Before I saw Hannibal I knew that it would and could never live up to Silence of the Lambs. A few months before the film even opened, I heard of all the A-List Talents that were behind this film. Editor Pietro Scalia (Good Will Hunting), Screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List) and David Mamet (Probably the Greatest Modern American Playwright) are all part of the creative process that you'd think this movie would at least be a good sequel to a fantastic modern masterpiece. Then comes Ridley Scott, who, in my opinion is a hot and cold director. He directed such great films like Gladiator, Thelma and Louise and Blade Runner. But his resume also states he directed G.I. Jane, White Squall and 1492: Conquest of Paradise. (Need I say more?) After seeing the film, you really can't blame Sir Anthony Hopkins or Julianne Moore for this terrible love story masquerading as a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game. The blame truly goes to Ridley Scott here. This film is so awful that you can see the actors, and the creative team trying their best to make something out of bad material since it is the sequel to Silence. At times the screenplay delivers some witty reparte, and the language that Hannibal Lecter uses sometimes captures the original's rhythm and feel. There are great moments with John Mathieson's cinematography, especially the scenes in Italy and Hans Zimmer's score is one of his best in my opinion. But the pacing was so inconsistent, and the chemistry between Julianne Moore and Anthony Hopkins feel forced. Julianne Moore does her best to a role that truly doesn't belong to her and Anthony Hopkins looks freaky alright, but his performance at times feel a bit paint-by-numbers. There are plenty of holes unfilled in the plot too. (Why can't we know more about Hannibal's past caretaker, Barney? He's a really interesting guy! If Hannibal's in the ten most wanted list of the FBI, how did he ever make it through Airport Security? If everyone is using the internet to catch Hannibal since the internet is loaded with Hannibal information, why is he so hard to find?) There are some really stupid moments in the film. For example, for ten years the FBI has been trying their best to capture our beloved Cannibal but it takes two seconds for three Italian thugs to knock him out and dump him in the back of a van . . . WITH A TASER GUN! Oh and the final ten minutes of the film is so ridiculous you leave the theatre laughing at how low filmmakers can go with gore. And the brain eating scene just gives you a headache (literally) because it's so contrived and it feels so set up for the audience to squiggle and squirm that it comes off as one of the corniest gags in Hollywood History. I wonder what Jonathan Demme has to say after seeing the sequel to his original? 