Oh, Hello Clarice...

Hannibal the Cannibal. The three word phrase rings in many a ears like spikes ripping through the buttocks of a newly born puppy. Many remember the incredible story from 'Silence of the Lambs' with Buffalo Bill and Clarice Starling but it was Dr. Hannibal Lector that stayed in the minds of so many impressionable movie goers. Why? It was because he was an enigma. We never saw his character unless Clarice saw him meaning his life stayed a complete mystery to us...until now. Now for any one who has read Thomas Harris's 'The Red Dragon' or 'Hannibal' then you are well versed in the ways of Hannibal but for those of us who are not we have much to learn. For one Hannibal was born with a six fingered hand and had surgery done to remove the maverick finger. The scar on his left hand was the only identifiable mark Dr. Lector had so it was used to capture him if possible. The book 'Hannibal' went in-depth with the history of Hannibal's stay at the maximum security ward and told many grisly tales that one might not become aware of if one didn't read the book. Clarice also went to the liberty to find many acquaintances of Lectors that might divulge some possible whereabouts of the doctor and help detain the serial killer before he had another supper. All of the things I listed from the book were not present or told about in the movie 'Hannibal' at all but the worst part is there were many more crucial moments left out of the movie that I will not tell. Without further ado here is the final review of the non-alternate ending of 'Hannibal' the movie.

Unfortunately I did not read Hannibal the book by Thomas Harris before I witnessed the movie. Upon viewing the film I was disappointed in that I was expecting something different. I was hoping for a more psychologically disturbing approach that would leave never dieing images in my mind that would haunt my sleep. ‘Hannibal’ was plagued with strange character development and even stranger editing. I missed the whole approach of why this wasn’t a mystery thriller like its predecessor. Anthony Hopkins’s role didn’t intrigue me to the level it did on SOTL and on top of that he seemed to have aged horribly since last time. Why wasn’t his hair longer and slicked back like a maniacal madman? I also felt like we were left in the dark as to what Clarice was up to the whole time the Florence situation was taking place. Was she obtaining crucial information about Lector from third parties that might have been affiliated with him? I never found out because for thirty minutes or so we were engaged with the Italian cop trying to chase down Lector and obtain evidence of his location. I think for the sake of trying to glorify Lector’s appearance the movie took on a more pretentious tone with the growling sound effects every time Hannibal would walk by. The apex of my frustration came with the final scene. From what I had heard the last scene was so disturbing that it would keep me up late nights with a pillow clenched in my arms. I remember having dreams about the film the night before and being paralyzed with fear thinking of Dr. Lector’s terrorizing demeanor that would move the film at a frighten pace and make some leave the theater in horror. I imagined the Lector from the end of SOTL happily cracking a nightstick across the cops face with blood spraying out into several directions. When I finally sat down to watch the film the ending left me disappointed to no end. What could have been the most disturbing ending turned out to be melodramatic and horribly scripted. It was not disgusting at all and I didn’t have any problems sleeping that night. I came away from ‘Hannibal’ thinking, “Someday I’ll remake that movie and truly horrify people,” If you’re a big fan of ‘Manhunter’ or ‘SOTL’ then you will be very let down by the anti-climatic ending to this movie. On the plus side I was enamored by the beautiful music by Hans Zimmer. Maybe when it appears on DVD we’ll see the alternately filmed ending were Clarice gets it but until then my stance remains the same on this potentially great film that had too many glaring flaws like editing and character development to keep it reaching the status of its brethren.

Synopsis:  Basically a madman who was victimized by Hannibal in the distant past wants revenge on the old doctor and pays a Florence cop money to detain him. Clarice is assigned to the case by the FBI and must find Lector before his nemesis, Mason the deformed victim, finds him. Nothing in the story resembles that found in Silence of the Lambs or Manhunter, both excellent movies. Hannibal had superb acting on the part of Anthony Hopkins but with some melodramatic delivery from Clarice. As a standalone movie it wasn't terrible but as the sequel to SOTL it left much to be desired, mainly the ending. Here's hoping for the alternate ending on the DVD. Don't skip out on this movie as it has some inspiring scenes that show the beauty of Florence and the fascinating music of Hans Zimmer. 

Overall - 2.5 out of 5