coming to terms with his life and struggling desperately to hold on to his most precious memories and the ones he loves.There are, of course, hints everywhere along the way. But, the way the story is presented is disjointed -- memories from random time frames, surreal dreamscapes with metaphors abound and flashes to the present reality all mixed together along the way. Then, there's the musical scenes which often seem forced, but at least they mostly take place in the dreamland -- which I can forgive as a dying musician is likely to have dreams and nightmares including musicals.The lead character is suffering from a condition that causes confusion about when and where he is -- and suffers from random gaps in memory that come and go. This mirrors the style of the movie, writings within the movie, the construction of a roller coaster within the dreamland, and the journey the lead character makes. Tom is a man with deep regret. He is scared of losing his memory, and especially concerned with his relationship with his estranged daughter whom he distanced himself from to protect her -- from himself. He had a troubled history with his own father who suffered from mental illness like himself -- and must come to terms with that as well.The visuals and special effects were very well done - some quite impressively stunning. I'm not a Nightwish fan, but I did enjoy some of the music - especially a few piano melodies. Some have complained about the acting, but I find it believable given the strained relationships and mental states of the characters.The movie is the video equivalent of a surreal painting -- a work of art with beauty and flaws. Not everyone will understand it, and even those that do may not appreciate it. It's not a blockbuster meant to constantly entertain. There aren't any real heroes or villains - or even much of a plot other than the characters' internal struggles. It isn't a true horror or fantasy adventure so much as a heartbreaking story of a troubled, dying man's love for his daughter and her discovery of the depth of that love. I don't expect everyone to get it, but as someone who has lost estranged loved ones that suffered from dementia and Alzheimer's, this one hit home to me.I have to say there aren't many dramas about the inner struggles of the dying mentally ill with settings in horror/fantasy dreamworlds and musical scores that include piano and metal. Love it or hate it, it's unique and I applaud the effort. I can't say whether others will enjoy it or not, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I was touched by its message.Extreme spoiler:My favorite part is the realization that Tom, a musician who loved creating music, named his daughter Gem. He plays the piano and talks many times about wanting to hear the chords again -- trying to remember them and specifically mentions E minor a few times. At the end, he describes the most beautiful melody ever created by man - the change from G to E minor. G to Em -- GEM... his daughter. It was sort of a Mr. Holland's Opus moment where you realize she was the music of his life.

Reading all these great reviews with super-ratings, I just had to watch this movie. I love Nightwish, I love visualized trips into the human mind (like The Cell or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and I like the dark touch these movies have. But Imaginaerum was rather disappointing. It's trying to be that very deep movie, with the heavy, meaningful images. But the longer you watch and the more you learn from the plot, the more you realize: it's not. It's just a very long, sad and melancholic Music Video.Of course you might shed a tear near the ending but that doesn't make up for the rest of the film.Especially the enforced appearances of the band are very misplaced. They (mostly!) just don't fit in! Those scenes are turning a not so bad movie into a Music Video.Watch it if you are bored but don't expect too much. It gets five stars for being very average, good special effects, okay story, bad band placements. And no, it's definitely not a movie for kids! Unless you want your child watch a closeup head-shot.

I kept wondering as I watched if this was a musician's movie fantasy, and after I watched the film, I looked it up, to find out it was. It's sad that I can't decide whether the script or the music were worse. The plot combined a less than believable family drama with a childish attempt at surrealist imagery, and since the characters were all utterly unlikeable and the story was laughably illogical, it was impossible to care. Others have defended it by saying it was just intellectually challenging, but the film is simplistic; it's just bad. The music lacked any originality, and the performances in the musical sequences seemed like a parody of pretentious rock stars. I'd never heard of Nightwish, and I won't be exploring their work any further. That said, I could have taken what I see as bad music (no accounting for taste, as the saying goes) if the film had any merit, but it had none. I will give one bit of praise: the acting was decent, which makes me wonder how the players got tricked into this disaster.