DVD Reviews

Hannibal Rising

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 27, 2007

Those who know movies, and even those who don’t, who hear the name Hannibal can automatically guess who one might be referring to. Hannibal Lecter has sent chills up the spines of movie-goers since Anthony Hopkins first uttered the words “Hello Clarice.” This time around, newcomer Gaspard Ulliel tries to shed light on the character that Hopkins shaped to perfection. Ultimately, the outcome was terrifying…terrifyingly bad.

Young Hannibal Lecter and his sister Mischa had to watch their parents killed in a bombing. They were taken by soldiers who would use the two children as cover if they and their opposition were to cross paths. Ravaged by the brutal winter and the hunger that followed, the soldiers were forced to eat the only thing in their possession. Hannibal later was found and placed into foster care, and abandoned the home to find his wealthy aunt. While studying medicine and light combat skills, Hannibal’s thirst for vengeance led him to become a monster.

Since the rise of the prequel, we have seen some bad ones. Red Dragon was an excellent prequel to Silence of the Lambs, as it helped the audience better understand why the FBI would use Hannibal Lecter to help profile a serial killer. I think for most fans, Red Dragon sufficed as a background for Lector’s past. Some though, possibly not satisfied by the gore of Ridley Scott’s Hannibal , have wanted to know even more about Hannibal the cannibal. So again, author Thomas Harris came to the rescue to deliver Hannibal Rising.

At first glance, I saw Hannibal Rising as a film with some potential. Nonetheless, HR is still another Hannibal Lector movie that will never compare to Silence of the Lambs. I was happy to see a relative newcomer take on the role of Hannibal, hopefully as to not draw too many comparisons as a “young Anthony Hopkins.” That would not be fair for any young actor. Where Gaspard Ulliel performed valiantly, his performance was in vain. Hannibal Lecter’s character and mythos has already become a bore to an audience that has already become jaded to the gore synonymous with the role. Just another one of those “too little, too late” type films that while they may not be bad, they do not excite the imagination as much as the preceding films.

The fatal flaw of the film is that the interest in seeing a two hour long Hannibal Lecter film, that does not star Anthony Hopkins, has long died. The film was not bad, just not interesting. The character of Hannibal was explored and explained, but the film borders on the line of necessity or novelty. The film is certainly worth seeing, if you would like to know more about how the man became a monster, but not buying. Good effort, but wrong decade.