Be Reel: Hannibal (TV Series)
Recently, I finally got to finish the third season of NBC's Hannibal and was ecstatic to find the supposed conclusion of the show to be just as climactic and fulfilling as I heard it was. The 2013 television series has been one of my favorite TV shows for a while because of its interesting plot, characters, presentation. Inspired by Thomas Harris's novels, Red Dragon and Hannibal, the series is a prequel to Silence of the Lambs and takes place prior to the world knowing of Hannibal's cannibalistic tendencies. The series mainly revolves around Will Graham, an FBI special investigator, and his interactions with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, as he tries to solve an onslaught of strange and violent murders, eventually learning the truth behind Hannibal's motivations.I think this is a quality show because of the editing and work that went into the writing, visuals, and acting. The plot and characters stay mostly true to their original counterparts, but Bryan Fuller, the show's creator, modified a few of their characteristics to add more diversity and representation, such as changing the gender of Dr. Bloom and race of Jack Crawford. Despite having a great script with lots of development and multiple plot twists, the show's breathtaking cinematography may just be its crowning jewel. Every scene is shot in an clean and crisp way that manages to make gruesome scenes unsettlingly gorgeous and employing various amounts of abstract imagery packed with symbolism. In addition to the sudden, eerie dreamlike sequences, the muted and base-heavy soundtrack builds suspense through volume and absence of background music. The majority of actors' performances were excellent, especially Hugh Dancy (Will) and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), since Hugh was able to convey a reclusive and vulnerable personality that could be cold and threatening, while Mikkelsen had to transition between being charismatic and sadistic.
My favorite thing about the series is the portrayal of Will and Hannibal's complex relationship and how they're constantly drawn to each other through similarities and differences. Will is initially shown as having a strong moral compass and being empathetic enough to picture himself in the place of the victim and/or murderer, while Hannibal frequently manipulates Will's thinking in attempt to analyze and push him to the brink of madness. Despite Hannibal's ill intentions, Will's interested in his way of thinking, and Hannibal is intrigued by Will's ability to understand people and wants to see if he can maintain his sanity. Another aspect of the show that captivated me, was the unique visuals and choice in music. While I dislike the horror genre because I don't find being scared enjoyable and most modern day horror is not very good or uses an overabundance of jump scares, I love psychological horror because it offers the same thrill, but focuses more on suspense and raising insightful questions.
Overall, I think the Hannibal Television Series is an great example of its genre, is objectively and subjectively good, and highly suggest it to anyone who can stomach it.
Hannibal (TV Series) Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3roU23gs3s
Clip of some of the show's cinematography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16pqF4kKNS0&t=56s
This is really great work here, Katie. The analysis is clear and specific, and your organization reveals a very deliberate writing style that is enjoyable to read. Paragraph one focuses largely on the OBJECTIVE analysis of text (whether through the artists' choices or the cause-and-effect relationship OF those choices), which gives you context to move into that second paragraph (which is more focused on the subjective). Especially since this is a blog post (and not, for example, a formal newspaper review) you can feel free to push yourself into this a little further! Let's get a sense of what you care about and why you like this so much! Your second paragraph can talk further about expectations and beyond. Great clips that really address that cinematography!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I agree with this review, I wish you could go into more detail about a specific scene of this show so I could get a more in depth understanding of your views. While you brought up "Will's interested in his way of thinking, and Hannibal is intrigued by Will's ability to understand people and wants to see if he can maintain his sanity." I would like to hear more about an objective view instead of inferring, or at least a more solid description. Do you find their relationship something that pushes the plot forward, or just something that is "queer-baiting". I also enjoy psychological thrillers, which is why I subjectively agree with your points. Do you feel that the links you included really display a good image of hannibal, or tie in with your review? Hannibal is a complex character, and it’s fairly hard to execute this well, so do you think that this is the best portrayal of his character? Subjectively, I love the suspense and thriller aspects of the show, but the gore gets to be a little too much. This question can be either subjective or objective, but how do you think the gore effects the show? Does it add anything other than a scare factor?
ReplyDelete