Review of Hannibal (2001) by Brian C — 17 Apr 2012
I hated this movie the first time I saw it. It's simply not as good as Silence of the Lambs, though few films in the genre are. On second viewing, I realized that Hannibal is a rare kind of film. It's classy, operatic, full of respectable actors, and made on a very high budget.
It clearly wanted to be an Oscar contender. It was all in the service of a trashy, gory, exploitation splatter film that could have never been made with this kind of talent had it not been a sequel to such a legendary box office and critical smash hit.
On that level, it's one of a kind. This isn't a deep movie. If Silence of the Lambs made you secretly want to see in gruesome detail just how monstrous Hannibal Lecter really is, this movie plays off that desire.
If you like twisted horror and aren't looking for the psychological depth of Lambs, you could do much worse than this spine-tingling, stomach-churner. If it compares to the first at all, it's because they both can be viewed multiple times without getting boring.
This review of Hannibal (2001) was written by Brian C on 17 Apr 2012.
Hannibal has generally received positive reviews.
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