Review of Hannibal Rising (2007) by Jayanta B — 17 Jan 2010
We already saw 'Hannibal Lecter', his killings & all gory stuffs, how he did it, who he was, & here, in this Hannibal movie of the series, we get to see the origin of 'Hannibal Lecter', the reason why he started those killings.
"Hannibal Rising" is the story of monster Hannibal Lecter's formative years. These experiences as a child and young adult led to his remarkable contribution to the fields of medicine, music, painting and forensics.
We begin in World War II at the medieval castle in Lithuania built by Dr. Lecter's forebear, Hannibal the Grim. Mischa and Hannibal, baby brother and sister, are inseparable; it is their love for each other that ties their bond.
Their companionship is forever binding, until, with their family, while hiding from the Nazi war machine a twisted set of circumstance sets the pace for a most vicious attack on the future of one Hannibal Lecter for the sworn vengeance for the brutal killing of his baby sister.
The child Hannibal survives the horrors of the Eastern Front and escapes the grim Soviet aftermath to find refuge in France with the widow of his uncle, mysterious and beautiful Japanese descended from Lady Murasaki Shikibu (Gong Li), author of the Tale of Genji.
Her kind and wise attentions help him understand his unbearable recollections of the war. Remembering, he finds the means to visit the outlaw predators that changed him forever as they battened on helpless during the collapse of the Eastern Front.
Hannibal helps these war criminals toward self-knowledge even as we see his own nature become clear to him. It was good to see the origin of Hannibal, although there was nothing much in the story, everything is almost predictable, but the good direction makes the movie worth watching, direction is pretty good.
The performances are fine, Ulliel was fine, he was not good at times & very good at times, Gong Li looked gorgeous & also acted okay. The background score was fine. The gory scenes were good & is a major part of the movie.
On the whole, a good movie, watch it definitely if you are a Hannibal fan.
This review of Hannibal Rising (2007) was written by Jayanta B on 17 Jan 2010.
Hannibal Rising has generally received mixed reviews.
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