Imaginaerum

[areaseven]

Imaginaerum
Caramel Films/Solar Films/Scene Nation, 2012
Directed by Stobe Harju
Written by Stobe Harju and Tuomas Holopainen
Based on the album Imaginaerum by Nightwish
Running Time: 85 minutes
Not Rated (suggested R). Contains graphic violence and strong language.

Cast
Quinn Lord (Student in The Possession) as Thomas Whitman, age 10
Francis-Xavier McCarthy as Thomas Whitman, age 75
Marianne Farley as Gem Whitman, age 35
Joanna Noyes as Ann, age 73
Elias Toufexis as Mr. White (voice)
Keyanna Fielding as Gem Whitman, age 7
Victoria Ann Jung as Ann, age 8
Ilkka Villi as Theodore Whitman and Mr. White
Roy Lea as Dr. Jansson

Stephane Demere as the Twisted Toy Soldier
Hélène Robitaille as Arabesque

"Miracles come in small packages. It takes so little to turn a child into the most fortunate being in the world."

Nightwish
Tuomas Holopainen (keyboardist) as Thomas Whitman, ages 34 and 47
Anette Olzon (lead vocalist, 2005-2012) as Ann, age 32
Marco Hietala (bassist) as Marcus
Emppu Vuorinen (guitarist) as Emil
Jukka Nevalainen (drummer) as Jack

Troy Donockley (uilleann piper) as the Magician

Synopsis
Thomas Whitman is a 75-year-old man who has lapsed into a coma as a result of dementia. As he is clinging to his life while his estranged daughter Gem plans to pull the plug on him, his mind is in a fantasy world where he relives his childhood past and tries to come to terms with his past while facing his inner demon in the form of a snowman called "Mr. White".

Lowdown
It's not very often that a music artist ventures to make a movie out of their own works; and those that do have varying levels of success. The Beatles' Yellow Submarine was a critical success while the KISS TV film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park is widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.

And then we have the symphonic metal band Nightwish, Finland's most successful music act today. As majority of their albums are "concept albums" with songs sharing a common theme, it would be hard not to imagine a few movies or stage plays made out of them. For their 2011 album Imaginaerum, that's exactly what they set their sights on. The songs from the album are vividly created on the big screen, from the bluesy

to the climactic "Last Ride of the Day" roller coaster ride scene. The story borrows plenty of elements from Tim Burton films and other movies about dreams and imagination, and it plays very well - making a lot more sense than Sucker Punch.

Produced at a modest budget of US$3.7 million, the Imaginaerum film has the acting quality of a typical made-for-TV special, but the special effects and cinematography are surprisingly amazing. Much like Iron Sky (another movie from Finland), a lot of the CG effects in this film look like they were done on a larger budget than you think. Many of the costumes and props look cheap and cheesy, but they're supposed to be, as a dream world has infinite degrees of surrealism.

The soundtrack consists of a breathtaking orchestral score by Petri Alanko, based on the album's songs. As for the band themselves, their performances in the film are minimal, as keyboardist/leader Tuomas Holopainen acts out several non-speaking roles of Thomas Whitman in his 30s and 40s while the other members are simply band members in the background.

Overall, Imaginaerum is a fun ride, whether or not you're into Nightwish and their music. The acting may not be the best, but the visual effects are worth the rental.

Rating: B+

Links
Official Imaginaerum Homepage
Nightwish Official Homepage

References
The Internet Movie Database

Edited October 12, 2014 by areaseven

[Vepariga]

I remember being interested in this when it was in early stages. Trailer is alil different to what I expected from Nightwish but looks entertaining enough with some interesting visuals.