Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 10, 2019

Kino has released the film 'Hannibal' to UHD for the first time (the release is accompanied by a companion remastered Blu-ray). Kino's UHD features new 2160p/Dolby Vision video sourced from a 4K remaster. It also includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The bundled Blu-ray includes a wealth of vintage bonus features.

Ten years have passed since Dr. Lecter's (Anthony Hopkins, Proof) escape from captivity, and a survivor from one of his attacks -- a now grotesquely disfigured millionaire by the name of Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) -- has obtained information on the killer that he wishes to share with a now-disgraced agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, Magnolia) who is working on clearing her record and conscience of a bust gone terribly awry. Verger, however, uses Starling as a pawn to help him track down Lecter; he plans to ultimately capture and murder the cannibal, exacting revenge for his disfigurement. Meanwhile, in Florence, Italy, police inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini), on the case of a missing museum curator, soon learns that the replacement curator is in fact Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Pazzi hatches a scheme to capture the criminal and collect a handsome monetary award, but Lecter proves a far more cunning opponent than Pazzi anticipated.

A bona-fide mega-hit when it arrived in theaters in February 2001, Hannibal carved up the box office to a record opening weekend. Clearly hungry for more exploits of the good Dr. Hannibal Lecter, audiences ate up Sir Anthony Hopkins' then-latest picture, though the absence of Jodie Foster certainly left many viewers with an empty feeling in their stomachs. Indeed, with the absence of Foster, the change in director, and five Oscar nominations under the belt of its predecessor, Hannibal had a lot to live up to, and while it's no turkey, it feels more like a fast food value meal than a robust five-course meal. It's no easy task to adequately follow up on a classic like The Silence of the Lambs; The Godfather: Part II is one such film that is every bit the equal of its predecessor, but most sequels to cinema greatness often only whet the appetite rather than satisfy the hunger for more of the same. Even had Hannibal set the table with both Foster and Lambs Director Jonathan Demme, the film's significantly weaker storyline would have still left it with too many empty calories to be of any artistically nutritional benefit.

It's not that Hannibal is a bad movie; it's certainly not something that will show up on any "bottom of" lists, but it's simply a far cry from the greatness of both Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs. It's neither as thought-provoking nor expertly crafted as either Mann's or Demme's films. The more action-oriented Ridley Scott takes the reigns for Hannibal; he's a superb director but just doesn't have much to work with here. Whereas the film's surrounding Hannibal on his resumé -- Gladiator and Black Hawk Down -- feature a more kinetic, nonstop, gritty, and realistic tone, Scott attempts to slow things down in Hannibal, and it just doesn't quite fit in with the style he embraced in the early years of the decade, particularly once the film moves past the trademark Scott-style shootout in the opening act.

One of Hannibal's most glaring problems is Julianne Moore. She's a fair actress but displays little emotion throughout; she seems tired and indifferent, more interested in getting through the scene rather than breathing life into the part. Otherwise, the cast of Hannibal is solid. Ray Liotta is delicious in his somewhat small role, Zeljko Ivanek is wonderful in a supporting part, and Hopkins is, well, Hopkins, though even he can't quite seem to recapture the magic of The Silence of the Lambs with a part that's a bit more active and pronounced here. The show stopper, as he always seems to be, is Gary Oldman. No other actor working today, and very few in the history of movies, are capable of so absolutely losing themselves in a role as he. Oldman is completely unrecognizable as the disfigured Mason Verger, but it's more the actor than it is the makeup that manages to create the character. Ultimately, however, neither director nor stars are to blame for the picture's lukewarm feel; short on suspense and high on shock value rather than genuine terror, Hannibal just can't compete with its predecessors for sheer moviemaking and storytelling greatness.

Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

The comparisons between Hannibal's UHD and Kino's newly prepared Blu-ray are particularly interesting. That 1080p disc is very good and certainly a massive upgrade over an aging MGM (MPEG-2 encoded!) Blu-ray, and this UHD is, in turn, a fairy stout improvement over Kino's excellent 1080p offering. The 4K/Dolby Vision-enhanced presentation delivers great improvements to both detail and color, certainly over the decade-old BD but also Kino's own 1080p transfer. The 4K imagery is noticeably more firm and rewardingly cinematic. Everything from intimate character portraits to wider vistas enjoy exceptional definition. A shot of a car approaching Mason Verger's estate at the 16-minute mark offers a fairly striking point of comparison. The pavement leading to the gateway is of particular note, offering a tangible, tactical surface grit. The complexity enhances the shot manyfold. The shot is also a strong example of the added color depth. The Blu-ray appears comparatively light and overly bright. Once one sees that shot, or any in the movie for that matter, back-to-back, there's really no going back to the Blu-ray. Green grasses outside the estate, notably in an expansive distance shot at the 16:50 mark, are astonishing for color depth.

In the scene to follow, when Starling meets with Verger in his darkened room, the UHD pushes the shadows harder, refusing to allow them to lighten for better visibility. The added density certainly helps better define the scene's tonal and dramatic construction, even if it decreases visibility, and it's also an interesting point of reference for improved white balance and brilliance on the curtains that are closest to a light source at the top-right-hand side of the frame. Grain is better managed on the UHD in this scene (and throughout); one can tell the film stock is being pushed a good bit on both formats here, but density and stability are better on the UHD. Hannibal Lecter appears in close-up at the 31:41 mark (31:54 on the Blu-ray). The shot represents another terrific point of comparison for the vast improvements in color rendition and textural might. It's a beautifully composed shot that isolates the character against the background and allows for an intimate study of the UHD's superiority. Similar improvements to detail and color hold for the duration. The film offers a number of breathtaking shots of both character close-ups and wider environmental elements. Both yield very tight, firm, and filmic textures that are enhanced by a richer Dolby Vision color palette that never betrays the movie's tones but rather strengthens them with improved gradation, vitality as necessary, and depth where warranted. But what's important is how the film plays in motion, and there's no mistaking the cinematic bonafides and extremely high yield textural and color output. The transfer compliments the film beautifully in every scene. Add that there are no troublesome source or encode anomalies of note and it's simply a joy to watch.

Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hannibal's UHD disc includes the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack included on the studio's Blu-ray. Below is reproduction of that audio review.

One similarity between this disc and the original 2009 edition is the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio encoding. The tracks are not identical, at least not technically; the older track plays with a larger bitrate in the 3.0-4.0 Mbps range while this one hovers around 1.5-1.8 Mbps. The added bitrate on the older track does not necessarily make it a superior track. Indeed, there are certainly no significant differences. The fish market shootout remains an engaging explosion of gunfire, slams, screams, and other chaotic sounds. Various one-off effects throughout sound generally similar between the two tracks, including squealing boars and a deeply whirring fan during a hazy surgical procedure late in the film. This new track might boast a mild increase in sound separation and immersion, slightly more precision placement, and modestly improved clarity, but don't expect a radical departure from the decade-old MGM offering. This track's essentials are handled well. Rainfall at the 62 minute mark proves very nicely saturating. There is good bustle in a police office at the 39 minute mark and later at the 65 minute mark after an opera, both examples of mild but immersive and well engineered din that brings the location to life. Ditto bustling city streets in various exteriors throughout the film. Music enjoys adequately wide spacing, modest but essential surround support, good clarity, and fair low end extension. Dialogue is handled well. It's naturally prioritized, detailed, and located firmly in the center channel beyond one or two fleeting moments of larger amplification.

Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The UHD contains no extras beyond the Ridley Scott commentary, which is accessible under the "Audio" menu option. That track, and all of the other supplements, can be found on the bundled Blu-ray disc. Below is a full breakdown of what's included. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Ridley Scott opens by speaking on the process of translating the original novel for the screen and continues to discuss editing, plot points, characters and performances, shooting locations, working with the FBI, and much more. Scott speaks in a very even cadence and delivers a wealth of information that sometimes falls into discussing shots in detail while also offering more broad stroke insights.
• Breaking the Silence: The Making of Hannibal (480i, 1:15:11): A comprehensive exploration of the filmmaking process, beginning with the developmental process and moving on to explore technical aspects of the production, shooting locations, makeup and visual effects, score, the Hannibal Lecter character, and much more, all explored in great detail. The piece ends with a lengthy video taken at the film's premiere.
• Anatomy of a Shoot-Out: A Five-Angle Breakdown of the "Fish Market" Action Scene (480i, 47:46): As the title suggests, this supplement explores the making of one of the film's key scenes from several different perspectives, offering the viewer the opportunity to explore "the technical and creative choices made in terms of cinematography" as the piece states up-front.
• Ridleygrams: A Featurette on the Art of Storyboarding (480i, 9:11): A look at some of the director's own storyboard artwork for the film. In the piece, he discusses his process. Unfortunately the low resolution and often thumbnail sizing rob the images of more than basic clarity. There is a similar feature in the newly released UHD of Black Hawk Down.
• An Exploration of the Film's Opening Title Design (480i, 7:17): Variations on the title design. Included are Final Title Design with Final Theatrical Mix, Original Teaser Cut with Original Teaser Mix, Nick Livesey's Notebook with Ridley Scott Commentary, and Shooting Pigeons with Nick Livesey with Commentary.
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (480i, 33:09 total runtime): Included are Fish 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, Covering Clarice, and Planning the Meal.
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes with Director Commentary (480i, 33:09): The same scenes as above, this time overlaid with Scott's thoughts.
• Alternate Ending (480i, 6:30).
• Alternate Ending with Director Commentary (480i, 6:30): The same scene as above, this time overlaid with Scott's thoughts.
• 19 TV Spots (480i, 7:56): The spots are presented in rapid-fire succession.
• Hannibal Teaser (480i, 1:03).
• Hannibal Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:18).
• White Squall Trailer (480i, 2:44).
• Nixon Trailer (480i, 4:32).
• When Eight Bells Toll Trailer (1080p, 2:49).

Hannibal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hannibal, at least cinematically, can't stand up to The Silence of the Lambs, but it's a fair movie in its own right. What matters here, though, is Kino's 4K/Dolby Vision video, which is terrifically filmic, highly detailed, excellently colored, and a good deal better than Kino's companion Blu-ray release. The studio has opted to include the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack as featured on the Blu-ray. That same Blu-ray includes a bevy of vintage bonus features. Highly recommended.