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Parents' Guide to

Hannibal Rising

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Bloody prequel traces serial killer's origins.

Movie R 2007 117 minutes
Hannibal Rising Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Jeffrey S.
Jeffrey S. Parent of 7, 14 and 16-year-old
July 10, 2023
age 14+

Not as bad as I thought it would be….

Ok so let’s start with, this is a horror movie. So if you think death or gore would bother your child then they should not watch. I actually think Silence of the Lambs was worse. There are lots of decapitated heads. There are 3 scenes that show someone being killed. A decapitation (from a distance), one of the slaves is shot in the head, and knife through the head vertically. Mom and Dad also die on screen but it wasn’t personal, they faded away slowly from combat wounds. There is sexual tension between Hannibal and his aunt but only results in a kiss and is never really discussed, so I would say it was irrelevant. Also “sex-slaves” are only shown in cages and there is no nudity at any point in the film. In the summary it said one of the slaves bathes the villain, but she’s actually only shaving his chest while he is in the tub. I did not feel there was excessive foul language. It comes down to each individual child and what you think they can handle mentally and emotionally. I watched with my 14yro and she didn’t think it was too bad either. I probably wouldn’t have wanted her to see it at
kel6s6
kel6s6 Adult
May 1, 2012
age 18+

Life for a life. God give life but the wicked take away life.

Wicked begets wicked. Wickeds shall pay for crimes committed.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 4 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (8 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: February 9, 2007
  • On DVD or streaming: May 29, 2007
  • Cast: Gaspard Ulliel , Gong Li , Rhys Ifans
  • Director: Peter Webber
  • Studio: MGM/UA
  • Genre: Horror
  • Run time: 117 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: strong grisly violent content and some language/sexual references.
  • Last updated: June 20, 2023

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