Hannibal Rising

By Kate Xian
February 08, 2007

Thrillers and horror movies are now more than ever the popular trend in movies today. Apparently we have such an insatiable appetite to scare ourselves silly that Hollywood released the horror movie Black Christmas this past Christmas. The rehashing of old villains and cult flicks have also seen no escape from Hollywood's hope to make a quick buck. The latest in the list of rehashes is The Silence of the Lambs' Hannibal Lecter, who gets reborn in Hannibal Rising, where we learn of the past that drove him to madness, which Lambs made him famous for.

In the endless supply of Hannibal flicks, Thomas Harris' Hannibal Rising is both his latest novel in the serial killer's saga and also the latest installment of the film series. The intention clearly was to emphasize the "killers are made, not born" mantra, but does the origin of this beloved serial killer do more to enhance the drama, or only curse it?

Entertainment 5/10

Hannibal Rising is intriguing and entertaining enough despite its coincidental and predictable plotlines, and disturbing violence. Much more methodical than the average slash and bleed horror films, Rising has many gross-out gore moments that offset the sometimes tedious dialogue and pace. What also kept me interested was that it is by technicality a period film with the serial killer element. The crude instruments and worldly settings gave it a sense of grandeur, mystery, and sophistication.

The young Hannibal played by French newcomer, Gaspard Ulliel, was also an interesting choice in casting as he managed to carry a sense of innocence and psychosis. However, the psychosis he portrayed was an odd mixture of camp and drama. As a result there was a slight disconnect that made it difficult to empathize with his vigilante doings. However, there was an obvious self-conscious understanding of the origins of his psychosis. The offbeat humour of the film also detracted from the callousness of The Silence of the Lambs and additionally, the origins of the killer in Hannibal only made for a less frightening boogeyman that Lambs so cleverly developed.

The main issues with the film were the highly coincidental moments. Gong Li's Lady Murasaki Shikibu provided the oh-too-perfect explanation for his superhero abilities to slice and dice with her samurai teachings. Along with his medical education, it all offers a much too coincidental path to the impeccable killer. The mish-mash of cultures was also an oddity. The prevalent English spoken in East Germany and France, combined with Japanese culture along with German songs sung in Par-ie (that's Paris by the way with a French accent), only caused more disorientation than it did interest.

Innovation 5/10

Though the serial killer period film is refreshing among the never-ending list of slasher and gore flicks, it really didn't provide anything all that new plotwise. Other than the disturbing motivation of vengeance that is reiterated endlessly, there was nothing particularly innovative per se. Though I must commend the film for its more deliberate allusion to unthinkable violence than the obvious that most horror films have been giving us these days.

Yet simultaneously, I got the feeling that director, Peter Webber, was holding back. For such a notoriously intelligent and simply sick killer, Webber didn't seem to push Hannibal's violent tendencies. The more horrific seemed to have been edited out not because of its violence, but because of its implication. The production stills provide more insight to what could have been than what was actually there on the big screen. For a serial killer flick with such a three dimensional killer I would have definitely liked to have seen more boundaries pushed.

Emotional Resonance 5/10

What Lambs succeeded at, Rising failed at miserably. Lambs' Hannibal was able to give a frenetic sense of terror throughout, whereas Rising's Hannibal was borderline comedic. Though Ulliel is quite intriguing to watch with his pliable features that so easily contorted from schoolboy innocence to giddy killer, his actual dialogue (which is actually true of more or less of all the characters) came off preachy and rehearsed. The forced drama definitely did not add to the film as it became relentlessly repetitious through flashbacks and nightmares. There was a sense of unbalance between the sweet and innocent Hannibal to the one that lusted for vengeance.

Additionally, the vigilante nature of Rising also humanized Hannibal almost to the point of removing the fear that he generated in Lambs. As a stand alone story, Rising may very well succeed with its story and tone, but as an added installment to the Hannibal series, it detracts from the creep-out factor that Lambs cultivated.

Social Context 5/10

Rising was not able to provide anything too earth shattering in the world of social context. Other than showcasing the obvious traumas of war crimes and reiterating the "killers are made, not born" mantra, the film did little to enhance one's intelligence.

Recall 7/10

Though low in social context, the apparent purpose of the film's existence is clearly for its entertainment value. It did what it needed to do - stir enough interest to pull viewers in and give them a little something different for a couple of hours.

The most memorable of the film, I would have to say, is Ulliel. There is a certain factor about him that makes it difficult to take your eyes off of him. In a face so young, he was able to create a sense of unease, yet still be sweetly affecting. Though interesting to watch physically, his lines did have a tendency to become slightly unbearable to listen to. Ulliel seems to be clearly more suited for traditional drama, since his range seems slightly limited. The deeply psychotic in Ulliel lacked at times and he instead came off as a much more camp and kitsch killer than the once terrifying Anthony Hopkins.

Overall 58%

"They ate my sister."

Wide Release Date: February 9th, 2006
Running Time: 2 hours, 1 minute
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Peter Webber
Producers: Tarak Ben Ammar, Dino De Laurentiis & Martha Schumacher
Executive Producer: Tarack Ben Ammar, James Clayton & Duncan Reid
Screenplay: Thomas Harris
Director of Photography: Ben Davis
Editor: Valerio Bonelli & Pietro Scalia
Music: Ilan Eshkeri & Shigeru Umebayashi