8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson (I)Horror | 100% |
Mystery | 70% |
Psychological thriller | 66% |
Crime | 31% |
Thriller | 22% |
Drama | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The historical Hannibal famously trekked over the Pyrenees and Alps to conquer northern Italy. Hannibal's modern day
namesake is having a bit of trouble getting past the considerably less daunting Wasatch range in the American west,
however. That's right, folks, Hannibal is hard to find in Salt Lake City. As a former Utahn myself, let me just start
this review by offering some brief condolences to
and commiseration with Salt
Lake City viewers who were subject to local NBC affiliate KSL’s decision to air Hannibal in the middle of the night,
far
removed from its “official” timeslot. The only consolation I can offer to these viewers is that at least they’re living in the
era of the DVR. When I was growing up in Salt Lake City, there were no such devices, and all of the local
Salt Lake City affiliates played so fast and loose with the networks’ proposed schedules that it was often next to
impossible to figure out when shows were airing (if they were at all, as Salt Lake City has a fairly notorious history of
outright
banning certain series). So if there's good news to be had here, it's that at least Hannibal is in fact airing in this
market. And in fact
no matter when Hannibal airs in your neck of the
woods, even if it’s been time shifted to some netherworld where only someone like a certain Dr. Lecter might be around
to see it, those who like their television dramas a bit on the twisted side will probably want to seek out this latest
reboot of the vaunted Thomas Harris character.
Though evidently producer Dino De Laurentiis, who owned the rights to
the Lecter character and whose imprimatur is attached in one way or another to the entire Lecter franchise, evidently
disagreed, at least some fans of Dr. Lecter have long felt that the best all around
adaptation of Harris’ novels was not in fact The Silence of the Lambs (as fantastic as many understandably find that film), but Manhunter, a stylish (some argue
too stylish) 1986 thriller directed by Michael Mann. This film was based on
Harris’ novel
Red Dragon, a novel which was adapted again under its original title when Lambs’ Lecter, Anthony
Hopkins,
revisited the role for the 2002 film version.
I won’t split hairs over which adaptation of Red Dragon is better (I actually like them both quite a bit, for
different reasons), but one of the interesting things both versions, and Harris’ original novel, presented was a thrilling
psychological pas de deux between FBI Agent Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, first as collaborators and then
as nemeses. Hannibal revisits this labyrinthine relationship, and if there’s a certain repetitiveness which results
from an episodic television formulation of the basic story, there’s a really spooky ambience that pervades this
series and gives it a very unsettling vibe that actually makes it, KSL or not, perfect late night fare.
Hannibal: Season One is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This digitally shot series boasts largely impeccable detail, with quite a bit of attention paid to various color grading techniques. Some of Will's "recreations" of crime scenes feature a weirdly skewed palette which adds to the dreamlike quality of the sequences, and many times the graphic crime scenes will be intentionally bled (pun intended) of color, offering a stark but chilling visual metaphor for what's happened to the deceased. The series plays with light in some great ways, too. Pay attention, for example, to how often Lecter's face is half consumed by shadows. Contrast here is generally quite strong, though I personally would have preferred it to have been boosted in some of the series' many dark interior scenes. The image here is precise and stable, and I noticed no obvious artifacting as I watched this first season.
Hannibal: Season One has an incredibly forceful and nuanced lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one which benefits immensely from the incredibly spooky "psychological" score by Brian Reitzell, a score which utilizes a number of electronic elements which often pulse through the surrounds with incredible low frequency. There are also a number of great sound effects the series utilizes, including a propulsive heart beat that may actually produce air pressure changes in your home theater environment. Ambient environmental sounds are very well scattered through the surrounds, and dialogue is very cleanly presented. All in all, this is a remarkably well done 5.1 mix for "mere" series television, boasting great fidelity and extremely wide dynamic range.
Disc One
Hannibal is definitely not going to be to everyone's taste (I truly apologize for the run of horrible puns in this review), but for those who don't mind really graphic imagery and some very dark plot elements, this show has a lot to offer. The best thing about the series is how imaginatively it reimagines these iconic characters, very neatly playing off the audiences' foreknowledge and expectations as to what is ultimately going to be revealed. This first season sets the chess pieces very artfully on the board, but that does take a bit of time, and patience is recommended. This Blu-ray offers great video and superior audio and comes with some appealing supplements. Recommended.
2013
2014
w/Collector's Book
2015
2015
2013-2017
2015
60th Anniversary Edition
1960
2013
2003
1991
2015-2016
2004
2001
2004
1990
1973
Hellraiser V
2000
2016
2016
2007
Extended Director's Cut
2018
2016
2017
1979