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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus poster

Movies that feel likeThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.

If you loved The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the closest films we have are Mirage (2018), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) and Enola Holmes 2 (2022). All three share The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' twisty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Russian Ark (2002).

πŸ… 63% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Terry Gilliamepicdreamliketwisty
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus hit the spot, these will too

Mirage poster
Mirage
2018 Β· dir. Oriol Paulo
β˜… 7.4thriller Β· drama Β· mysteryNetflix

Both land dream logic and twists at once

The difference: Lighter on scale

During a mysterious thunderstorm, Vera, a young mother, manages to save a life in danger, but her good deed causes a disturbing chain of unexpected consequences.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame poster
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.6action Β· adventure Β· dramaPrime Video

Adventure with a pulse of scale, in both cases

The difference: Less dreamlike, more its own thing

When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.

Enola Holmes 2 poster
Enola Holmes 2
2022 Β· dir. Harry Bradbeer
πŸ… 93%β˜… 6.8adventure Β· mystery Β· crimeNetflix

Epic mystery, and it commits to that

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Enola takes on her first official case as a detective, but to solve the mystery of a missing girl, she'll need help from friends β€” and brother Sherlock.

Donnie Darko poster
Donnie Darko
2001 Β· dir. Richard Kelly
πŸ… 88%β˜… 8fantasy Β· drama Β· mysteryPrime VideoHulu

Both lean on dream logic more than on fantasy

The difference: Goes its own way on the scale

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

National Treasure poster
National Treasure
2004 Β· dir. Jon Turteltaub
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.9adventure Β· action Β· mysteryDisney+

Twisty adventure in both cases

The difference: Played as action first

Modern treasure hunters, led by archaeologist Ben Gates, search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. The chest's whereabouts may lie in secret clues embedded in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Gates is in a race to find the gold before his enemies do.

Russian Ark poster
Russian Ark
2002 Β· dir. Aleksandr Sokurov
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2drama Β· fantasy Β· history

Fantasy built on scale, twice over

A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history.

Forbidden Empire poster
Forbidden Empire
2014 Β· dir. Oleg Stepchenko
β˜… 5.2thriller Β· adventure Β· mysteryPrime Video

Mystery built on dream logic, twice over

Early 18th century. Cartographer Jonathan Green undertakes a scientific voyage from Europe to the East. Having passed through Transylvania and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, he finds himself in a small village lost in impassible woods. Nothing but chance and heavy fog could bring him to this cursed place. People who live here do not resemble any other people which the traveler saw before that. The villagers, having dug a deep moat to fend themselves from the rest of the world, share a naive belief that they could save themselves from evil, failing to understand that evil has made its nest in their souls and is waiting for an opportunity to gush out upon the world.

Seventh Son poster
Seventh Son
2014 Β· dir. Sergei Bodrov
πŸ… 12%β˜… 5.5adventure Β· fantasy

Adventure approached the same way

John Gregory, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and also the local spook, has protected the country from witches, boggarts, ghouls and all manner of things that go bump in the night. However John is not young anymore, and has been seeking an apprentice to carry on his trade. Most have failed to survive. The last hope is a young farmer's son named Thomas Ward.

The Golden Compass poster
The Golden Compass
2007 Β· dir. Chris Weitz
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.1adventure Β· fantasy

Cut from the same fantasy cloth

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

Upon the Magic Roads poster
Upon the Magic Roads
2021 Β· dir. Oleg Pogodin
β˜… 5.7adventure Β· fantasy

The adventure is handled with the same confidence

Romantic John the Fool and his friend Foal set out on a series of unpredictable adventures in different magical worlds. The two buddies will have to outsmart an evil tyrant king, catch the firebird, and find John’s true love.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore poster
πŸ… 46%β˜… 6.2fantasy Β· adventureMaxPeacock

Both working the same fantasy territory

Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers.

Snow White and the Huntsman poster
Snow White and the Huntsman
2012 Β· dir. Rupert Sanders
πŸ… 48%β˜… 6.1adventure Β· fantasy Β· drama

Both are built on the same subject: immortality

After the Evil Queen marries the King, she performs a violent coup in which the King is murdered and his daughter, Snow White, is taken captive. Almost a decade later, a grown Snow White is still in the clutches of the Queen. In order to obtain immortality, The Evil Queen needs the heart of Snow White. After Snow escapes the castle, the Queen sends the Huntsman to find her in the Dark Forest.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ defining feeling.