Hannibal (Full Screen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: 3.2 out of 5
Review: After ten years, the world waited eagerly for the sequel to the legendary THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Finally, they have it - although I'm sure it's not at all what they expected. HANNIBAL is the result of what most will see as a Ridley Scott-Anthony Hopkins-Hans Zimmer collaboration. Adapted from Thomas Harris' best-selling (although much weaker) novel, HANNIBAL follows only the basic plot of the novel. Anthony Hopkins returns to his Oscar-winning role as cannibal genius Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is now roaming freely in Italy. However, after many years he decides he'd like to come out of retirement; without spoiling any "surprises", he attempts to make contact with FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, taking over from Jodie Foster), while running from his only surviving victim's (Gary Oldman) assassins. Hopkins' performance is great and yet you can't help laughing at Dr. Lecter, so polite and yet the deadliest man alive; Moore tries her hardest, but she comes nowhere near close to taking up where Foster previously stood. There is also a terrific score by Hans Zimmer; the highlight of the film, of course, however, is Scott's directing. It may be the absolute weakest sequel THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS could have, but HANNIBAL is still a frightening and effective horror thriller.

Rating:
Summary: B- or C+ Movie (was expecting an F)
Review: From all I'd read about this film, I was really expecting an F viewing experience that I'd turn off after the first half hour. Much to my surprise, this is a good night's entertainment. It is NOT as good a work as "Silence of the Lambs," which was a solid "A" film but this film is lacking Jodie Foster and (director) Jonathan Demme so I'm not suprised it doesn't score as well. Anthony Hopkins is once again totally up to par on playing the cannibalistic, murderous psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter. He's been living a low profile for ten years but comes forward when FBI agent Starling makes it into the headlines over a street arrest gone bad. 2 opponents Hannibal must thwart are a rich former victim of his, ably played by Gary Oldman, and Starling's boss, played by Ray Liotta, who turns obnoxiousness into almost an art form. I was also glad to see Giancarlo Giannini play an Italian cop in this film, who tries to bring in Hannibal for a monetary reward while Hannibal is in Italy. Julianne Moore does an able job but one can't help but compare her to Foster and there is too big gulf between the two actors in their levels of talent. Let's just say that any actor is asking for trouble to try to take on a role Foster has already done. The extra features are superb on this film and director Ridley Scott is a marvelous film teacher. His commentary on the DVD is absolutely superb and no matter how you feel about the film, Scott has a lot to show you about making movies. The special features on this DVD I'd grade an A and hubby absolutely was glued to every moment of them as he's a fiend for "special feature" DVDs.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful work of art
Review: Hannibal can probably be called an art horror film. The settings and shots of ITaly and its beautiful art and history are all over this movie. Director Ridley Scott set out to make Hannibal as different as possible from Silence of the Lambs, so a comparison is not fair. Scott succeeds in capturing the atmosphere and environment of Thomas Harris' novel. Hannibal picks up 10 years after SOTL. Clarice Starling now played by Julianne Moore is a tough cop in the middle of a drug sting in Washington DC. The sting goes bad and suddenly Clarice is in bad odor with her superiors. A world away in Florence, Dr Lecter is living the good life: drinking espressos, taking in all the art history, and working as a museum curator called Dr Fell. Dr Lecter's carefree existence is disturbed by Italian detective Rinaldo Pazzi. Pazzi does not want to bring Dr Lecter to justice, instead he wants to collect the bounty placed on Lecter by his only surviving victim the fabulously wealthy child molester Mason Verger(played brilliantly by Gary Oldman). Dr Lecter easily outsmarts and kills Pazzi and escapes a capture attempt. However, Lecter is moved by Starling's troubles and decides to see her in the US. Following him are Mason's kidnappers, who finally capture Lecter and bring him to Mason. Mason decides to feed Lecter to some wild pigs. The acting in this movie is great, in particular Oldman and Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins is having the time of his life here playing his most famous role. He glides through the movie as the sleek and smooth Dr Lecter. But its Scott's direction which puts this movie over the top. The sights and sounds of this movie are a true delight. The music is glorious and unforgettable. Some of the scenes are so beautifully shot that you don't even care about the dialougue you just look and admire the screen. Hannibal is a new breed of horror movie, very sophisticated, lovingly shot, and beautifully acted. Its better not to try to categorize or compare this movie just watch and enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Great, not completely accurate, but very good.
Review: The film is based on Thomas Harris' third installment in the "Hannibal Lecter Series" (Although, Hannibal Lecter is only a major character in one book.) The movie's ending was completely different than that of the book. WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK, AND WANT TO, DO NOT READ THE NEXT SENTENCE! In the book, Lecter basically brainwashes Starling and takes her as his wife and moves to South America. WARNING OVER

Hopkins' acting was not as good as it was in "Silence of the Lambs," but it's very good. Julianne Moore's performance was not as good as Jodie Foster's.

The movie excluded the character Margot, Mason Verger's lesbian sister. I think she greatly enhanced the story's progress. In the movie, anything Margot did that was pivotal to the story (basically, just pushing Verger into the pigpen) Verger's personal doctor did.

Basically, if you're just looking for an amazing movie, DON'T pick this up, if you're looking for a gory movie, pick it up. If you're looking for a good sequel to an amazing movie (Silence of the Lambs.)

Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Book
Review: The movie better streamlines Thomas Harris' out-of-control Gothic fantasy into at least a semi-palatable film. The story is not very strong, or very believable - Mason Verger, the sole survivor of serial killer Hannibal Lecter's famous reign of terror, is himself a perverse and demented killer, fabulously wealthy, whose obsession is to personally capture Lecter and torture him to death for having crippled and disfigured him years ago - but the production and performances make it work.

Julianne Moore is excellent as the older and wiser Clarice Starling, amazingly looking and sounding more like a ten-year-older Jodie Foster than Jodie Foster. Gary Oldman gets to (yet again) chew the scenery as another criminal grotesque - completely unrecognizable, beneath the disfiguring makeup - the sick and twisted cripple, Mason Verger. Anthony Hopkins reprises his Oscar-winning role as the suavely psychopathic Hannibal Lecter.

The film's - and the book's - greatest problem is that its story is labored and forced. The Silence of the Lambs didn't want a sequel, and if it was going to have one, it probably shouldn't have included the character of Clarice Starling. But the demands of commercialism are far different from those of artistic achievement, and Silence was a phenomenally successful piece both literarily and cinematically, so Hannibal was an unfortunate inevitability. Thankfully, the movie corrects most of the book's many shortcomings, and is a more satisfying piece of drama.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, floundering follow up
Review: When Thomas Harris wrote Hannibal, it was a safe bet that a film wouldn't be far along. Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme and star Jodie Foster declined to take part in Hannibal claiming they found the story distasteful; so director Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Alien) and actress Julianne Moore (replacing Foster as FBI Agent Clarice Starling) were brought into this disappointing follow up. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins reprising his Oscar winning role), now living the life of luxury in Italy, finds himself on the run from Mason Verger (an unrecognizeable and uncredited Gary Oldman), a former patient who at Hannibal's advice peeled off part of his face. Meanwhile, Clarice finds her career on the downward spiral as she as used as bait by Verger to lure Lecter out of hiding. The suspense can't hold up to that of Silence of the Lambs (movie or book that is) and Scott's direction, even though he gives it his own slick look, is disappointing. Moore, as good an actress as she is, can't hold a candle to Jodie Foster as we find the once strong willed but vulnerable Clarice be more of a victim here than anything else. Finally, Hopkins just isn't scary anymore as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. That alone is probably the worst part of the film, and while Hannibal isn't necessarily bad, it's one of the most disappointing films to be released over the past few years. The cast also includes Francesca Neri, Frankie Faison, and Ray Liotta in the film's most infamous scene.