Review: ‘Doctor Jekyll’

Rob (Scott Chambers) has just gotten out of prison in Doctor Jekyll. He is down in the dumps without a job or way to see his daughter Ari. Not only does Ari not know her father at all, but she is sick. If only Rob could get a job, he’d be able to turn his life around and provide for his daughter. Luckily for Rob, his brother Ewan (Morgan Watkins) has taken him in and tried to help him get back on his feet. Ewan has arranged a job interview for Rob with Dr. Nina Jekyll (Suzy Izzard).

Dr. Jekyll was a big shot in the pharmaceutical industry before an abuse scandal derailed her career. Since then she has become a recluse, living alone in a giant home. Rob quickly learns that the job he is interviewing for is to essentially be Dr. Jekyll’s caretaker. She is recovering from an injury and needs an extra set of hands around the house. Dr. Jekyll’s account manager, Sandra (Lindsay Duncan), is appalled by Rob’s past. Sandra wants nothing to do with Rob and thinks he would be a terrible fit for the job.

Luckily for Rob, Dr. Jekyll takes sympathy and decides to hire him, ignoring Sandra’s objections. Rob is to get his things and move in immediately. The position requires him to be able to provide care for Dr. Jekyll whenever she may need. Almost immediately things seem off at the house. Dr. Jekyll appears to be a different person at times, with no recollection of certain evenings. Rob brushes it off, he really needs the job. Yet as each strange night passes, he begins to realize that things may be much more sinister than he imagined.

Joe Stephenson directs the film while Dan Kelly-Mulhern wrote the script. The story is loosely based off of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When I say loosely, I mean loosely. A small handful of aspects remain, but it is almost entirely different than it’s source material. The project is Kelly-Mulhern’s debut with Stephenson also only having limited experience directing feature length films. Doctor Jekyll is only the third feature length film under Stephenson’s belt.

Stephenson does a commendable job giving Doctor Jekyll an old-timey feel. The film is set in current day, but captures the essence of older films, especially in Jekyll’s home. Stephenson weaves in black and white flashbacks that help contribute to the film’s tone. These flashbacks and use of certain angles creates an almost film noir atmosphere. Stephenson and Kelly-Mulhern throw in some twists, but not enough to elevate the final product.

The entire film features a small cast with the bulk of the film resting on Izzard and Chamber’s shoulders. Both of them provide solid performances, and are certainly a bright spot of the film. Doctor Jekyll constantly feels like a made for TV movie. Several aspects, from the script to the score, are over-exaggerated. The moments are a detriment to the atmosphere that has been created, pulling the audience out of the film. While Doctor Jekyll has some enjoyable moments, ultimately it seems unclear about the type of film it wants to be. This results in a subpar product that is not worth a watch.

Doctor Jekyll is available in theaters and VOD now.