Hannibal Rising (2007)

- written July 2007

Summary: Hannibal Lecter is trying to escape World War II in Lithuania and only does it once the feared Nazi’s rip apart his home and kill his sister. Now years later, he’s back with a chance for revenge, with a nice Chianti.           Overall: When the idea first hit the press for the film I cringed. Anything with this character not including Hopkins is simply a waste of $$. And when the final result hit...I was right. See here’s was funny about the film...it’s not that bad, by itself. Nice character development, great visuals, good story. Acting is ok too. It’s when u tell the audience, “oh that’s Lecter from years ago” when they’ll laugh in your face!           Basically...this film does not allow you to fast-forward to “Red Dragon” or “Silence of the Lambs” and connect the individuals and say “yes, it’s the same guy.” No way. This is not “Lecter” as we’ll know him. It’s some kid with the same name. Lecter as we spent 3 films on him...was if anything...an aristocrat who knew how to kill and enjoy it. He killed for a reason but also because he liked it. He didn’t do anything he couldn’t get away with and hardly ever took chances. And finally, enjoyed the eating of his victims.           This kid is only killing for revenge because of some implied shots of his sister being a meal for the bad guys (no true buildup for us to understand why). And...he only get this opportunity by chance...and frankly spends much of the film trying to get caught. There’s nothing that tells me...he’ll survive the next 30 years and really do some damage later. The addition of the mask was downright idiotic. “Silence” was good if anything because so many things were new to the audience...including the mask. The mask use was solely because Hannibal liked to bite as a weapon. In this film it comes off more as a sexual device than anything else. And the bit about the samurai swords...which he never uses or is hinted to later was a waste. The 10 minutes of deleted scenes added nothing that would have helped the film either.           The film fails because as you watch, you’re hoping for a connection to the future films. None come. This isn’t the same Lecter, we all know it, and it’s disappointing. Thomas Harris struck gold with “Silence” then spent the last 20 years butchering his own work with “Hannibal” and “Hannibal Rising” hoping to recapture the gold that he already had lost. He was a one-hit wonder...           Comparison: The Last Samurai meets Schindler’s List

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