Hannibal

It's alarming and viscerally gross in ways that the first never even reaches for (mainly because it didn't need to). Yes, Foster is sorely missed, particularly earlier in the film. On the flip side, Liotta, who was consistently and criminally underrated in almost everything he did, just kills it - his performance at the dinner table is unnerving, hilarious, kitschy, powerful, and completely compelling.

Years after his escape in 'Silence of the Lambs' a wealthy surviving victim continues to hunt for Hannibal Lecter. Stars Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore as Clarice Starling.

The plot builds slowly. Hopkins is excellent in this role but Moore seems a poor substitute for Jodie Foster.

The film is very gruesome. The final scene is memorable in it's uber gruesomeness.

The location in Florence, Italy is a great bonus but this fun ultimately disappoints after the great original film.

Well, the deal is done. Saw it. Liked it. However.....not nearly as good as Silence. Very different effect is achieved by this film. It does almost play like an elite form of slasher movie. Like Jason with class and an education. I like Jodie and I see why she really didn't want this role. There's not a hell of a lot for Starling to do. Let's just say this- I liked it for what it is. As a stand alone film. It works on some levels. I think 2 1/2 is a good rating. I can recommend it. I even liked it. It just pales in comparison. And one can't help but compare. The characters all seem a bit shallow. Even Lecter. Some parts of this film are sooo over the top, I have to accept them as dark humor. The main thing I remember about Silence is the overwhelming feeling of dread, of sadness about the events in the film. "What does he do, this man you seek?" "He kills women." "NO, that is INCIDENTAL." Now that exchange instilled horror in me. There's just nothing like that in this film.

For the most part, I enjoyed this film. I was engaged throughout and that's what you want from a film. However, I found myself frustrated with some of the nonsensical choices of the characters. Hopkins was as brilliant as ever. This Hannibal was a lot more ruthless but just as cunning, perceptive and observant. I really like Julian Moore as an actress but I'm just not sure she was right for this role as a shoe-in for the character of Clarice. I don't know if it was because I was comparing her to Jodie Foster's Clarice, but it just felt like two completely different characters. She wasn't as intellectual, sharp or astute as the original Clarice. She felt a lot more vulnerable than the original Clarice. And she made some questionable decisions throughout the film to say the least. Lastly, WHAT happened to the southern twang in her accent, yes your accent can change over the ten years that passed but there wasn't even a trace of it!

This film overall was an interesting, further insight into Hannibal's character and also the relationship between Hannibal and Clarice, and his matured fondness for her. Overall, this film is definitely worth watching with some memorable scenes, but just don't go into it expecting it to be Silence of the lambs part 2.

Anthony Hopkins gave an impeccable performance. However, the material he was given to work with was not as good as Silence of the Lambs. In fairness, perhaps there was no way it could be. In SOTL, he was somehow more foreboding, more of a sort of superhuman monster; in Hannibal, he's more accessible, a guy you meet on the street. Maybe it was impossible to maintain the mystery of Lecter that we saw in SOTL because of the risk of doing a rehash. I'd give the overall Dr Lecter character a 9 of 10 in this film, vs. a 10 of 10 in the last one. Not quite as good, but still very good.

Starling's character, on the other hand, fell flat in this film. In SOTL, Foster perfectly portrayed Starling's flat surface with a turbulent depth; in Hannibal, there was nothing under her surface. Foster's Clarice evoked feelings of sympathetic grief, Moore's Clarice evoked nothing. I do not necessarily blame Moore, this could be due to writing and/or directing. Obviously, though SOTL focused mainly on Starling's character, Hannibal focuses on, well, Hannibal. Still, that's no excuse for what was done to Starling. Her character gets a 3 of 10.

The story was much weaker in Hannibal than in SOTL. It almost seemed like an excuse to present us with the characters, rather than a story in and of itself. Still, it had no other major flaws, so it gets a 6 of 10.

Now, there's another category I'll call the shock factor. It's different than ordinary gore, it's... creative gore. The sick, disgusting depravity we expect to see and like to see in this type of film. I can't go into detail without spoiling it, but I'll have to say it goes even beyond what I expected. Do not watch this film if you are squeamish or dislike gore. There isn't a lot of gore in the film, but what there was, was... concentrated. Shock Factor, 10 of 10.

Overall I give the film an 8 of 10. Very well done with a few weaknesses, well worth watching.