Hannibal
With the release of Hannibal Rising in 2007, I figured it was time to dust off the movie Hannibal and get reacquainted with one of the most fascinating and terrifying movie villians ever.
Hannibal is the third movie in the Hannibal Lecter Trilogy (Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were films 1 and 2). In this movie, Dr. Lecter is being pursued by one of his only surviving victims (played by Gary Oldman) anxious to get revenge for his horrible disfigurement at Lecters hands. In
the process, Lecter and Clarice (this time played by Julianne Moore, not Jodie Foster) once again team up to stop the "bad guy" and "save a life" only this time, it is Lecters.
Overall, this movie was fairly good. However, it clearly lacked the creativity and thrill components of Lambs. Though Lecter becomes a more fully developed character in this film, he also becomes a bit softer and human in ways that don't quite feel consistant with the previous characterizations of him. I also have to point out that the on-screen chemistry between Moore and Hopkins in NOTHING compared to that between Foster and Hopkins. Though Moore did a good job portraying the character of Clarice, she does not project the strong, survivor female FBI agent with a lot of vulnerability quiet as well as Foster. Moore had vulnerable down, but seemed to not quite master the more strength based aspects of the character. Yet, Hannibal was a respectable addition to the Trilogy and one a true fan would greatly enjoy. Be warned however, there are quite a few disturbingly violent scenes that may be a little too much for some viewers, so take caution in watching.
I would give Hannibal and overall grade of B-.
Note: I must say, if you are a true fan of Hannibal Lecter, you simply must read the book Hannibal. The ending is ENTIRELY different than that in the movie and well worth a read. Trust me, you will be glad you did. It is excellent. Movie gets a B-, book gets an A+.
Hannibal receives a grade breakdown as follows:
Story: B. With the chemistry between Lector and Clarice from Lambs, a reunion was pretty much expected.
Acting: B. Anthony Hopkins is still the creepiest, scariest, serial-killer-you-just-got-to meet I have ever seen on film. His complexity, compassion and brutality are astounding and portrayed with nothing but excellence. Julianne Moore had some pretty big shoes to film with the abscence of Jodie Foster and she filled them, for the most part.
Visuals: B-. Graphically violent and gory at times, but that only adds to the story.
Originality/Innovation: B-. Some of the torture and death scenes were quite imaginative.
Enjoyability grade: B-. Not really a film that stands tall on its own, but taken with the others within the Trilogy, a must see.
Overall grade: B-. Fans should really watch it. However, converts are also welcomed and encouraged.
Hannibal Rising is the fourth film in the series and is actually set, chronologically, to fall before Red Dragon. Rising follows the childhood of Hannibal Lecter and is designed to explain how he 'rose' to be Dr. Lecter.
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