SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - MOVIE REVIEWS: HANNIBAL RISING

Despite the title, Hannibal Rising has nothing to do with the conqueror Hannibal who climbed the Alps, but it certainly is finding itself under attack like the original Hannibal was. Virtually all the critics have lampooned this newest film featuring the Silence of the Lambs' Hannibal Lecter character. Writes Geoff Pevere in the Toronto Star: "Clearly, no movie that contains the line 'You ate my sister' can be all bad, but Hannibal Rising ... certainly tries its darndest." A bit of ghoulishness colors Misha Davenport's review in the Chicago Sun-Times, which complains: "There aren't any twists or surprises and that's like being served a plate of fava beans and a glass of Chianti without the liver." Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News predicts that the movie will serve as "the final nail in the franchise's coffin." And Kyle Smith concludes in the New York Post: "It's enough to make you eat your heart out."

09/02/2007