Why does everyone feel the need to make sequals? This year alone, we have: The Mummy Returns, Rush Hour 2, American Pie 2. It is very seldom that a sequal is a good as the first, and even rarer is it better than the first. The most obvious exceptions to this are The Godfather and The Godfather, Part 2, and Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back.
I have heard from many people that they were very disappointed with Hannibal and that it was not nearly as good as Silence of the Lambs. Too many people go into this movie expecting to see Silence of the Lambs, Part 2, when it is nothing at all like its predecessor. In fact, the only thing the two movies share in common are the characters Starling, Lecter, Barney and Paul Krendler. The similarities end there.
With Hannibal, the premise is that ten years after Silence, our good friend Hannibal Lecter is still running around free. Clarice Starling is still with the F.B.I. but her career has stalled. From the book we know that is in part due to the efforts of Paul Krendler, but in the movie, there is no definite reason given. However, Hannibal delivers a nice line to Inspector Pazzi that applies as well to Clarice: "People don't always tell you what they're thinking. They just see to it that you don't advance." Perhaps it is part of the continuation of the problems we encountered in Silence. (Please read my review of Silence for more information.)
