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Hannibal
Special Edition (two-disc set)
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Starring: |
Anthony
Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo
Giannini, and Francesca Neri |
| Director: |
Ridley
Scott |
| MPAA rating: |
R |
| Genre: |
Thriller |
| Studio: |
MGM
& Universal Pictures
(MGM Home
Entertainment) |
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Movie: A- |
Video: A |
Audio: A+ |
Extras: A |
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Summary: "Hannibal" is a shocking sequel to
"The Silence of the Lambs". Though it is a sequel,
thematically speaking, it is quite
different from the original. If you've seen "The Silence of the
Lambs" and enjoyed it, you will like "Hannibal". If you haven't then
checkout "The Silence of the Lambs" first. It is best seen
in order. Don't worry, "Hannibal" can wait. For the squeamish,
consider this a fair warning. As a two-disc Special Edition DVD,
"Hannibal" is packed with enough bonus features to
make even the most discriminating collector satisfied. This title is
also the first DTS surround sound DVD for MGM Home Entertainment. I
hope that it is a good sign of things to come from future MGM DVD releases.
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The Story
Anthony Hopkins returns as the notorious Dr. Hannibal Lecter,
cannibal and genius extraordinaire, a character from the prequel "The Silence of
the Lambs". Julianne Moore plays the role of FBI special agent
Clarice Starling, who interviewed Hannibal and
made a name for herself in the bureau in the prequel. Hannibal Lecter has been living in peace and harmony
somewhere in Europe. When agent
Starling is unjustly blamed for a sting operation gone wrong, her ranking in
the bureau literally drops overnight.
However, with the admiration and assistance from a mysterious stranger who apparently
can pull political strings around Washington D.C., agent Starling is back on
the
case when Hannibal Lecter is put back on the FBI's ten most wanted
list. With the help of a few of Europe's finest detectives, agent
Starling is able to locate Lecter's general whereabouts. This time she gets to deal with him
as he roams the free world, no longer locked behind that glass prison cell.
Will she be able to catch him and reclaim her status at the bureau? Or
will he have her for dessert?
Though "Hannibal" is a sequel, in many ways it stands in
stark contrast to "The Silence of the Lambs". For one, "Hannibal"
portrays Dr. Lecter free in civilization, while agent
Starling is portrayed at the most vulnerable point in her professional life.
Another point of contrast is the eerie romantic theme suggested in
"Hannibal". Anthony Hopkins is as good as ever, while Julianne Moore
gives a solid performance in her part as the strong-willed and clever agent
Starling. This movie is not for the squeamish, since some thematic
elements are quite violent and ughhh, just gross! Though
"Hannibal" is pretty shocking, I remember being shocked more with
"The Silence of the Lambs". As a sequel,
"Hannibal" definitely satisfies. I like it enough to
recommend it. Goody, goody!
The Extras
As a two-disc Special Edition DVD, "Hannibal"
comes with the following bonus features:
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
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"Breaking The Silence": five making-of
featurettes including rare footage and interviews
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Multi-angle Vignettes:
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"Anatomy of a Shoot-Out": a five-angle
breakdown of the "Fish Market" action scene
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Ridleygrams: a featurette on Ridley Scott's
storyboarding techniques
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Multi-angle exploration of the film's opening title
design
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Deleted and alternate scenes with optional director
commentary, including a never-before-seen alternate ending. These
scenes are entitled "First Market Aftermath", "Return to
the Dungeon", "X-Ray Comparison", "Dear
Clarice...", "Pazzi's Password", "Perfume
Shop", "Romula", "Il Mostro Case", "Lecter
Leaves Florence", "Barney and the Boars", "Coming to
America", "Coveting Clarice", "Planning the
Meal", "Alternate Ending"
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Marketing Gallery, which includes:
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Cast & Crew
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Production Notes
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DVD credits
This Special Edition is one of the best yet released by
MGM Home Entertainment. With about four hours of never-before-seen
bonus features, this 2-disc set is sure to please even the most
discriminating collector.
Video & Audio
The image quality of this anamorphic
widescreen DVD is excellent. The colors are accurate and
saturated, while shadow detail is very good. Both the DTS
and Dolby
Digital 5.1 soundtracks are well balanced and the surround channels are
used aggressively. The dialog
is crystal clear. "Hannibal" marks the first time MGM Home
Entertainment has released a DVD title with DTS surround sound. As a
big fan of DTS, I hope that this is just the beginning of a new trend in
premium MGM DVD releases.
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Visit the MGM web site.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year
2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.
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