Hannibal

Before sequels littered the multiplexes with half-assed attempts at reviving an intellectual property, Ridley Scott's 2001 sequel to Jonathan Demme's "Silence of the Lambs" was willed into existence after author Thomas Harris wrote another Hannibal Lecter novel that was ripe for adaptation. There are many reasons to make a movie and many reasons you shouldn't. The primary motivations behind making "Hannibal" fell mostly into the latter camp. Despite being a slickly produced thriller, this particular follow-up to a bonafide classic is a harebrained and silly representation of Hollywood and their inclination to return to a well until it runs dry.

F.B.I. Agent Clarice Starling (this time played by Julianne Moore) is once again drawn into Hannibal's (Anthony Hopkins) web of deceit. Running parallel to that narrative, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) who is one of Lecter's victims that survived, is obsessed with the notion that he can get his hands on the man who disfigured him and sentenced him to a life of living in a wheelchair. Even though Hannibal is living in exile in Italy under an alias, everyone around him falls prey to his sleek tricks.

Before I dig into why "Hannibal" doesn't work on pretty much every level, this is Kino Lorber's first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release and I'm elated to say that it looks and sounds fantastic. The Dolby Digital HDR treatment of the film, which was shot on 35mm, provides deeper color levels without changing how the film is supposed to look and feel. The application of HDR can harm and make older films look too modern, sometimes even brightening shots until they look like a TV production. For a good example, see the 4K release of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day." It's very clear that the good folks at Kino Lorber have utilized another restoration tool with the same care and consideration they display with many of their other releases and for that, I thank them vehemently. Plus, it certainly helps to have original cinematographer John Mathieson doing the HDR color grading himself.

As for the actual film, it's kind of like a sheep in wolf's clothing. It purports to be well-versed in what Demme accomplished with "Silence of the Lambs," primarily in the way violence and sadism can transform human desire. But in "Hannibal," it's exactly the kind of lame thriller that deals in violent incidents instead of taking the care to introduce them in a way that will shock you to your core. I find it a tad funny that it includes so many older pieces of classical music, as it's the kind of film where there isn't a crescendo to the climax. Multiple narrative threads all converge on something that feels easy and inevitable.

For fans of the film, there's a long list of special features that'll reward you with the purchase of this release. There's a 75-minute documentary titled "Breaking the Silence: Making-of Hannibal" that provides a pretty comprehensive look at the production, tracking it from its early stages all the way through to the press tour when it was initially released. There's some humor to be mined from most of the principal cast voicing off on their initial apprehension to making another Hannibal Lecter project and producer Dino De Laurentiis throwing his clout around to get the film made. Additional features include:

� Audio Commentary by director Ridley Scott
� Anatomy of a Shoot-Out: A Five-Angle Breakdown of the "Fish Market" Action Scene
� Ridleygrams: A Featurette on the Art of Storyboarding
� An Exploration of the Film's Opening Title Design
� Over 33 Minutes of Deleted and Alternate Scenes with optional director commentary
� Alternate Ending with optional director commentary

Hannibal
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray
$39.95
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/hannibal-special-edition-blu-ray