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Hannibal Rising

(2007, Rated R, Horror, Starring Rhys Ifans, Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Bloody prequel traces serial killer's origins.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Trauma during WWII produces Hannibal the Cannibal; his fierce Trauma during WWII produces Hannibal the Cannibal; his fierce fixation on vengeance leads to serial murder and decapitation; though he understands he is "wrong," he persists.
  • Violence:

    Brutal violence and bloody results. Wartime explosions, shooting, fires. Children witness their mother's fatal injury in an explosion, and their father is shot dead in front of them. An SS officer is shot in the head; wolves eat dead parents; Grutas eats a bird, showing his bloody mouth; Grutas threatens children with hatchet; villains eat little sister (off-screen, but fragmented memory repeats throughout, with screams and disturbing images); stabbings with forks, knives, swords; martial arts with poles; bloody wound stitched in close-up; several decapitations; repeated references to losing families in war; villain is squeezed to death by rope (blood splats on Hannibal's face, and he tastes it); Hannibal drowns a man; Grutas shoots Hannibal and another character; fight includes burning hand on stovetop; head is stabbed from chin through the top (seen from back); man squished between boat and dock (end is off-screen); Hannibal stabs villain's legs repeatedly, carves "M" in his chest, then eats his cheeks.
  • Sex:

    Sexual attraction between Hannibal and his aunt by marriage (brief, passionate kiss between them); verbal references to Lady Murasaki's "p--y" Grutas keeps a sex slave and forces her to bathe him in a tub; he appears out of the tub with a towel around his waist; Grutas licks Lady Murasaki's face, then puts his finger near her crotch and straddles her on a chair (very ugly threat of rape).
  • Language:

    "F--k," "hell," "bitch," and sexual slang ("p--y," "d--k"). Disparagement of a Jew.
  • Consumerism:

    Hennessey Cognac sign.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters smoke cigarettes frequently; villains (including Hannibal) drink liquor and wine.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Hannibal Rising

Parents need to know that this bloody Silence of the Lambs prequel isn't for kids. Since it's about the "birth" of famously evil character Hannibal the Cannibal, it's no surprise that it's all about brutality (usually involving swords and knives) and cannibalism. Other violent scenes include wartime shootings and explosions, stabbings, decapitations (heads are prominently displayed and bloody), and a drowning (a man is locked in a hospital corpse tank). Villains also drink, smoke cigarettes, and abuse women (bruises on one victim). A few uses of "f--k," plus rude sexual slang.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the effects of trauma on children. How is the monster that Hannibal becomes produced by seeing his sister eaten? How is Hannibal sympathetic as a child? Why can't he satiate his desire for bloody vengeance? How does this movie explain or otherwise reshape the Hannibal the Cannibal story as you know it so far? Is Hannibal as effective a character when he's not being played by Anthony Hopkins? Would you consider this a horror film or a thriller? Why?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 4.0

    MOVIE REVIEW Hannibal Rising is a thrilling, terrifying tale, and not for the faint of heart. Revenge and murder are intertwined throughout the Hannibal’s fate. He finds little comfort as he grows up. He learns how to sate his anger and does just that through killing. He kills those who caused him pain in the beginning. The movie makes cannibalism and torturous actions performed by the main character, seem almost appropriate to achieve justice. I LOVE IT!!!!!

  2. I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    your a awful parent kidzrock707

    Kidzrock707 your a terrible parent! seriously! my parents do sorta the same thing as you but you go way to far! seriously! you took your kids to see friday the 13th and bruno and let them play violent bloody games? your going waaaay to far.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Maine
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Gaspard Ulliel

    I thought the movie would be bad without Anthony Hopkins,but i was mistaken. Gaspard Ulliel amazed me. I loved his version of Dr.Lecter. Its a very good movie.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 5.0

    Age appropriateness depends on the individual child

    Personally, I loved it. The gore was not as bad as other R rated films (I'm really no gore fan, and I found it tolerable). If you're interested in character development, it is truly fascinating to watch Hannibal Lecter change from a child into a psychopath. As far as appropriate age for viewing, it really depends on the child in question. A mature child could handle it just fine at 14 (I watched it at 14 and loved it), but you really have to know the kid in question.

  5. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

    thg

    thrt

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Arizona
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 3.0

  8. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

  9. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    I agree with Common Sense Media........

    .....this is terrible in almost every way. Not suitable for 10 year olds like me. PLEASE YOU CAN ONLY SEE THIS IF YOU ARE 18 AND UP BUT IF YOU ARE 17 GET YOUR PARENT'S PERMISSION BEFORE YOU GO SEE IT! Definetely not age appropriate.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Pretty good, although no Silence of the Lambs

    Despite mediocre reviews, this movie was pretty good. I loved the other movies in this series, and I think you really have to see those first because this explains why he did what you saw in those. (Proof: My friend and I have the exact same taste in movies. I thought this was awesome, she didn't see the point.) It had the clever lines from Hannibal that the other movies did, and the actor who plays him is very good, however, he has far to go before being compaired to Anthony Hopkins. The obvious issue here is violence, other than a few sexual references (a reference to a characters p---y is a main part of a plotline.) But as long as the kids/teens can handle gore and can understand whats going on, I think they should be fine. Another thing I found kind of creepy is that after watching this, I realized I sympathazied with Hannibal and understood his perogative for killing the people he did in here. The fact that you realize that you symphathize with him might be disturbing, so may be the fact that Hannibal is considered the "hero" in this movie. So there's not only issues of content to think of here, there's also psychological issues.

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    good movie

    disgusting, but good. OK for people 15 and up, but NOT QUEASY PEOPLE!

  12. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Freaked Out

    The movie was a little scary and I don't recomend this for kids my age or younger.

  13. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    FRICKIN' GROSS!!!!

    This was not a bad movie but I would definitely not call it a great movie. I almost puked at the part hannibal pulled the rope and crushed the guy. It was also disgusting when he tasted the blood! I think if you are 15+ its a great teen horror flick.

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