Hannibal Rising - Movie Review

Hannibal Rising travels back in time to World War II-era Lithuania, where an impressionable, well-to-do young boy named Hannibal was forced to watch helplessly as his family was massacred and his young sister suffered a terrifying fate at the hands of desperate, famished soldiers. After seeking temporary shelter at the Soviet orphanage that was once his family's home, Hannibal later flees to Paris in search of his long-lost uncle. Though his uncle has passed away, his uncle's beautiful Japanese widow, Lady Murasaki, warmly accepts the frightened orphan into her home. But even the love and kindness of this generous stranger isn't enough to calm the raging storm that is brewing inside this troubled young boy. Plagued by nightmares and determined to seek vengeance on the murderous war criminals who brutalized his family, the profoundly disturbed but academically gifted Hannibal enrolls in medical school in order to hone the skills that will allow him to exact horrific justice.

Much like I said in my review of the book, this is the weakest film in the series. However, this is one of those rare instances where I think the movie was better than the book, but not by much - maybe because it only takes 2 hours to watch the movie where I had to invest a bit more time to read the so-so book. The guy they chose to play the young Hannibal did a good job, but it just wasn't the same as seeing Anthony Hopkins play the serial killer. It was interesting to see the events which transpired early in Hannibal's life that turned him into a violent psychopath. However, there wasn't much meat behind the story and the ending was a forgone conclusion which the filmmakers didn't even seem to try to conceal. That means the suspense was virtually non-existent, which takes some of the fun out of a thriller. Overall, if you're a fan of the Hannibal films, you have to see this one just to "complete the picture," but don't expect a masterpiece.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Rhys Ifans

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.