Nice effects though.

Dreadfully Boring

A Disappointing Continuation

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Holy moly. Here I am exactly 17 minutes into the film and I'm already regretting spending three bucks for it at Big Lots. Three bucks! At Big Lots, that's a helluva lot of KitKats I gave up in favor of this awful film, and boy, do I feel cheated.Tony Todd? Good in "Candyman" and nothing else, including this. As the titular doctor he's bland, boring and uninteresting. As the titular monster, he's laughable -- equal parts Jerry Lewis in the original "Nutty Professor" and Eric Roberts in anything.Tracy Scoggins has grown old to look like Lily Munster. Except, the actress who played Lily Munster had to work at it. Damn, that's sad.I won't insult you by recapping the plot. You know the story, and none of the differences in this film matter, anyway.There's lots of college coeds in early-'90s lip gloss who don't take anything off. At least they could have given us that. But director John Carl Buechler, who is just... oh, just awful, has such contempt for anyone who would drop three smackers at Big Lots for this garbage he doesn't even give us a peek.Not that a little T&A would have made up for a nonsensical script, molasses-in-Alaska pacing, and the worst acting I've ever seen since that '80s cult VHS classic "Evil Toons" (which was better than this movie).And I want to reiterate -- though the late Roger Ebert would have likely disapproved -- I've come to these conclusions after just 17 minutes into this rotten, rotten movie. I turned it off after deciding my life was worth more than spending time on this.I've read in other reviews Jekyll turns into a giant monkeyman at the end.Not worth it, folks. I'm going to bed. And I hope Big Lots exchanges this for three bucks in KitKats tomorrow.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The (2006) ** (out of 4) John Carl Buechler (Friday the 13th 7) wrote and directed this updated version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel. In the film, Dr. Jekyll (Tony Todd) is experimenting with chimps when he decides to take the drug himself, which of course turns him into the murderous Mr. Hyde. If it weren't for the excellent performance from Todd, who most people will remember from Candyman, this movie would have been a lot worse. These types of horror movies are made each and every week but not all of them feature some a great performance so it's rather sad to see Todd wasted in a pretty weak film with an even weaker screenplay. There are a few switches from the original novel but for the most part this film is pretty faithful and since we've seen this story countless times the original aspects here aren't good enough to keep the film moving. The supporting cast are all pretty bland to bad and this really sticks out when you see them acting with Todd. Buechler's direction is a tad bit all over the place as well. It's never quite clear what he's trying to do with the material even though he wrote it. At some points it seems like he's wanting to make a suspenseful story but then at other times it appears he wants to throw tons of gore at us. Another problem with the film is the use of some bad, fast editing and poor CGI effects. Back to Todd, he alone makes it worth watching the film as he pulls off both roles very well. Like Christopher Lee, I think Todd could branch out into more serious roles but most of the time he's wasted in films like this.

We should always beware when Hollywood attempts to "update" the classics, and we are usually disappointed when they do. The new film "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the exception to the rule. Though the original novella was considered groundbreaking and shocking for it's time, by today's standards it is tame and not as earth shattering as it once was. Perhaps this is because of the many stage, and film adaptations based on the original work. Most are dull and boring. To be sure, there are some classic movies and television plays, including the great, silent John Barrymore version, the wonderful Frederick March film, and the Dan Curtis produced TV version starring Jack Palance. We may now add a new winning adaptation to the lexicon of Jekyll and Hyde. This is a contemporary retelling of the story and this adaptation takes some liberties in translating it to the screen. --But then again, what screen adaptations don't take liberties? This is a fun, fast paced, horror film that delivers the goods! Writer/director John Carl Buechler is no stranger to horror icons. He directed Friday the 13th part 7, and created the stunning visual and make-up effects for numerous horror classics in the 1980's, including; Nightmare on Elm Street, and the Halloween movie franchises. In many ways he has structured is vision of the literary classic as a sort of retro nod to those vintage eighties horror pix. It is fast, furious, often funny, and absolutely terrifying at times. In the first few minutes of the movie, the screen explodes with action, mystery and gore. I don't want to reveal the excellent new slant this picture brings to light, but suffice to say the picture is both inventive and spine tingling. Perhaps the reason that this picture works so well is that as an independent film, it was made on a modest budget, with no studio interference. Either way, Tony Todd is great in the dual roles of Jekyll and Hyde, his ability to combine humor and pathos is nothing less than genius. Se it on the big screen with a full house if you can.

Release the beast! The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a terrific treat. To be honest, I expected very little from this independent remake when I went to see it on the big screen, but I was pleasantly surprised. Tony Todd is amazing. I always loved him in the Candyman movies, and here he did not disappoint. He is excellent in this low budget yet resourceful version of the story. His over the top bravura performance as Edward Hyde shines in contrast with his sensitive, understated portrayal of Dr. Henry Jekyll. This is a man in turmoil. In a clever plot twist, we as the audience actually gets to see inside Henry Jekyll's mind. As a paranoid schizophrenic, we actually come to realize that he believes that "Hyde" is another person. The screen really comes alive when we watch Jekyll and Hyde fight it out with each other. These two characters struggle with each other till the end of the movie, where it becomes an all out war of wills, culminating in a spectacular special effects studded finale. Highly recommended!