5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After the death of his parents during World War II, young Hannibal Lecter moves in with his beautiful aunt and begins plotting revenge on the barbarians responsible for his sister's death.
Starring: Aaran Thomas, Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Dominic West, Rhys IfansThriller | 100% |
Horror | 95% |
Crime | 24% |
Psychological thriller | 19% |
War | 5% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Lionsgate is once again partnering with Walmart to provide collectors with a set of SteelBook releases, this time with several linked "Bloody Disgusting" titles. All of the SteelBooks have similar designs that feature an emphasis on blacks, which may mean that white gloves may be in order for fingerprint and/or other smudge protection. In this particular instance, and rather interestingly given Lionsgate's penchant for re-releasing titles over and over again in different configurations and packaging options (as this very latest "series" attests), Hannibal Rising has evidently never had a previous release on Blu-ray in Region A.
Gee, Officer Krupke, we're very upset;What, pray tell, is a lyric from West Side Story doing here, you may understandably ask? Well, Hannibal Rising purports to be an "origin story" for the frightening Dr. Lecter of Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon fame (infamy?), and to cut to the chase (no slicing and/or dicing pun intended), it turns out that Hannibal (played by Aaran Thomas and Gaspard Ulliel at different ages) is really (much like Tony's Jet cohort in the Bernstein-Sondheim musical) just a sweet, mixed up kid, albeit one in this case whose childhood and adolescent traumas were sparked at least in part by that nasty World War II.
We never had the love that ev'ry child oughta get.
We ain't no delinquents,
We're misunderstood.
Deep down inside us there is good!
Note: Since this is the rare Lionsgate SteelBook that is not a re-release, I've split the difference in screenshots/photos
accompanying this review. Positions 1 through 8 offer screenshots from the disc, while positions 9 through 15 offer hi res photographs of the
packaging, for those interested.
Hannibal Rising is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Perhaps surprisingly, this
was shot on film and in fact the closing credits offer both Kodak and Fujifilm logos, which may account for some distinct and distinctive differentiations
in the appearance of various stocks throughout the presentation. Several flashbacks or at least quasi-flashbacks can offer an extremely
grainy, somewhat distressed, look, that kind of unavoidably tends to mask fine detail levels at times. A much more tightly resolved grain field attends
the "contemporary" sequences, at least for the most part. The palette is rather evocative and is arguably one of the film's strongest assets. The
wartime material is frequently coolly graded toward grays and blues, with more of an emphasis on golds and browns as the story segues toward
Hannibal's teens and twenties. Detail levels are generally commendable, but can be affected by the prevalence of very low light situations. Once again
on a Lionsgate Blu-ray, some minor signs of banding can be spotted.
Hannibal Rising features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, in a track that has some nicely immersive moments. The opening act takes place in war torn Lithuania (who knew that's where the Lecters hailed from, let alone had a castle?), and there is some really forceful LFE and good use of the side and rear channels as battles rage. Things arguably calm down a bit once the story shifts forward a few years, but even then there is good attention paid to ambient environmental effects which frequently inhabit the surround channels. A perhaps just slightly rote score by Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi also is nicely splayed around the soundstage. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
One of my all time favorite moments in my years of working here was when I interviewed Martha De Laurentiis when she was on a press junket promoting television's Hannibal: Season One, and I completely cracked her up when I suggested her famous chef step grandaughter Giada De Laurentiis would make a perfect guest star for that series. De Laurentiis is on hand in some of the supplements here, and it's obvious she wanted to continue to "curate" the character, but this origin story, while written by original series novelist Thomas Harris (adapting his own book), just never quite amounts to much, though there are some undeniably spooky moments along the way. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements appealing. The branded Bloody Disgusting SteelBook may offer additional allure for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
1991
2001
2011
Unrated Edition
2006
2002
Saw 3D
2010
Unrated
2005
2014
2-Disc Special Edition
1980
Unrated Collector's Edition
2007
2014
Closure
2007
2013
Unrated Director's Cut
2007
2008
Unrated Director's Cut
2008
Unrated Edition
2005
2007
1987
2003