Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Balinnah?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 16, 2014

If the world “Htrae” looks familiar to you, or better yet, if you actually know to what it refers, you may inherently understand what I mean when I say Hannibal has entered its own Bizarro World as it slices and dices its way through its sophomore year. (For those who aren't comic book fans, Bizarro World refers to an alternate universe in DC comics where Earth has become Htrae.) The first season of Hannibal drew raves (including here at Blu-ray.com) for its vivid reinvention of the iconic characters of Thomas Harris. The first year of Hannibal managed to rather artfully revisit some standard tropes in the Hannibal Lecter canon while introducing several fanciful new elements, including various psychological tics and, ultimately, a breakdown for FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). Graham’s almost hypersensitivity to crime scenes was a recurring motif of Hannibal, and it alerted the profiler to the “dark side” of Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson) long before others seemed to be aware anything was out of whack with the famous “good” doctor and epicurean. In Bryan Fuller’s smartly reimagined version, Graham pretty much goes off the deep end just when Hannibal’s scheming leads to Graham becoming the main suspect in a series of grisly murders (the show was and continues to be extremely graphic at times). That in turn leads us to Bizarro World Hannibal, where Graham is the lunatic (alleged) serial killer while the calm but menacing Hannibal Lecter is on the outside looking in. Hannibal has been almost audacious in how it virtually dares the audience to guess its twists and turns—and then repeatedly surprises. That’s certainly the case with this second season, which while playing topsy turvy with Lecter and Graham also has the added shock value of a discombobulating presentation of the season finale climax as the opening sequence, leaving the rest of the season to play "catch up" to what has already been depicted.

Hannibal would seem to be bound by certain strictures, at least when one considers the fact that any fan of Harris’ source novels is going to know that sooner or later Dr. Lecter is going to get caught and end up in stir, sometimes with a less than flattering face guard plastered across his supple jaw. It’s to Bryan Fuller’s credit, then, that so far at least Hannibal has managed to dodge several potential traps, as evidenced by the fact that it’s Will behind bars and not Lecter as the second season gets underway (after that unsettling “preview” of how the season will end).

The preview itself helps to quash some latent fears about how far Fuller was willing to push the canon, for there were already some nattering naysayers who thought that the first season strained credulity with how much Lecter was able to continue getting away with, with only Will as a potential threat. Without spoiling too much, it’s clear in the opening sequence that Will is no longer alone in his suspicions of Lecter, and in fact that element plays out several times in the second season, with a number of supporting characters slowly coming to the conclusion that Will may not be bat guano crazy after all and that Lecter definitely is adept at vivisecting more than mere pâté de foie gras. In the meantime, though, “Bizarro World” Hannibal continues through its first half dozen or so episodes with Will locked away in the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane while Lecter gets to put on his shiniest shoes and pretend to be a real, honest to goodness FBI profiler for several disturbing cases.

There are a number of fantastic surprises in store for viewers in the second season, with two appearances that may actually shock and several gruesome deaths, including for at least one major supporting character. The series continues to strain credulity at times, with this season’s gambit of Will returning to Lecter’s fold after getting out of the institution not handled with any special facility. Along the way, there are the customary embalmings, entombings and impalings that have come to define this series’ more gory side.

Hannibal builds to a fearsome conclusion that sees a handful of major characters at death’s door and Hannibal himself off to supposedly calmer climes overseas. A post-credits tease hints that yet another recurring character has a more central role in Hannibal’s behavior than might have previously been thought. Through all the murder and mayhem, Hannibal continues to be an effectively stylish and provocative thriller that has unique amounts of character driven drama interspersed with truly creepy crime scenes. Fuller wisely reinvents standard canon fare in new ways throughout the season (revisiting such iconic images as the flaming body in a wheelchair catapulting down a parking lot ramp). If, as the saying goes, everything old is new again, there’s no better proof than Hannibal.

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hannibal: Season Two is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, Hannibal continues to be one of the more stylish outings on network television, one with a cinematic sweep in scenes like a great crane shot reveal of Hannibal with a victim in a cornfield or the recurring motif of a stag's head that haunts Will's waking dreams. The series continues to be rather aggressively color graded, something that tends to rob certain scenes of at least a little fine detail. For that reason, colors aren't always "accurate" looking, though they're almost always incredibly evocative and distinctive. The one qualm I have with this series' look is how relentlessly dark it is, to the point that there's virtually no shadow detail in many scenes. This is obviously an intentional stylistic choice, one meant to echo that similarly shadowy psychological states of its two main characters, but it might help to lighten things up a little now and again (typically only brief establishing shots tend to be well lit, as evidenced by screenshot 5). Sharpness and clarity are still excellent throughout these episodes, and there are no problematic artifacts to discuss.

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As impressive as Hannibal continues to be from a visual perspective, its sound design is perhaps even more remarkable, offered here in a sterling DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Brian Reitzell's very smart combination of electronic sounds and more traditional music for the series' score continues to be a high point, and is effectively rendered here, including very nice and at times extremely discrete placement throughout the surrounds. Foley effects continue to be very vivid and imaginative as well. Dialogue is always cleanly presented, and the track boasts excellent fidelity and rather wide dynamic range. There are no issues of any kind to report.

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries include:

  Kaiseki with Bryan Fuller and Hugh Dancy

  Sakizuki with Bryan Fuller and Jose Andres

  Takiawase with Bryan Fuller and Hettienne Park

  Yakimono with Bryan Fuller, Raul Esparza and Steve Lightfoot

  Su-zakana with Bryan Fuller and Hugh Dancy

  Naka-choko with Bryan Fuller and Caroline Dhavernas

  Mizumono with Bryan Fuller and Hugh Dancy

  Mizumono with Bryan Fuller and Steve Lightfoot

• This is My Design (1080p; 1:22:51) is a really interesting in-depth look at the rigors of the production. There are great looks at many aspects of the show, including everything from location shoots to special effects.


• The Style of a Killer (1080p; 13:24) focuses on some of the production and costume design elements utilized to help define Hannibal's characters.


• Bodies of Lies (1080p; 12:16) looks at some of the amazing prosthetic work that helps to up the creep out quotient of the series.


• Hannibal Season 2: Killer Intentions (1080p; 11:41) is a spoiler filled overview of the season, including interviews with the cast and crew.


• Post Mortem with Scott Thompson Webisodes (1080p; 42:47) are fun after show interviews with various cast and crew.


• Gag Reel (1080p; 7:38) could have an entirely different meaning, given some of the grosser elements on display in Hannibal, but, no, this does indeed prove that people laugh on this set.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 12:01)

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

They said it couldn't be done, and then Hannibal went ahead and did it, in spades, in its first season. The doubters continued to insist that the series simply couldn't maintain its artifice and reinvention of Harris' characters in a second year, and once again Fuller and his crew proved them wrong. However, we're at a tipping point now, as evidenced by this season's climax. There's only so long Fuller can forestall the inevitable, and how he chooses to get there will probably define how people ultimately view this series as a whole. In the meantime, dig in, the eatin' is mighty fine. Highly recommended.