Being a Ridley Scott fan for just about all of my life I was looking forward to Hannibal not only because it was the follow up to Silence of the Lambs but because he made it and did it hold up to my expectations? The answer is a big fat yes. The movie will probably get bad reviews from critics and some viewers because of the simple fact that it is the follow up to Silence (like some did last years Blair Witch 2 another good movie). But if Silence is day then Hannibal is night, they are that different in look, style, and tone. Most will be wondering if Julianne Moore will be able to fill the role of Clarice Starling after Jodie Foster passed. Well thats a yes also and I can honestly say that not for a second after Julianne Moore appeared on screen did I think about Jodie Foster. Granted the Starling character is very different in this movie but it has been 10 years and she's a more mature and broken in character (for lack of better words) but yes also she doesn't have as much to do in this movie and spends a lot of time looking over old photo's and paper's on Lecter. Anthony Hopkins gives another awesome performance as Hannibal Lecter, but this time Lecter does (in typical hollywood fashion) have those quips that all famous horror characters seem to have. But thats cool because the character is just as interesting now as he was then. I won't go into detail about the plot because if you're reading this I'm sure you already know it but it follows the book very close....as close as it needed to in my opinion. The look of Hannibal is breathtaking but thats always a given in a Ridley Scott movie so we need not go into that except that this movie is very different from Silence in that it's not all gloomy and has the fall season look of Silence, it's sunny and warm (it's set in July anyway) and the Italian locations add a lot for look and atmosphere. There is even a scene where a thief is stalking Lecter through the streets and they are so crowded and smokey that they brought back memories of the crowded L.A. in Blade Runner. Gary Oldman stars as Mason Verger the only victim of Lecter's who survived, hidden under Greg Cannom's excellent makeup effects you will never know it's him but still he gives a good performance and shines through. But Giancarlo Gianinni is the best in the movie except for Mr. Hopkins and the scenes they have together are really good and I really didn't want to see him die. Which brings me to the violence in Hannibal. When I read Hannibal I said they would never be as graphic as the book but boy was I wrong. We all know Ridley doesn't shy from the red stuff and it flows here. Which wasn't a problem for me because I loved every minute of it and I can't think of a movie thats been this bloody except for some with the work of Tom Savini. And people complain about that. I mean really how the hell can people complain when the movie is about a guy who eats people....go figure. There are some chilling scenes also like one that plays on a t.v. and shows Hannibal attack a nurse and the one that stood out for me is when Pazzi is at the opera and see's Lecter in the audience and he turns and just stares back at Pazzi. The ending is different from the book as revealed early on but it is much better and the last part on the plane was really cool. I don't think Hannibal is as deep as Silence or Manhunter but it was more entertaining and not because it was mainstream because it sure isn't that but it was funny (yes funny Lecter has some great lines) and creepy and even kinda surreal and with the way the characters are drawn kinda Sheakespearian. I really enjoyed Hannibal and it is now one of my favorite Ridley Scott movies.....a worthy follow up to Gladiator for Mr. Scott and a worthy follow up to Silence of the Lambs....the wait was worth it.
