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Hannibal

  • 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

    Thoroughly distasteful. Not for kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    A physically disabled, disfigured, revenge-crazed character claims to be a born-again Christian, although what he practices is anything but. The rural-born Clarice Starling is taunted as
  • Violence:

    People are eaten by pigs, sliced with razors and medical instruments, hanged, shot, and hit by cars. One individual's brain is exposed--while he's still alive. (You don't want to know what happens to him next.) Danger of violent death/dismemberment by ei
  • Sex:

    Verbal references to homosexuality, child-molestation, and sexual harassment. Fleeting nudity, among the Florence Opera chorus and in drawings and evidence photos.
  • Language:

    Slight, but it includes derogatory references to female genitals.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    References to drug use.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Hannibal was written by Charles Cassady Jr.

Parents need to know that various characters face cruel death -- their own or their loved ones'. The heroine is rejected by the law enforcement agency she serves. Later she finds herself stalked, drugged, imprisoned, and threatened with amputation by a love-struck killer. Danger of violent death/dismemberment by either slow torture (including devouring by other humans or wild animals) or quick evisceration. A hideously scarred villain's visage fills the screen. A physically disabled, disfigured, revenge-crazed character claims to be a born-again Christian, although what he practices is anything but. The rural-born Clarice Starling is taunted as "tornado-bait trailer-park white trash." Dr. Lecter expresses his love by tormenting the virtuous heroine. Slight profanity, but it includes derogatory references to female genitals. Characters dwell on revenge in various hideous forms. References to drug use. Verbal references to homosexuality, child-molestation, and sexual harassment. Fleeting nudity, among the Florence Opera chorus and in drawings and evidence photos. People are eaten by pigs, sliced with razors and medical instruments, hanged, shot, and hit by cars. One individual's brain is exposed -- while he's still alive.

Families Can Talk About

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  • Families can talk about Agent Starling's moral stance.
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More on Hannibal

What’s the Story?

HANNIBAL is set 10 years after its prequel, The Silence of the Lambs, left off. Agent Starling (now played by Julianne Moore), is taken off field work and put back on Hannibal Lecter's case.

Is It Any Good?

It's a bit of an overstatement (and a really sick pun) to say that many viewers will find Hannibal thoroughly distasteful. Indeed, the climactic murder and epilogue are especially repellent. Excellent performances and literate dialogue place this material on a rung above all of those Nightmare on Elm Street or Scream sequels--beloved by teenagers -- in which gore takes on a carnival-spookhouse dimension, and audiences are invited to laugh at the bloodletting. The sadism's not funny here, except maybe when the erudite Lecter utters an easygoing "okey-doke" before killing someone. Even Lecter's victims -- especially Mason Verger -- are thoroughly creepy. Lecter's code of conduct, according to a former prison guard who actually became friendly with him, is to "eat the rude." Keep that in mind as you watch how filmmakers can transform the predatory serial killer into a hero -- as long as his targets look like they deserve their fates.

Fortunately, in this dark and often jumbled world (thanks to a globetrotting, somewhat confused narrative), FBI Agent Starling serves as an incorruptible force, determined to enforce the law fairly (even to the point of protecting Lecter). Hannibal's gruesome, much-discussed ending centers around whether Starling will join in Lecter's (literal) thirst for blood as his mate, or resist the seductive madman's evil to the very end. Jodie Foster read the Thomas Harris novel, but then declined to play Starling a second time (even after winning an Oscar for the role in Silence of the Lambs). Note: The movie alters the novel's ending.

Movie Details

Studio: MGM/UA, Director: Ridley Scott
Run time: 131 minutes
Theatrical release: 10/27/2002, DVD release: 10/27/2002
MPAA Rating: R for stong gruesome violence, some nudity and language

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    Hannibal

    Great movie, not nearly as good as Silence of the Lambs though. But still, anything that has Dr. Lector in it is a must watch movie to me.

  2. I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    scary, but excellent film

    This movie is scary, not just freaky, but psychologically disturbing, kids under 12, unlike me, will be very confused about the homosexual activity in an intense, horrid flashback of a now scarred man meeting Hannibal.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Maine
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0

    just allright

    Well, ''Hannibal'' is the worst movie in the Dr. Lecter Movies. But it doesn't mean it's a bad movie, it's not but it's not a good one either, it's just all right. I read the novel before watching the movie and there are some things that makes this movie just all right: 1) MARGOT. It's a character who appears in the novel but not in the movie. She's Mason's lesbian sister. She's an important character because she kills Mason and she has a ''friendship'' with Barney. 2)Lots of scenes that i can't remember now don't appear in the movie. 3) It's not the same without Jodie Foster. 4)it's not the same hannibal lecter who was in the silence of the lambs,i mean, its not the insane man behind the glass in the psichyatric... 5) The part of the movie that happens in Italy its boring til hannibal kills Pazzi & company.

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title off for age 15 and give it 3.0

    Hannibal is an average sequel at best with some cool CGI effects

    Hannibal is the sequel to the very successful film, Silence of the lambs. The film returns with Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). A child molester wants revenge because Hannibal ate his face, literally, and now he looks awful. Although, Hannibal sends Clarice Starling to investigate more about the child molester. This film was okay considering it was a sequel but the original was so much better. The film had way too much dialogue and the film didn't have such an interesting premise as the first had. Although, the blood effects were cool when they were on screen. Overall, I recommend Hannibal as a rental, but nothing more than that. For sexual content, people use sexual terms for genitalia such as (p****) and (c*** sucker). Also a man is known as a "child molester". We see a guy that is naked, but in a non-sexual matter. For violence, there are some graphic, violent acts. Such as one scene were a man is eaten by several pigs. Then Hannibal cuts his head open and eats his brain. In another scene a man is hung from a rope, then a man releases the rope, and the man hits the ground, and there are buckets of blood in this scene. More gruesome deaths should be noted. While there are only 2 uses of the f word, other strong profanities are heard such as anatomical terms, scatological terms, 2 sexual terms for male and female genitalia, name-calling, religious exclamations, and religious profanities. I recommend this movie to older audiences, such as 15 year olds.

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 16 and give it 5.0

    amazing

    this is a movie that will make your have nightmares the rest of your life

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Oregon
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 0.0

  7. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Maryland
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 4.0

    Wow, was this gross.

    This movie still is pretty good, although there is no comparison between it and The Silence of the Lambs. The only main issue here is violence. Let me start by saying I don't get grossed out eaisly. Yet there is one scene involing a brain (I won't go into detail for the sake of whoever is reading this) and it had my stomache doing backflips for the next 12 hours. There are also people who are eaten by pigs, hung, disembowled, peel off their face (most of it is not seen because of the way the cinematography is) and a big shoot out. I say if you ever get grossed out, DON'T WATCH IT.

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Minnesota
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 5.0

    I luv this movie! :P

    I rekon this movie was awesome. i loved it. the violence to me wasnt really all that bad. id say the worst part is where you see hannible cuts open someones head and then begins frying his brains. it sounds really yucky and gross but its not as bad as it seems..before i watched the movie i was really worried kinda thing thinking it would be a really horrifying movie. it turned out to be much different than i expected. if your not big on violence then i dont reccomend you watch it, otherwise good ahead.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Arkansas
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 4.0

    Over all it was an amazing movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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