Hannibal Rising (R, 2007)

common sense media says

Bloody prequel traces serial killer's origins.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

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.

Positive 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.

More on Hannibal Rising

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
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?

What's the story?

What's the story?
HANNIBAL RISING traces the beginnings of serial killer Hannibal Lecter. As child in 1944 Lithuania, Hannibal sees his parents die during a fight between Russian tanks and German planes. Little Hannibal and his younger sister Mischa (Helena Lia Tachovska) are beset by starving German deserters, who end up eating Mischa. The memory wreaks havoc with Hannibal's psyche and eventually leads him to seek vengeance against these men, who were deemed war criminals. After escaping a Soviet orphanage, Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel) finds his aunt by marriage, Japanese wartime survivor Lady Murasaki (Gong Li) in France. Murasaki instructs Hannibal in martial arts. When he kills a butcher to defend her honor, Murasaki worries a little but helps him hide the crime from Inspector Popil (Dominic West). Determined to avenge his sister's grisly end, Hannibal pursues the men who ate her.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The deaths are grotesque and the blood splatty, but Hannibal the movie doesn't demonstrate the cultural sophistication that Hannibal the character will later develop (if Silence of the Lambs is any indication, that is). Here, he's a bitter, anxious boy-man, a medical student who prepares cadavers for other students' autopsies -- discovering as he does so not only his pleasure in such activities, but also his gift. He is a grandly self-absorbed killer. When at last Murasaki begs him to stop, he cannot. His reason always: "They ate my sister." It's a terrible refrain and leads to a revolting psychosis. You can't help but miss Anthony Hopkins, whose sly wit alleviated at least some of Hannibal's thudding brutality.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: MGM/UA
Director: Peter Webber
Cast: Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Rhys Ifans
Genre: Horror
Run time: 117 minutes
Theatrical release: February 9, 2007
DVD release: May 29, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong grisly violent content and some language/sexual references.
Watch our review

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

11

Most useful reviews by all members

antoineisthebest
teen, 15 years old
 
Good movie but Hannibal childhood is violent
@finder u know x rating is porn The rating are g everyone pg parental guidance Pg-13 not recommend for anyone under 13 R people less 17 must be acompagnied by an adult Nc-17 not for anyone under 17 X not for anyone under 21 (all movie that are x are porno)

Finder
parent of 8 year old
 
Umm...?
Well first of all this movie was way more than an R rated film. I think it deserves an X rating. Way too violent and had too much sensuality. But even if you let your kids see the previous hannibal movies, you still might want to see it first. Not a good movie content wise or message wise. Reccomended too adults over 21.

addisonthereviewer
teen, 13 years old
 
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.

 
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.

davidguitar15. ...
teen, 17 years old
 
Perfect for anyone who likes horror films
This is currently one of the best horror movies ive seen....it has an awesome story and stuff..

Plague
parent
 
Hannibal Rising
Wonderful movie, but not as good as the older ones.

andielabeouf
teen, 16 years old
 
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.

 
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.

Stewie095
teen, 16 years old
 
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.

rosebud2
teen, 15 years old
 
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.

HannahRC
teen, 17 years old
 
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!!!!!

hamzeh1977
parent of 4 year old
 
thg
thrt

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

Doe
teen, 17 years old
 
Freaked Out
The movie was a little scary and I don't recomend this for kids my age or younger.

cerealkiller189
teen, 13 years old
 
VIolence is awesome as hell and Hannibal rocks hell.
I would let my kid see it .

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
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