Having read the book when it was first released, I went into this film expecting the worst. Thomas Harris writes good serial killer novels but he is by no means a great author. Even still, Hannibal was such a bad book that I still curse myself for dropping the cash to get the hardcover edition.

That being said, Scott did a decent job of filming the unfilmable. He managed to make the visuals look nice (when someone isn't being eaten or gutted) and his sense of location is nearly as strong as it was in Blade Runner. None of that is an excuse for this movie, however. To put it bluntly, Hannibal has no redeeming qualities. The plot makes little sense and is about as zero-sum as possible without going negative. The acting is okay but most of the actors seem to be on auto-pilot. The violence is extreme to say the least and, more often than not, gratuitous.

The only real plus is the changed ending. Not going into any details, let me just say that, while it still seems contrived, it is far better than the laughably out-of-character conclusion to the novel.

I really can't recommend Hannibal. I wanted to enjoy it purely as a bad movie but the fact is that it goes so far beyond bad as to simply be a waste of time.

Recommended:
No

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age