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It was another less interesting week at the box office (though “Jurassic Park” looks great in 3-D, in case you’re wondering), so let’s turn our eyes again to the small screen.
NBC’s “Hannibal,” based on the character from Thomas Harris’ novels, premiered two weeks ago to massive amounts of hype but to less massive ratings.
I was pretty skeptical going in, as Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s world can be difficult to get right (just look at the last couple movies), but I went in with a relatively open mind.
So, what do I think after seeing the first two episodes?
It’s pretty good.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that Mads Mikkelsen (“Casino Royale,” “Clash of the Titans”) would be taking over the role from iconic Anthony Hopkins.
Mikkelsen makes no attempt to match Hopkins’ accent or mannerisms, and that can take a little while to get used to for people who are more familiar with Hopkins’ portrayal.
After the initial growing pains, though, I think Mikkelsen is actually perfect for the role.
Lecter in the books is Lithuanian, so Mikkelsen’s accent is appropriate, and the character is written almost exactly as he is in the books and previous films, so essentially the character is still the same even if the face and voice have changed.
My only real problem with “Hannibal” is the title. You see, Lecter isn’t the main character.
In fact, of the four Harris novels in which he is featured, Hannibal the Cannibal is actually the main character of only one, the god-awful “Hannibal Rising.”
The main character of “Hannibal” is special agent Will Graham, masterfully played by Hugh Dancy (“Black Hawk Down”).
This is the third incarnation of Graham we’ve seen on screen (after William Petersen in “Manhunter” and Edward Norton in “Red Dragon”), and in my less-than-humble opinion, Dancy slightly edges out Petersen as the best one.
Graham has the ability to empathize with serial killers and mentally recreate their crimes, which is a valuable tool in capturing them.
He’s haunted by this ability, though, and after investigating a particularly gruesome murder scene, Graham is sent to Dr. Hannibal Lecter for psychiatric evaluation.
The rest of the cast is fine, but Dancy and Mikkelsen do great jobs carrying the show and have an on-screen chemistry missing from previous Graham/Lecter pairings we’ve seen.
The writers also nail the tone of the best of Harris’ writing, namely the suspense and dread of “Red Dragon” and “The Silence of the Lambs” and not the over-the-top silliness of “Hannibal” and “Hannibal Rising.”
If you’re a fan of the books (and the good installments of the movie series), then you’ll probably love this show.
And even if you’re not, it’s still an excellent, engaging and frightening detective show.
Sadly “Hannibal” premiered to soft ratings, which isn’t good after the massive amount of hype NBC built up.
Maybe more folks will start watching, though. And maybe one day those lambs will stop screaming.
For more entertainment musings and general silliness, follow Josh on Twitter @joshuapresley.
