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Hannibal Rising [2007]
from Momentum Pictures Home Ent
starring Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Rhys Ifans
directed by Peter Webber

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

Though Hannibal Rising's Lecter (Gaspard Ulliel) is a pussycat compared to Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, this sequel's story of revenge is grizzly enough to satisfy lovers of Thomas Harris's epic tale. After young Hannibal (Aaron Thomas) is forced to watch his little sister, Mischa (Helena Lia Tachovska), devoured by starving soldiers in his homeland Lithuania, Hannibal vows to avenge his sister's death by slaying those who committed not only war crimes against the Lecters, but also against other families during WW II.

In detailing Hannibal's revenge plan, the film investigates the psychological implications of witnessing cannibalism to justify Hannibal's insatiable appetite for human flesh. The most interesting aspect of Hannibal Rising--its analytical connections drawn between Hannibal's childhood traumas and his murderous adult obsessions--is also the film's weak point. The links oversimplify Lecter's complex character. For example, though titillating to see flashbacks of Lecter's sister hacked up and boiled while Lecter visits a Parisian meat market, the reference is too obvious. One learns why he excels in his medical school classes dissecting cadavers, and we're given explicit explanation for why he slices off and eats his victims' cheeks. The story only complicates when Hannibal interacts with his sexy Aunt, Lady Murasaki (Gong Li). When Murasaki educates him in the art of beheading, the viewer sees Hannibal's sword fetish as a manifestation of physical lust. --Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• A FILM THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE
  Hollywood is running out of ideas. Sequels, remakes and prequels, anything to cash in on a good original and take your money again and again.
  HANNIBAL RISING is absolute garbage. There's no Anthony Hopkins to redeem this crap either. Although an interesting idea to show his origin, it is totally unnecessary and a complete waist of time and money.

• I think some of you were watching a different film.
  Honestly, I don't know what some of these reviews are on about. Ever since I saw this it has been my favourite movie, ever. I have to admit that all other Hannibal films that I watched seemed.. dull, at the risk of being attacked by hardcore fans. This one, however, is brilliant. Gaspard Ulliel has, since watching this, become my favourite actor. He can convey anything with one glance, and does the best evil smirks that I have ever seen. Not only that, he is also insanely sexy. Watch it, now.

• Hannibal falling
  "Hannibal Rising" is a decent book, the film has reasonable cast and the whole shebang has obviously had quite a few quid thrown at it...so why doesn't it work? Well firstly, if anything, the movie is too faithful to Harris' text (it's practically page by page and exactly as I had imagined it)...which in itself shouldn't be a bad thing, but unfortunately as a result many of the scenes feel rushed and clunky. If you are going to do something this faithful it probably needs to be 180 rather than 105 minutes.... more info

• Embarrassingly Awful Film
  I had reasonably high expectations of this film. The spiel made it sound interesting. And the first half hour or so of the film was gripping and powerful. The two young children who played Mischa and Hannibal did a good job. But once Hannibal enters his teens and is played by Gaspard Ulliel, the film sinks into farce. Firstly, the actor Gaspard is unbelievably unappealing. A hideously ugly, clueless and talentless young actor who spends much of the film with an inexplicable smirk on his unpleasant face. The... more info

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