Clevinger said:

I'll enjoy this while it lasts

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Stick with the series through a handful of episodes, though, and it’s clear that showrunner Bryan Fuller has brought a semi-hypnotic quality to this prequel adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter character — ungainly and messy, but at times visually arresting, and thanks in large part to the central trio of Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne, quite interesting. Bon appetit.

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What makes the show work, mostly, is the creepy tone (Fuller’s preoccupation with death was put on comic display in “Pushing Daisies”) and Mikkelsen’s suavely understated take on Lecter, whose eerie sense of calm and reassuring manner make plausible the notion of such deep-seated evil hiding in plain sight, much like the antihero at the center of “Dexter.”

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Computer said:

Mads Mikkelsen looks too evil to play Hannibal Lecter.

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A well constructed, masterfully written piece, “Hannibal” exceeds the “ick” factor of any crime procedural on the air. What else could we have expected?

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To answer your question: No. Television does not need another serial-killer drama. But who can resist Hannibal Lecter? Especially when the horror-pop icon has been reinvented in a cable-style drama so finely acted, visually scrumptious, and deliciously subversive.

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Computer said:

Mads Mikkelsen looks too evil to play Hannibal Lecter.

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Snake said:

I'm rooting for a phenomenal performance from Mads. They could fail at everything else and I would still be worth it if he does Lecter justice.

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The casting is key in Hannibal, starting with Mads Mikkelsen in the title role. The Danish actor, best known for Casino Royale, captures the combination of brilliance, arrogance and creepiness we equate with Hannibal, while not feeling like he’s copying Hopkins. I will admit his accent can be a bit thick at times and there are moments I struggled to understand every word – yet even in those moments, it remains a riveting performance.

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The pilot was directed by David Slade, who also does a tremendous job of creating the world this series will exist in and making it feel distinct and evocative.

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Many have wondered how a story about a cannibalistic killer could exist on network TV and not feel held back. Having seen the first five episodes of Hannibal, I will say I haven’t felt like this show is being toned down at all. The pilot makes it clear that NBC is allowing some pretty hardcore and intense imagery through on this one and what we see is more than enough to tell the story – and to be pretty damn unsettling.

Hannibal is launching on the heels of both The Following and Bates Motel, giving it a disadvantage in this odd timing of series about serial killers (or, in Bates’ case, a serial killer to be). But even if you’re already watching one or both of those other shows, Hannibal is well worth your time as well. It quickly has become one of my absolute favorite new shows so far this year (The Americans being the other), and I’m very excited to see what’s to come as the story continues.

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Having seen the first five episodes of the series, which begins airing the first season’s 13 episodes on Thursday, April 4th, the scorn and skepticism have almost entirely dissipated. The stab at classy horror mostly succeeds due to excellent performances from the leads, genuine suspense and surprises, well-constructed short and long-term mysteries, and an appropriately disconcerting mood that permeates the action right from the start. Like Fox’s The Following, it is also shockingly gory at times. Horror fans should be pleased.

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Overall, though, the show steers clear of the blandness that plagues network TV crime dramas and successfully balances that which will be familiar to those who have seen the Lecter movies and that which is completely new. I was hooked after the pilot, and after 5 episodes that hasn’t changed.

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Hannibal is one of the strongest pilots this year, and has the ability to be the breakout hit that Bryan Fuller damn well deserves. It’s so very compelling and offers a new slant on a story everyone knows, and yet breathes some new life into it, and a genre of television as old as time.

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The first thing that threw me about Mads' performance as Lecter was his accent, only because I've seen "The Silence of the Lambs" so many times. But once you get past that initial shock, it's a master performance. I feel like when Mads walks off set, he doesn't skip a beat -- like he lives that life of expensive suits and fancy dinners and refinement.

[laughs] He couldn't be more different. It's funny because when I go to set, I'm always ogling his suits and lifting the jacket to see who makes it and he just has no interest. He doesn't care. Outside of the character, Mads is in tracksuits and stocking caps. He has no pretense about finer quality clothes. He's so not Hannibal in any way, shape or form. He's easy to smile or crack a joke or tease. He's like a really rambunctious brother as opposed to this very sober guy.

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You do a good job keeping the mystery intact during the early episodes. You could go into this show without knowledge of Lecter, Graham and Crawford, and you wouldn't have a clue about what Lecter will inevitably become.

I was always working under the assumption that everybody knew who Hannibal was and so I didn't have to play it and I didn't have to overplay it. What's so interesting about Mads is that, in our first meeting, he told me that he approaches the character less as the darker Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs," incarcerated with the mask, and more like Lucifer, the fallen angel who loves humanity and is in awe of humanity and appreciates the beauty of humanity and punishes those who don't in damning ways. He sends them to hell.

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I watched NBC's creepy, haunting, smart, utterly gorgeous new series "Hannibal" — yet another Hannibal Lecter project, no less — and realized that it's not the genre that had gotten tired, but the execution of it. I went into "Hannibal" (it debuts tomorrow night at 10) dreading it and came away five episodes later thrilled by it.

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Bloody and twisted, “Hannibal” may be one of the goriest programs on broadcast television. It’s also extremely well executed, from the artistic visuals and haunting soundtrack to the stellar cast and sharp scripts peppered with the perfect amount of gallows humor. Deliciously disturbing, “Hannibal” is bound to leave viewers hungry for more. 3.5 out of 4 stars

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That being said, the thing that does give this show its grounding is the acting. Dancy is a perfect, tortured soul; Fishburne is everyman with a brain; and Mads Mikkelsen is perfectly named. What is lacking, though, is any respite from the darkness. 2.5 out of 4 stars

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Bottom line: "Criminal Minds" meets "Elementary" -- only twice as much blood and three times as morbid.
Grade: C+

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Creator Bryan Fuller ("Pushing Daisies") has a good grip on the material and Mikkelsen sets a tone that's both chilling and intriguing. Bon appétit indeed. B+

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Its placement late in mid-season makes Hannibal an unlikely candidate for an extended prime-time run, but there's enough fascinating material here to make it a worthy filler of a few still-too-chilly spring evenings. 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Ultimately, “Hannibal” is a mixed bag. It’s a more complex show than many programs in prime-time but it’s still finding itself in early episodes, particularly with regards to plotting. Perhaps in time “Hannibal” will become a fully satisfying meal but in these early episodes it’s closer to fast food than fine dining.

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Conceptually, this isn’t half-bad. The writing, unfortunately, is all-bad. Though Hannibal is produced by Bryan Fuller, the creator of three of the most mordantly witty series in TV history ( Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me and Wonderfall), the scripts are a mess of unmemorable dialogue and unworkable characterizations.

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But “Hannibal” has exactly what networks, especially NBC, have been lacking: flawed heroes, ironic flourishes, stylish direction and an enviable cast.

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If you can get past the horror of it, you will find a very satisfying psychological thriller. As to who is the cat and who is the mouse … that will be for you to decide. Grade: A-

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TheOddOne said:

Holy shit, thanks for the huge roundup!

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xenist said:

My problem with shows like Criminal Minds and The Following is that they lack the substance to go along with the violence and the gore. They're very much, at least the few episodes of each I've watched, "see pretty young women brutalized while people psychobabble and run into dead ends until five minutes before the end." I hope Hannibal will go for something more.

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Stinkles said:

Valhalla Rising is one of my favorite movies ever.

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anaron said:

Oh and isn't Gillian "Dana Scully" Anderson popping up at some point?

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AuthenticM said:

Why the hell isn't this an HBO show ?

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