Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The narrative unfolds primarily in a modern fragrance company's corporate headquarters, featuring a high-tech laboratory where the transformation serum is developed. Key locations include an upscale restaurant where Richard's first transformation occurs, his apartment, and a grand perfume launch party that serves as the dramatic finale.

Foreshadowing: The corporate environment is established early as a space where ambition and competition define relationships.

• setting
• locations
• fragrance company
• corporate headquarters
• laboratory

The story is set in present-day contemporary times, taking place within a sleek corporate environment and urban social scenes. The perfume industry's laboratories, offices, and launch events reflect current business culture and technological capabilities.

• time period
• contemporary
• modern era
• present day

Richard Jacks is a talented but embattled perfumer working at a major fragrance company who craves professional recognition. After inheriting the notes of his great-grandfather Dr. Henry Jekyll, he experiments with a serum that triggers a female transformation, leading to a dangerous split in his identity.

Foreshadowing: Richard's longing for acclaim is established early, setting the stage for his dangerous experimentation.

• richard jacks
• protagonist
• perfumer
• main character

Helen Hyde is the transformed incarnation of Richard Jacks who adopts a seductive, cunning persona to maneuver through the company's corporate ranks. She uses charm and sexuality to secure promotions and manipulate colleagues, creating a dangerous duality between Richard's personal life and her professional ascent.

Foreshadowing: Richard's first transformation at the restaurant hints at the emergence of this powerful alternate identity.

• helen hyde
• transformation
• alternate identity
• antagonist

Dr. Henry Jekyll is Richard's great-grandfather whose old scientific notes inspire the modern transformation experiments. His legacy casts a shadow over the protagonist, serving as a cautionary example of the dangers of unchecked scientific curiosity and the destructive power of discovery.

Foreshadowing: The inheritance of Jekyll's notes early in the film establishes the scientific lineage that drives the plot.

• henry jekyll
• great-grandfather
• scientist
• legacy

The movie explores three primary themes: Identity and Transformation, which examines how shifting identities destabilize relationships and power dynamics; Ambition and Manipulation, showing how the pursuit of success blurs ethical boundaries; and Science vs. Ethics, questioning whether scientific discovery justifies personal and corporate danger.

• themes
• identity
• ambition
• science
• ethics
• transformation

Identity and Transformation serves as the central theme, exploring how Richard Jacks's transformation into Helen Hyde destabilizes his personal relationships and forces characters to confront how appearance shapes power and trust. The transformation acts as a vehicle to probe gender, self-perception, and the limits of control in both personal and professional spheres.

Foreshadowing: The transformation begins subtly at an upscale restaurant, hinting at deeper identity conflicts to come.

• identity transformation
• duality
• gender
• self-perception
• control

The fragrance company corporate environment serves as both a backdrop and commentary on modern ambition and competition. The perfume project becomes a stage for seduction, deception, and power struggles among colleagues, with the chase for influence mirroring the transformation's internal conflict.

Foreshadowing: The high-pressure launch party environment creates the setting for the story's climactic confrontation.

• corporate world
• fragrance company
• ambition
• power dynamics

Sarah is Richard's fiancée who becomes entangled in the web of deception as the transformation saga unfolds. She moves to Richard's cousin's apartment, confronts the disturbing truth about Helen, and ultimately collaborates to help reverse the transformation, reaffirming loyalty and love as counterpoints to the story's darker elements.

Foreshadowing: Sarah's initial trust in Richard establishes the stakes for her eventual betrayal and reconciliation.

• sarah
• fiancee
• love interest
• supporting character

This modern retelling reimagines the classic Jekyll and Hyde duality through gender transformation, where Richard's alter ego Helen Hyde is not a separate entity but his own female incarnation. The serum embodies the clash between scientific curiosity and moral responsibility, questioning whether personal gain justifies endangering others.

Foreshadowing: The great-grandfather's legacy foreshadows the cyclical nature of the transformation dilemma.

• jekyll and hyde
• duality
• gender transformation
• 血清
• 血清
• 血清