Blu-ray Review - Hannibal: Season One

Hannibal: Season One
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Laurence Fishburne
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Retail $39.97
ASIN: B00CWIMY3O
Running Time: Approx. 561 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

After the 2007 lackluster prequel Hannibal Rising, fans of Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter thought the franchise was officially dead. That is until NBC aired the first season of Hannibal this year, featuring High Dancy as FBI Agent Will Graham, Laurence Fishburne as Special Agent Jack Crawford and Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Liongsgate will release the series on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD Ultraviolet tomorrow, September 24, 2013. The Blu-ray will feature many special features, such as audio commentaries with cast and crew, Hannibal Reborn, A Taste for Killing, The FX of Murder, A Symphony for the Slaughter, gag reel, deleted scenes, pilot episode storyboards, and unrated episodes.

Hannibal is created by Bryan Fuller and is loosely based on the first few pages of Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. After several college girls go missing, Special Agent Jack Crawford (played by Laurence Fishburne) asks FBI Special Investigator Will Graham (played b Hugh Dancy) to get into the mind of the serial killer, but Graham cannot do this alone, as he must get the help of psychiatrist turned cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Graham investigates sick and twisted cases, and keeps using Dr. Lecter to help him solve each one, but it comes with a price. Graham must bring down his own mental borders to get Dr. Lecter's profile on the killer, leaving room for Dr. Lecter to get inside his mind.

From left to right: Hugh Dancy ("Will Graham," left) and Laurence Fishburne ("Jack Crawford," right) star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's HANNIBAL: SEASON ONE.

The three-disc set includes the following episodes:

1. Aperitif
2. Amuse-Bouche
3. Potage
4. Ceuf (never aired on television)
5. Coquilles (producer's cut)
6. Entree (producer's cut)
7. Sorbet
8. Fromage (producer's cut)
9. Trou Normand
10. Buffet Froid (producer's cut)
11. Roti
12. Releves (producer's cut)
13. Savoureux 

From left to right: Laurence Fishburne ("Jack Crawford," left), Mads Mikkelsen ("Dr. Hannibal Lecter," center) and  ("Phyllis "Bella" Crawford," right) star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's HANNIBAL: SEASON ONE.

I didn't watch the original airing of the first season as I thought the NBC series would have to be heavily censored to be aired on network television, but I was completely wrong, as the series is pretty graphic at times. I was also skeptical of Anthony Hopkins not playing the title role of Hannibal, but Mads Mikkelsen does a great job of playing the noted serial killer. Like I said above, the Blu-ray contains many extras including five unrated episodes and the never-before-aired episode Ceuf. Hannibal: Season One is an intense thriller with several twists and turns around every corner. I enjoyed watching the Blu-ray and I recommend others to watch it before the second season airs in 2014.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.