My only response to this when I saw it was, “wow.” And it is. Wow. It is easily the best movie I’ve seen in the theater since Pan’s Labyrinth, but that’s not saying much. New Moon isn’t much in the way of competition to this.

I didn’t think any individual performances overshadowed the others, though Tom Waits may have come close. Heath Ledger’s performance was sadly not long enough, though the substitution of other actors to fill out his role worked quite well. The transitions were seamless and made sense.

The big winner here was Terry Gilliam. At last special effects caught up with his imagination and came down to his budget. I cannot imagine what Brazil might have looked like with modern digital effects, but if this movie is any clue it would have been amazing. Why do I say this? Because this movie’s effects were amazing. In too many fantasy movies the effects almost seem to be there to be seen, whereas Gilliam uses it as an integral part of the story. It must be seen to be believed.

A heartily recommended movie.