Released ten years afterThe Silence of the Lambs, one fateful decision completely ruined any potentialHannibalmight have had.The Silence of the Lambsis a cultural milestonein American film and deserves a place as one of thebest movies of all time. The film was a critical darling, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay, at the 64th Academy Awards, one of only three films to win the coveted “Big Five” awards.
It’s easy to look back fondly onThe Silence of the Lambsand how important it was to the film industry as a whole. It’s also easy to think of it as one of thebest horror films of all time, despite not necessarily being a horror film in the purest sense, with some of the best tension and atmosphere in any movie.There is so much to love aboutThe Silence of the Lambs, but its first sequel,Hannibal, made one grave mistakethat derailed the entire franchise.
The Silence Of The Lambs Spawned A Whole Franchise
Hannibal Lecter Became A Franchise Of His Own
WhenThe Silence of the Lambscame out in 1991, it was a sensation, earning $275 million on a budget of just $20 million.A Hannibal Lecter franchise was spawnedfollowing the success of the film, with an official sequel titledHannibalin 2001. After that, a prequel to both films,Red Dragon, was released in 2002 and finally, a prequel to all three films titledHannibal Risingwas released in 2007. All of these were adapted from the novels of the same name. AHannibalseries ran from 2013-2015, but it wasn’t tied into the films and wasn’t an exact adaptation of the source material.
The Real-Life Serial Killers Who Inspired Silence Of The Lambs’ Movie Villain
The Silence of the Lamb’s Buffalo Bill was based on a series of real-life serial killers, which adds a further sense of horror to the film.
AlthoughHannibalwasn’t as good of a film asThe Silence of the Lambs, it made more money than the first film, but audience reception helped dampen expectations for the rest of the franchise and each subsequent film made less than the previous one.What was once a promising franchise with one of the scariest characters in horror, quickly ran its courseuntil there wasn’t much left to give by the end. Still, it is impressive that a film likeThe Silence of the Lambswas able to spawn an entire franchise, despite how bleak and uncomfortable the film actually is.
Despite Huge Promise, Hannibal Was A Failure
Hannibal Wasn’t As Good As The Original Film
Given thatThe Silence of the Lambsis generally considered one of the best psychological horror films ever, there was so much potential forHannibalto truly be something special.A direct sequel to the narrative of the first film with the return of both Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Sterling sounds too good to be true, and unfortunately, it was. Despite making more money thanThe Silence of the Lambs, the critical reception forHannibalfelt a sharp drop-off, going from 95% on Rotten Tomatoes to 39% in just one film.
It would be hard to reach those same heights, given how monumental of a filmThe Silence of the Lambsactually is, butHannibalisn’t even in the same ballpark as its predecessor.
Hannibal failed to live up to the standards thatThe Silence of the Lambsset a decade before. Understandably, it would be hard to reach those same heights, given how monumental of a filmThe Silence of the Lambsactually is, butHannibalisn’t even in the same ballpark as its predecessor. There are several reasons that it was a step-down. There was a different director and other writers brought in forHannibal, and it was an entire decade after the breakout success of the first film. Still, there is one major reasonHannibalfailed to live up to its potential as a sequel toThe Silence of the Lambs.
Clarice’s Recasting Sunk Hannibal
Despite being a direct sequel toThe Silence of the Lambs, with Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Hannibal Lecter,Hannibaldidn’t bring back Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. Instead, Julianne Moore took over the role. Not only was it a mistake, it was the biggest mistake in the entire franchise and one of the biggest reasons whyHannibalis a disappointing sequel. It’s a shame that Jodie Foster didn’t return forHannibal, and in a 2005 interview withGames Radar, she talked about not playing Clarice in the sequel and how much the character means to her and the director, stating:
You know, I don’t think you’re able to ever take away what Silence was… The official reason I didn’t do Hannibal is I was doing another movie, Flora Plum [a long-cherished project that has yet to be shot]. So I get to say, in a nice, dignified way, that I wasn’t available when that movie was being shot. But Clarice meant so much to Jonathan and I, she really did, and I know it sounds kind of strange to say but there was no way that either of us could really trample on her.
One of the reasons thatThe Silence of the Lambsis so enduring as a film is the immense chemistry between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins as Clarice and Hannibal. It’s the central part of the film, and the monumental performances from both add so much. Despite being a great actress herself, Julianne Moore couldn’t live up to what Jodie Foster did with the character before, and her chemistry with Anthony Hopkins wasn’t as strong. It’s a shame thatHannibalwasn’t nearly as good as what came before, despite having so much potential.
Hannibal
Cast
Hannibal is a thriller that sees Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. Directed by Ridley Scott and based on Thomas Harris’s novel, the film follows the intriguing dynamics between Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling, played by Julianne Moore, as she seeks to capture him while he remains at large.
