| When I heard they were making a sequel to "Silence of the
Lambs" I was estatic, that is until I heard Jodie Foster wasn't reprising her role of
Clarice Starling. I soon got over that little mishap, and decided to give the movie a fair
chance. After seeing "Hannibal", I'm glad I did pull my head out my ass and went
to see this movie. I would've missed out on one of the greatest experiences in cinema in
awhile. Ten years have passed since Dr. Hannibal
Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) escaped from custody, ten years since FBI Agent Clarice Starling
(Julianne Moore) interviewed him in a maximum-security hospital for the criminally insane.
The doctor is now at large in Italy, gloriously at liberty in an unguarded world. But
Starling has never forgotten her encounters with Dr. Lecter - his cold voice still haunts
her dreams.
Mason Verger remembers Dr. Lecter too. Verger was one of Dr. Lecter's seven victims, and,
though hideously disfigured, has survived. The solitary heir to his family's fortune, he
uses the resources of his inheritance to exact his revenge. Verger realizes that in order
to draw Lecter out into the open, he must dangle an irresistible bait: Clarice Starling.
Well, after seeing this I can say that "Hannibal" isn't so much a sequel as it
is a second act to an overall epic. Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character whose mind movie
goers world wide have had a chance to delve in to. "Silence of the Lambs" (and
the "preface" to it all "ManHunter") allow us to meet Hannibal Lecter
and understand his character and the way he effects others (Clarice Starling and Will
Graham). "Silence of the Lambs"
acted as an act one to this story, introducing the characters and keeping things centrally
around Clarice. It used suspense and a deep and dark fear of the unknown to keep its
audience on the edge of their seat. "Hannibal" is act two of the story, and this
time the main character is Hannibal. The suspense is still there in this one, but there's
soemthing more. A love story so to speak, a battle between Beauty and the beast. A bond of
love so strong, but that can not be fufilled due to the characters placement in life. It's
one of the most captivating pieces of cinema I've ever seen. The final scene is one of the
most heart-felt scenes I think I've ever seen. Anthony Hopkins definately does what he's
supposed to in this one, and makes us feel for the flesh eating anti-hero.
I would also just like to go on record saying that Julianne Moore kicks ass as a more
"trained" FBI agent. She shows the contrast between the Clarice of SoL and the
Clarice of Hannibal perfectly. Though Ray Liotta is not used that often, his las few
scenes show that the actor still has a little left on the chops. And Gary Oldman...good
God man.
The only thing I had a gripe about is if people, yes
there are 7 of them, who didn't see SoL might have a hard time grasping on to the
characters. A very good sequel tries to bring a whole different audience in with in, and
though this movie is a great stand alone film. Those that never heard of Hannibal Lector
before may be a little bit lost. I, personally, think those people should die...but that's
just me.
I did myself a favor by not watching SoL before seeing "Hannibal". I'm glad I
did. Hannibal is a great film on its own, and a great addition to the Lector story. But
"Silence of the Lambs", and "Man Hunter" for that matter, are
completely different films than this one. .Anyone that says this movie doesn't have the
same "blood", "guts" and "evil Lector" like before is a
completely and total dumbass and missed the entire point of the movie. The characters are
the same and the gore is there, but in "Hannibal" there's something more.
Something humane about the psycho...something that I don't believe I'll ever forget. I
still adore SoL and "Man Hunter" more than I do "Hannibal", but this
movie holds, and will always hold, a special spot in my heart.
Rating:  3/4 out of four. |
