Eric Stevenson I am now glad to say that I have seen every Hannibal movie ever made. I guess "Hannibal" is the name of the franchise. This is easily the worst of all these movies and it's so bad even fans of the series hate it. Well, I guess especially fans. This movie starts off by showing Hannibal's origin with how his parents were killed in a crossfire with Nazis. Seems like every origin story involves Nazis nowadays.His sister gets eaten and he goes on to avenge his sister by training with this woman where he learns how to swordfight. Yeah, the movie suddenly turns into "Batman Begins", a weird situation for Hannibal Lecter. The villains in this movie are so pathetic and unentertaining. This series was known for having some really cool villains, even Mason Verger from the supbar "Hannibal". This movie is stretched out over two hours as well. For me, it's just a waste of time. *1/2

thegodxcel ... Firt off, never ever "not" watch a movie because, of ratings. So many times I have found delight in movies that I passed up because of other people. This will be the review you want. This movie got bad ratings because, of acting, drawn out, and because, people felt a classic should not have a prequel..Sorry, they could not be more than wrong about this. This movie has that grotesque "it" factor that any Hannibal movie goer dreams of. Not only that it has war, blood, guts, tells the story in a GREAT pace! You could not ask for a better prequel. The acting that Gaspard Ulliel shows off is one in a million. Just like rain man their could not be a better person to do this film. He is a psychopath, of course he is going to act weird and disturbed. From the opening to the constant nightmares, to the drug induced dreams to over come his flashbacks, and to the revenge of deaths at the hand of a mastermind. Its simply fantastic pace. The dirty grim-my Germany and France scenes are Amazing coming from an American with such movies as Saving Private Ryan or Apocalypse Now... Think of this movie as a war ridden "NO MANS LAND" with a touch of intellectual landscape. Each scene has its stay and not one feels like it is out of touch. The music is rich with the original silence of the lambs and fits again with the landscape of post war living. .. Watch. This. Movie! I cannot say much more about that. Have fun and remember movies are a way for us to escape to be someone we are not just for a few minutes of our lives. Enjoy 9/10 stars!

SnoopyStyle It's 1944 Lithuania. Mischa and Hannibal Lecter are the children of aristocratic parents. They abandon their castle as the Russians close in. They're caught in the crossfire as they hide out in their country home and the parents are killed. A local militia working under the Nazis turn to looting for themselves. They come upon the Lecter children and does something horrific. Eight year later, Hannibal is haunted by nightmares of Mischa. He's living back in Lecter Castle which has been turned into a state orphanage. He is bullied but he stabs his bully. He escapes to Paris to live with his aunt Lady Murasaki Shikibu. It's a long journey of revenge against those who killed Mischa.I love the kids. It could have been a great horrifying horror. The first thirty minutes are terrific. The movie insists on moving on and on. The orphanage is another possible chapter but it just rushes forward. Thomas Harris wrote this which just goes to show that being the originator doesn't mean being the best going forward. Gaspard Ulliel is no Anthony Hopkins but then again, nobody is. The story simply grinds down and down. This could have been a great little horror with kiddie Hannibal. It is the law of diminishing marginal utility. The more explaining Harris does about the origin of Hannibal, the less satisfying it becomes.

view_and_review I avoided this movie for years. After seeing "Hannibal" I had no interest in seeing how he became the monster he was. Alas, an Amazon Prime membership and down time at work drove me to "Hannibal Rising." I learned that I have a far greater affinity for young Hannibal than old Hannibal. Young Hannibal grew up in WW2 Europe. He went from affluence to fighting for his life due to the war. One particularly tragic event forever changed him.The actor chosen for Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel) was excellent. He even had a sinister looking face the way the corners of his mouth curve upward in a Joker-esque manner made him able to sneer with ease. His acting left a little to be desired as his accent (or simply his manner of speaking) seemed forced. Also there was the dialog between him and Lady Murasaki (Li Gong). They constantly spoke in hushed romantic tones as if every word they exchanged was secretive or passionate. It came off as pretentious and grandiose as though they were the two most important or two most passionate people in the world.If we were to boil it all down, "Hannibal Rising" was a revenge story. Some people are fueled by love, some by hate, others by both. Hannibal was definitely fueled by both and it was his inability or unwillingness to not cross the line that made him Hannibal the cannibal.