Brilliant, Misunderstood, The Next Horror Classic! I'll try to keep this brief and short.
Firstly, this film is completely different from Silence Of The Lambs. No, that does not mean that it isn't as good. In fact it is hugely better. Silence Of The Lambs was a well made police procedural. It wasn't a horror movie. Hannibal is a horror movie, and it is excellently original and excellently well made. And there is absolutely no way that the 'blood and guts' in this movie (which have been, as is common with the media, completely sensationalised) detract from its respectability or quality.
Hannibal is a brilliant movie, featuring perfection on every level. Acting, music, makeup, direction. Hopkins, Liotta, Moore and Gianni are all fantastic in their roles. Gary Oldman as Mason Verger (with a second billing to his fantastic makeup job) portrays the first truly abhorrent movie monster to be shown for quite some time. Hans Zimmer's beautiful, haunting music score really sets the gothic/macabre-romantice mood of this affecting movie. And Ridley Scott's direction is so visceral and immersive, not to mention unique, rich and original.
Hannibal truly is a masterpiece of a film. I won't bother going into specifics, because the movie itself is better at showing you WHY its so good. All I can really say is just how enjoyable and fantastic this film is.
Do not listen to anyone who says the following: "It focuses more on the gore than suspense." "It was a case of style over substance." "There was too much humour in it." "Doesn't hold a canlde to Silence Of The Lambs."
Quite honestly I am tired of hearing those cliches. Sequels are a strange, misunderstood and mistreated beast. In the world of film criticism, sequels are considered, as a rule to be inferior products. Well that's a closed minded belief if I ever heard one. Also, sequels are always damned if they follow the same kind of plot and style of the first film, a la Scream 2. But what of a sequel, like Hannibal, which is completely and utterly different, goes down a completely different path and is all the better for it? It gets ripped to shreds by the media for not being the same as its predecessor!!! What a load of hypocrisy!
Don't listen to critics. Which I guess means don't listen to me too. But as long as that means you watch Hannibal with an open mind, then I guess that's a good thing....