Hannibal Lecter.
That name has led many of us to question whether vegetarianism is the way to go, and has made us far more aware of who we talk to.
There has obviously been a lot of hype surrounding Hannibal. Not to mention the added pressure to make it as good as 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, which won five Academy Awards. For those of us who saw the movie this opening weekend, we weren’t disappointed.
The film, directed by Ridley Scott, picks up roughly 10 years later and Jodie Foster’s character Clarice Starling (now played by Julianne Moore) has grown a lot as a person, and seems a little jaded. Anthony Hopkins is also back to play the title role that inspired so many Halloween costumes over the past decade.
Hannibal, like The Silence of the Lambs, is about the relationship between Clarice Starling and Dr. Lecter. In the first film he woos her with stories of his life. In the sequel,we wonder if he’s in love with her, since he resists eating her despite his many chances. It truly is like a game of cat and mouse. They just take turns chasing each other.
You actually feel sorry for Hannibal in this film because he has become the victim and is almost sensitive (until he starts eating people, then you wish that he’d get caught again). Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t cannibals supposed to eat people, and not be their friends? He should have dug in on Clarice Starling when he had the chance.
But I guess that’s why he’s psychotic.
If you enjoyed watching Hannibal recount his psychotic stories and devour people the first time around, then you might just want to rent The Silence of the Lambs again, because there is not a lot of that in this film. While he still has a good meal at someone else’s expense, it’s very tame in comparison to what I remember from the first film.
For those who haven’t already seen Hannibal over the weekend, be forewarned. The traditional Hannibal the Cannibal only appears in those final, much discussed few minutes. And while there are not many gruesome scenes in the film that would make you cover your eyes in fear – or not be able to sleep at night – there are still some scenes that are just so Hannibal.
Maybe we don’t get scared because our generation has become so numb to all the violence that surrounds us that we don’t even blink twice when we see a man eat another man’s brain for supper. But that could just be me.
So enjoy the film, bring a date and get some popcorn. Just stay away from the hot dogs that they serve at the food counter. You never know exactly what is in your meat!
That name has led many of us to question whether vegetarianism is the way to go, and has made us far more aware of who we talk to.
There has obviously been a lot of hype surrounding Hannibal. Not to mention the added pressure to make it as good as 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, which won five Academy Awards. For those of us who saw the movie this opening weekend, we weren’t disappointed.
The film, directed by Ridley Scott, picks up roughly 10 years later and Jodie Foster’s character Clarice Starling (now played by Julianne Moore) has grown a lot as a person, and seems a little jaded. Anthony Hopkins is also back to play the title role that inspired so many Halloween costumes over the past decade.
Hannibal, like The Silence of the Lambs, is about the relationship between Clarice Starling and Dr. Lecter. In the first film he woos her with stories of his life. In the sequel,we wonder if he’s in love with her, since he resists eating her despite his many chances. It truly is like a game of cat and mouse. They just take turns chasing each other.
You actually feel sorry for Hannibal in this film because he has become the victim and is almost sensitive (until he starts eating people, then you wish that he’d get caught again). Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t cannibals supposed to eat people, and not be their friends? He should have dug in on Clarice Starling when he had the chance.
But I guess that’s why he’s psychotic.
If you enjoyed watching Hannibal recount his psychotic stories and devour people the first time around, then you might just want to rent The Silence of the Lambs again, because there is not a lot of that in this film. While he still has a good meal at someone else’s expense, it’s very tame in comparison to what I remember from the first film.
For those who haven’t already seen Hannibal over the weekend, be forewarned. The traditional Hannibal the Cannibal only appears in those final, much discussed few minutes. And while there are not many gruesome scenes in the film that would make you cover your eyes in fear – or not be able to sleep at night – there are still some scenes that are just so Hannibal.
Maybe we don’t get scared because our generation has become so numb to all the violence that surrounds us that we don’t even blink twice when we see a man eat another man’s brain for supper. But that could just be me.
So enjoy the film, bring a date and get some popcorn. Just stay away from the hot dogs that they serve at the food counter. You never know exactly what is in your meat!
