Review of Hannibal Rising (2007) by Gavin B — 31 May 2014

If this were an individual revenge themed movie that had nothing to do with Hannibal Lecter, then chances are, this would have been more well received among critics. However, as a prequel to the series based on the book of the same name about how Hannibal Lecter became the killer he is known as, this displeased many people; especially Hannibal fans. As a Hannibal fan myself, I agree that the portrayal of him in this film as a good guy who developed a blood lust out of justice and revenge due to experiencing a horribly traumatic event in childhood is inconsistent with his known identity as a sociopath since sociopathy is a trait one is born with and exhibits traits of this in childhood which he clearly did not in this movie. As a result, I can understand why many people did not like this movie.

I however, still liked this movie despite it. Why? Because while viewing this movie, I decided to temporarily forget everything I know about Dr. Lecter so I could judge it more on its individual merits. As an individual movie, it's actually great in its own right. The pacing is rather slow at times, but it picks up at just the right moments. The camera work is great, Gaspard does a terrific job in his role as young Hannibal (in regards to the way he was written in the prequel), and as a vengeance themed story rooted in a traumatic childhood experience, the story itself is wonderfully compelling. My final thoughts? If you are watching this in order to obtain a fitting explanation as to how Hannibal became the killer that he is known as, you will be immensely dissatisfied with this film as the way he is portrayed here is inconsistent with Hannibal Lecter's known identity. However, if you are watching this in order to see a compelling revenge story set in the WWII era about a good guy who wants vengeance for the death of his parents and his sister who was killed and eaten alive by the nazis and a realistic portrayal of the impact trauma can have on a person, then this film just might be for you.