DVD Review: Hannibal Rising (Unrated)

By Jeff Swindoll May 30, 2007, 13:12 GMT

Mischa and Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel), 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. ...more

There is a certain folly in always trying to explain the origins of evil (and popular movie villains). That being said, I’ll have to say that I did enjoy the story and thought that the production design was gorgeous.  It’s the performance of the lead that really rubbed me the wrong way in comparing him to what has come before.  I don’t know how it compares with the book but the film made the book seem not as horrible as I was led to believe. 

What the back of the box says:
“In Red Dragon we learned who he was. In The Silence Of The Lambs, we learned how he did it. Now comes the most chilling chapter in the saga of Hannibal Lecter - the one that answers the most elusive question of all - why? Written by Thomas Harris, the best-selling author of the Hannibal book series, this "fascinating and terrifying journey into the making of a monster" (Pete Hammond, Maxim) reveals for the first time the metamorphosis of a brilliant medical student into "Hannibal The Cannibal." Good Morning America's Joel Siegel says, "if you can keep your eyes open, you're going to get scared."

I’ll have to admit that I’ve not read the book and I didn’t see this film in its theatrical cut.  The book got horrible reviews (accusing Thomas Harris of doing a poor job to finally kill off the monster that haunts him) and the film did as well.  Young Hannibal Lector witnesses the death of his sister at the hands of Lithuanian looters and when he grows up into Gaspard Ulliel.  He then goes to France to find his aunt played by Gong Li and eventually decides to find the men who butchered and ate his sister and get his revenge.

What makes this movie different from those that preceded it is that Thomas Harris wrote the screenplay as well as the novel that it was based on.  The problem arises in the casting.  Gaspard Ulliel is no Anthony Hopkins (but who would be?) and this is probably the shadow that kept a lot of actors away from the role.  They knew that they’d be compared to the “Sir” and that they’d be the one whose liver is served with fava beans and a nice Chianti in the press. 

Sadly, young Ulliel looks more like the Joker than I would imagine a young Hannibal Lector to be.  He also seems to be posing more than forming a character.  This will be a large bone of contention with Lector fans and looking over the list of potential actors at IMDB, Ulliel is not the one that I’d have picked to fill the role (Rupret Friend gets my vote of those listed that had headshots).  Not to mention that he’s so obviously French and Hopkins is so obviously British. 

The movie is issued in both a 131 minute unrated widescreen (2.35:1 enhanced for 16x9 televisions) version as well as the 121 minute fullscreen theatrical edition.  I’m unsure why it was done this way.  It seems odd that if you wanted the theatrical cut that you’re stuck with the fullscreen version, punishment perhaps? 

Special features include a commentary with director Peter Webber and producer Martha De Laurentiis.  Next is 4 minutes of deleted scenes with an optional commentary by Webber.  There’s also the 16 minute “Hannibal Lecter: The Origin of Evil” which interviews producer Martha De Laurentiis, Maitland McDonagh (Sr. movie editor or TVGuide.com), Gaspard Ulliel, Peter Webber, Rhys Ifans (“Grutas”), stunt coordinator Lee Sheward, and production designer Allan Starski. 

It’s followed by the 7 minute “Allan Starski: Designing Horror and Elegance” which is a solo interview with him and some footage of producer Dino De Laurentiis around the set.  Finally there’s a trailer gallery with the theatrical trailer and the teaser trailer. 

Though it was not as bad as I had thought, I still found Hannibal Rising lacking.  I hate to rag further on Gaspard Ulliel but he was just not up to snuff as everyone’s favorite cannibal.  If the role had been better cast then I think that the film would’ve had a better chance at the box office.  

Hannibal Rising (Unrated) is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a June 25th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.