Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Average slasher movie
Review: I wasn't a big fan of Silence of the Lambs and absolutely HATED Manhunter by Michael Mann, which actually is the most overrated film with the most mediocre acting I have ever seen.

After all the bad press, I was quite anxious to see Hannibal and find out if it really was that bad. Well the answer is Yes and No !

Yes. This movie was bad. The original Hannibal Lecter was a psychopath, a dangerous man. In this movie they have made him into some sort of martyr fighting the rude and uncivilised people of the world. What is up with that ? Hannibal doesn't need glorifying. People like him because he is smart and scary, not because he is a good person. Also there is a lack of synchronisity in this movie. One minute we are in Rome, the next minute in Washington D.C. Like anybody could find anyone that fast !!

No. This movie wasn't that bad. If you look at it as a single piece of work, you will find that the acting is quite good, especially by Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore. The make-up effects are incredible. I also liked the portrayal of Agent Starling, which seemed pretty well-done.

Overal a pretty amusing film, but not for the fans.

Rating:
Summary: WASTE OF TIME!!!
Review: STAY AWAY FROM THIS FILM! If I could give it less stars, I would. First, I absolutely love, LOVE, "Silence of the Lambs". It is an all-time classic. "Hannibal", is a weak excuse for a sequal. Hopkins and Moore were great in the parts they were given, but the suspence that made the first film so great is completely absent in this one. "Silence" was a big movie that felt like a wonderful small film. It was artistic, enthralling, and spine-tingling. "Hannibal" is predictable, boring, and laughable. I know we live in the age of actions movies, digital audio, and two hour music videos, but come on. Ridley Scott should not have been allowed within 1,000 miles of this story.

Rating:
Summary: Good bye Clarice
Review: Oh what a horrible movie! I fell asleep twice during the movie, very disappointed that number one, it did not follow the book AT ALL and number two it was just that awful!

No wonder Jodie Foster passed on this movie. It was a stinker! There were so many plot holes that it was frustrating to keep up with this movie.

The whole idea that Hannibal Lecter was in love with Clarice Starling was something new to me. The man is a manipulative person who likes to toy with people. He has no love for anyone. Julianne Moore did her best but she seemed to be going through the motions in the elaborate DARK *ss movie.

What a waste. I wish I could give this a minus three star rating.

Rating:
Summary: In response to a previous post
Review: The second disc does work on my pc, even though a previous reviewer said otherwise. It was a very good buy, so I wouldn't pass it up based on the previous review. Buy it now!

Rating:
Summary: Whatever you think of the movie, this is a nice DVD edition
Review: We have gotten to the point with DVDs where we really need to be able to rating both the film AND the packaging (similar to what we get to do with the THREE rating categories for toys), because whatever you might think about "Hannibal" as a film this is an excellent 2-disc DVD package. Director Ridley Scott's commentary is first rate, although there are more lengthy pauses in the last act of the film (and I cannot get the subtitles to work during the commentary, which is how I prefer to do it). The best of the extras is probably the bit on the Fish Market shootout that allows you to look simultaneously at the multi-camera angles used to film the scenes. The "making of" featurette is okay, the cast bios above average, and the dozens of discarded examples of posters for the film are fascinating.

I think we are all pretty much in agreement that the shortcomings with the film version of "Hannibal" are inherent in Thomas Harris's novel. The main problem is that when Hannibal is "out" he is simply not as powerful a figure. The potency of the character in "The Silence of the Lambs" is that even when he was thrown in a dungeon cell or masked and harnessed to a dolly he was still in psychological control of the situation. The idea of Hannibal getting Meigs to swallow his tongue was more horrific than what happened to Pazzi or Krendler in this film. I am sure the ending of the film has to be more satisfying to fans than that of the novel, although I do want to point out that in the book Lecter used drugs and psychological conditioning to reprogram Clarice into not his lover but rather his consort, which is closer to Frankenstein than Pygmalion.

Watching "Hannibal" on DVD confirmed the two strengths I found in the film when I first saw it in the theater. First, screenwriters David Mamet and Steven Zaillian did a marvelous job of concocting scenes between Hannibal and Clarice. In the novel the two are never together until the very end, while in the screenplay we have Clarice listening to tapes of their previous conversations and talking on the telephone in a couple of interesting situations. Without these creative additions "Hannibal" becomes just like "Sleepless in Seattle." Second, the best performance in the film is turned in by Julianne Moore. We have no trouble believing this is Clarice Starling ten years down the road. Of course this is particularly impressive since the actress is following in the footsteps of Jodie Foster's Oscar winning performance. I even think you can clearly see echoes of Foster's original characterization in Moore's work. As for Anthony Hopkins, he is certainly presenting a different, more mellow side to Hannibal, which I suppose is justified by the intervening years. Still, as the ending amply proves, this is not the same old Hannibal Lecter.

Anyhow, whether you have already seen "Hannibal" or not, as long as you have seen "The Silence of the Lambs" you should check out the DVD version and make up your mind about all these nonsense. You have to admit the author and the film give you plenty to think about.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good movie
Review: Save your money!
Boring, blood, gut's, and no real plot.

I thought Gladiator was great!
Alien was great, but the director failed
in this.

Good try Mr. Scott, but you did not get my money!

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal
Review: I know that there are many people out there that didn't like the movie. Many people loved Manhunter and silence of the Lambs because it was a suspense. There was very little bloody scenes in those movies, Hannibal has more. Hannibal is just keeping up with the times. Many more people are going to movies to see Horror films. It was an excellently made film. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. But, if you get squeamish at Horror movies, maybe this isn't for you. But, for people like me, It was an excellent movie, and I recommend it to all of my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Above or below the wrist?
Review: This movie has some of the best acting. Hannibal, Verger, Starling, all done superbly. Let me just say, people gave this an unfair rating. People were dissapointed that this isn't Silence of the Lambs II. This is a whole different movie. Just like Ridley Scott said in the DVD case(which you'll just have to read for yourself).

So, my advice is get it. Watch it knowing it's a totally new movie. And don't watch this and eat at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Lacking the suspense of "Silence of the Lambs"
Review: I originally wathced "Silence of the Lambs" right beforegoing to bed, and actually dreamed a sequel. Therefore, I was anxiousto see what "Hannibal" had in store. I was disapointed.

Although this is above average compared to much of the current filmsin this genre, "Hannibal" is best considered on its ownmerits. It pales in comparison to the original. In the first 20minutes you can guess who's going to wind up dead. (I doubt if I'mgiving anything away here in saying that the roster is extensive.)There is the requisite gore, but other than one slightly squeemishdinner scene, it is pretty mild. And suspense? The most suspensfulpart was in waiting for something suspenseful to happen.

Rating:
Summary: Does not come close to Silence of the Lambs
Review: It's hard not to compare Hannibal to Silence of the Lambs. The good points of this movie are: Julianne Moore did an excellent job as Clarice Starling. Anthony Hopkins was outstanding as he is in any movie he does. Very good cinematography (although not as good as Silence..)
Now the bad points: Overall story not very convincing and often tedious. Story relies on shock factor and gore-Nowhere near as intellectual as Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal is more like an 80s slasher movie. Very predictable and often laughable.