FOLLOWING FILMS

In an era dominated by reboots, sequels, and cinematic universes, it’s rare to see an original property arise with the potential to reshape genre storytelling from the ground up. That’s exactly what’s happening with HYDE, a daring new graphic novel series and multimedia property co-created and co-owned by none other than Johnny Depp, legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, and creator Jesse Negron through his innovative imprint, Mechanical Cake. Premiering this week at San Diego Comic-Con, HYDE picks up where Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde leaves off—but with a dark twist. In Negron’s vision, Mr. Hyde has triumphed over Dr. Jekyll, leaving his conscience and moral tether behind. Now unchallenged, Hyde takes up residence in the sewers beneath London, where he expands his horrific experiments using the infamous serum—corrupting others and creating new versions of himself in a disturbing new underground dominion. “HYDE is a full-throttle descent into darkness,”...

Crazy, kooky and ferociously goofy, Johnny Depp’s latest is a send-up to the 70’s caper movies and the genre that parodied them. Striking a similar if distant cord to “The Pink Panther”, “Mortdecai” features a bungling lead character whose charm lies in being larger than life. The situations are over the top, the characters zany to the hilt and the laughs more frequent than anticipated. A titled art dealer living beyond his means, Lord Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) is recruited to track down a stolen painting for MI5. His money troubles at the forefront of his travails, he simultaneously juggles his disgruntled wife Johanna (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the Inspector in charge of the investigation who was Mortdecai’s college schoolmate and a romantic rival for Johanna’s affections. The storyline feels a bit dated and for viewers who haven’t watched a steady diet of the aforementioned movies, the jokes can be too insular to achieve their desired effect. There are some running gags that ...