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As the war comes to Lithuania in 1944, the Lecter family is forced to flee from Lecter Castle to their lodge, where they believe they’ll be safe. But when a Russian tank arrives to demand water, fighter planes overhead bomb the area. All of the adults are killed, leaving the two Lecter children to fend for themselves.
Not long after, one of the children returns back to Lecter Castle—only it’s no longer his home; it’s an orphanage.
As a teenager, Hannibal Lecter (Gaspard Ulliel) has nightmares of what happened at the lodge—what happened to his little sister, Mischa, after a band of thieves arrived there—but his nightmares don’t tell him the whole story. Tired of life in the orphanage, where he’s frequently tormented by bullies, Hannibal escapes and travels to France, in search of his uncle.
When he arrives in France, he finds that his uncle is dead—but his uncle’s widow, Lady Murasaki (Gong Li), takes him in. For the first time in years, Hannibal has found someone who cares about him. When a local butcher insults Lady Murasaki in the market, Hannibal begins to unleash the monster that’s growing inside him—and it leads him on a hunt for the men who hurt his sister.
Those who were disappointed by the book by Thomas Harris (see the review) will be even more disappointed by the movie—because it doesn’t develop the story nearly as well as the book does. While the screenplay does leave out a few of the book’s more complicated storylines—and it adds some fascinating details—it also takes out much of the stuff that makes the story interesting. Viewers barely get to know any of the characters—making it especially difficult to care about them all that much. Vladis Grutas (Rhys Ifans) is supposed to be the villain, but viewers don’t really get to see just how horrible he and his men are. The film also fails to develop the relationship between Hannibal and Lady Murasaki—and the relationship between Hannibal and Inspector Popil. The parts of the story that could have really added depth to the film are, for the most part, quickly brushed over. As a result, it’s not as captivating or suspenseful as it could be. And though Ulliel manages to create a character who’s every bit as suave and sinister—not to mention seriously creepy—as his adult counterpart, the screenplay fails him. It just doesn’t give his character the depth he deserves.
Mercifully, Hannibal Rising leaves a little of the horror to the viewers’ imagination (unlike Hannibal)—but maybe the movie would have been better if it had been more gruesome. At least it would have been a little more exciting.
That said, however, fans of the Hannibal series will want to head to the theater to check this one out. If you know the character well, you’ll find the story at least somewhat intriguing. Just don’t expect too much. And you might want to pick up a caffeinated beverage on your way in—just in case.
