Review of Hannibal Rising (2007) by Matthew C — 10 Sep 2014

A lot of people will write this film off as it answers one of the biggest questions in the Hannibal mythos: why? I can understand how not knowing something can make it scarier, and if you want to retain that mystery, don't watch it.

For those of us with an insatiable curiosity though, the answer they provide is about as satisfying as it possibly could be. It's a story of revenge, and I love a good revenge story. What separates this one from other revenge stories though is how it doesn't really celebrate the revenge.

Sure we may be happy to see Hannibal kill off the people who wronged him, but the film makes a point to show us that these people have goodness in them still and many of them even have loving families that will miss them once Hannibal's done his thing.

By the end, the film makes a point to show you that Hannibal's revenge has not satisfied his bloodlust, but instead turned him into a monster on a path he can never return from. I liked that a lot, and it's a refreshing departure from films that celebrate blood-stained vengeance.

It can sometimes descend into a slasher movie, but generally it keeps the creepy tone the series is known for, and Gaspard Ulliel does a surprisingly good job as young Hannibal. Far from the best in the series, but still a worthy entry.