Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (i) on February 15, 2001 at 23:40:32:

"Hannibal" is very pretty. Very "civilized." Nice cinematography. Nice music. Nice clothes.Nice setting.The problem is... it's not frightening. Dr. Lecter has become a fairly boring pedant with a nasty habit. Zero suspense in the movie. Very good actors in support (Hopkins' performance alone is worth the price of admission, as usual) of a souffle. You could feel the acting, almost touch it. Hopkins, to be expected. But Oldham...No movie can withstand two such overdone, overdrawn, and overwrought characters/performances. And Ray Liotta. Miscast or what? He seemed quite harmless and pleasant (and bloated).

Did anyone feel any sense of dread when the good doctor dispatched the Florentine Commandatore? I doubt it.

As drama or comedy, it failed. C'mon, grab some popcorn, turn down the lights, and rent SOTL (again...). Or, for a view of what imagination on a beer budget can do, Blair Witch Project. Or "Manhunter." Next sequel: Hasdrubal, "The Kid." (It's true, the original Hannibal had a younger brother with that moniker. Imagine the terror in Rome: "Run for your lives! Here comes Hasdrubal....The Kid!!!")