What does it take for you to lose your cool... a wet towel forgotten on the bed, a snide remark from a bitchy aunt or people forgetting to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’? For Hannibal Lecter, it was something more serious. After losing his parents to World War II, his little sister devoured quite literally by starving men, the young Hannibal stopped being human and became what he became. We have witnessed the cold-blooded evil of this Thomas Harris creation, apart from his genius when it comes to unravelling the psyche of psycho criminals, in the previous Hannibal films.

Hannibal Rising explores the evolution of Lecter from Hannibal to ‘cannibal’, as he goes after his ‘enemies’ one by one.

Li Gong plays ‘Lady Murasaki’, Hannibal’s aunt who trains him in combat and matters of the mind. Inspector Popil (West) is on to Lecter’s dark deeds which keeps one guessing how that story will end.  Where there is Hannibal, there is carnage. So, weak-bellied ones, beware! (unless you fancy the sight of a new delicacy - wild mushrooms and cheeks). 

Gaspard Ulliel tries his best to be a killing machine keeping his prettiness aside, but once you’ve been bitten by the Anthony ‘Hannibal’ Hopkins bug, no one seems good enough to play a younger Lecter but a younger Hopkins, who cares if that is feasible or not. Hannibal Rising, minus having to live up to the aura of the other Hannibal films, may be possible to enjoy as a thriller. Comparisons can’t be too good for it.