Hannibal Rising *1/2
Cast: Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Rhys Ifans, Dominic West, Kevin McKidd, Richard Brake
Director: Peter Webber
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: R

In 1944, Hannibal Lecter (Ulliel) sees his parents die in a battle outside the family cabin. He and his sister are captured by some locals, and in the bleak winter eat Hannibal’s sister to survive. Eight years later, Hannibal seeks out his uncle’s widow, Lady Murasaki (Li), and moves in with her. Hannibal’s goal is to locate the guys who ate his sister and kill them. Hot on his trail is a French police inspector (West), who knows what Hannibal is up to but cannot prove anything.

“Hannibal Rising” may as well be titled “Hannibal: Death of a Franchise”. It is completely unnecessary and makes a joke of everything that has gone before. Ulliel is greatly miscast and does not even come close to filling the shoes of Anthony Hopkins (who wisely has steered away from this film). This has to be one of the bigger disappointments in recent years. Stick with “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Red Dragon”, and forget about “Hannibal Rising”.