“Not a nick in the blade, I promise you. The butcher was like butter.”
The Origin Story Nobody Asked ForAfter the success of the Hannibal Lecter films, producer Dino De Laurentiis wanted to continue the franchise. When author Thomas Harris initially refused to write another story, De Laurentiis threatened to move forward with different writers. This ultimatum led Harris to craft both the novel and screenplay for Peter Webber's 2007 film Hannibal Rising.Serving Up a Dish Best Not Served At AllThe film fundamentally breaks what makes Hannibal Lecter such a compelling character. Instead of the sophisticated, intellectual monster we've come to know, we get a revenge story that transforms him into more of an anti-hero. This origin tale attempts to explain Lecter's cannibalistic tendencies through trauma and nurture rather than nature, which contradicts the essential mystery of his evil. Additionally, the film mishandles the iconic mask by trying to turn what was originally a tool used by law enforcement to control a dangerous killer into a dramatic prop meant to give young Lecter a superhero-like mystique.A Feast of Discussion Points
