Platypuschow 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

Michael Ledo Tom Whitman (Francis X. McCarthy) is a composer and poet who has reached the end of his life. He has severe dementia and is hospitalized. His daughter GeM (Marianne Farley) hates him. The film consists of a plot and subplot concerning his life and their relationship.Tom lives in an imaginary world, reliving his life through music and heavy symbolism. In his mind he is trying to remember and reach out to his daughter. Meanwhile we get to see the daughter's life as she rediscovers her father's life and learns who he really is.The film is artsy. It is filled with symbolism such as toys representing the people he stepped on and takes place in winter, i.e. the end of the life cycle. The winter/white symbolism is contrasted with the red of life's blood. This film is clearly not for everyone. I'm not even sure it was for me. I'm still trying to figure it out. It may take another viewing. Great soundtrack.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Just scary clowns and a snowman.

Armand splendid homage for life. must see for Nightwish band fans. and a splendid show. its root - a music album but the message, the poetry of images, the references to other movies, the delicacy of details, the trip of Tom to himself are good points for enjoy a complete show. a show about the past and about sacrifice, about music and about love. like a fairy tale , it is a way to discover basic values. and for understand in profound manner the world. a film about miracle. and beauty. about revelations and emotions. useful for a part of its public, interesting for others . but fascinating for the precision. a Nightwish film. as message. as show. as a kind of confession. see it !

Anssi Vartiainen I have been a Nightwish fan for a long time. They're a perfect mix of sweeping epic, magical lyrics and deep, layered music that has the ability to take you on a journey. So when I heard they were going to make a whole movie giving visuals and form to their latest album, Imaginaerum, I was understandably hyped. Sure the limited budget would mean that it wouldn't be visually on par with Hollywood blockbusters, but Tuomas Holopainen is a man with such imagination that I trusted him to deliver a story I wouldn't soon forget.And I wasn't disappointed. Imaginaerum, the movie, is a unique-looking creation that fits the mood and feel of the album remarkably well, breathing life into the grand story that the album only hints at. It's a story of a songwriter's death, the coldness of loneliness, abandonment and the ability of music to tell stories and to express what we would otherwise hide and be unable to put into words. It's also an homage to many things Holopainen holds dear to his heart. The Snowman, Neil Gaiman, Salvador Dali, magical realism, jazz, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are only a few things given a nod by this film. It's a convoluted mix of reverences, genuine storytelling and something new, but strangely enough at the end it all pulls together and paints a picture.Yet the film isn't exactly what I imagined it'd be. I thought it would simply be a really long music video, or an actual musical if you will, with the tracks from the album being played in order, telling a story. It's not, though, and I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. The actual music by Nightwish is used a bit haltingly. A song surges every now and then, only to die away when the scene changes, as it is a very fast-paced film. This is most apparent at the beginning. Later on there are longer music numbers, and those are great. The rest of the screen time is used to tell a story about a dying songwriter, his daughter and their life as seen through found and lost memories. And the story is not half bad. Personally I would have preferred to have a musical instead of it, but... oranges and apples.Who would enjoy this film? Any fan of Nightwish, naturally, but I'd also recommend it to anyone who appreciates gorgeous music, dark and Gothic visuals, magical realism and stories that delve deep into imagination.