Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling, restrained and rather wonderful., 30 Jul 2007
Initially, I have to admit that I fully expected this series to be yet another poor attempt at adapting the original novel. When I realised it was set in the modern day my expectations fell even further; updating a classic story usually only succeeds in lessening it's impact.
Well, after grudgingly watching episode one I was eating my words gleefully.
This is an astounding series which has incorporated the orginal tale as part of it's internal mythology then moved forward into a totally fresh storyline.
James Nesbitt's performance is absolutely dazzling. He steals the show (particularly as Hyde) and I love the way the transformation is more about his personality than external appearance, even with the beautifully subtle physical changes.
I saw the last episode on saturday and two days later I'm eagerly buying the DVD.
I'm so glad to have been so wrong.
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly enjoyable and completely insane, 31 Jul 2007
Over the years there's been a couple of different attempts at adapting Jekyll and Hyde to television, and none have really worked that well mainly because everyone already knows that they're the same guy, it's part of the public consciousness and therefore doesn't make engaging viewing. Part of what makes this series so good is that it knows this and uses it to it's advantage.
Instead of following the story of the ill-fated 19th century doctor this series follows a modern day man called Jackman (Nesbit) who we first meet strapping himself into a complex series of restraints whilst talking to a private psyciatric nurse about 'him'. Jackman has begun to transform into a very different man, he seems to have the same problem as doctor Jekyll had but this time there's no magic potion, no control, Hyde just arrives. The two men communicate with each other via Dictaphone and the nurse has been hired to act as a carer/go-between for them. Nesbit of course plays both parts and manages to make the two men so different that there's never a moments confusion who is talking.
Jackman and Hyde both look very different as well, where Jackman is aging and clearly strained by his condition, Hyde is energetic, manic, violent. They have slightly different hair and - in a very simple but extremely effective move - different eyes courtesy of a pair of creepy black contact lenses. Despite the title this is Hyde's show all the way, Nesbit gives him such charisma and energy that he steals the show anytime he's on screen.
The plot of the series follows Jackman as he struggles to protect the world and his own family from Hyde whilst being hunted by some mysterious government agency who want Hyde for themselves. Hyde isn't just younger than Jackman, he's stronger, faster, and further evolved, able to monitor his own blood stream, tap the consciousness of animals and utilize a photographic memory. The plot of the series is just plain bonkers but it's all played with such style that it doesn't matter, they're not going for realism here, they're going for entertainment.
It's flawed; they keep getting people to play Americans who can't do the accent, don't give Gina Bellman (paying Jackman's wife) nearly enough to do in the early episodes, some of the minor characters are overacted. But none of that matters because from start to finish Jekyll remains a series whose only goal is purely to entertain, and it achieves this every time.
I would highly recommend this series; it's thrilling, scary, funny, intriguing and just plain fun. Throw in an ending that just screams 'series 2 coming soon' and this is not one to miss.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good I want to have James Nesbitt's babies., 26 Feb 2008
Jekyll, with its perfect timing and spot-on performances, quickly became some of my favorite television viewing of 2007. Loved the slow burn leading up to our introduction to Hyde, and the subsequent care the director & cast took in reminding us that nothing is all good or all bad. Jekyll and Hyde both live in shades of gray - part debaser, part savior.
I can only imagine what fun the phenomenal James Nesbitt had with this role. From Hyde's childlike curiosity to Jekyll's ravaged world-weary soul, Nesbitt offers a master class in acting. Not to be outdone, Gina Bellman gives as good as she gets as Jekyll's defiant wife.
Simply put, this series offers 340 minutes of suspense, wit and intrigue. What more could you ask for?
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