Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

Clarice vs Hannibal: Which Silence Of The Lambs Spin-Off Is Better

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Clarice is a brand new spin-off series based on Silence of the Lambs, but is it better than NBC’s Hannibal? Here’s a comparison to decide the winner.

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Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

Warning: gruesome imagery & spoilers ahead for episode 1 of CBS’s Clarice.

The Silence of the Lambs is an iconic film, having spawned two related TV series, NBC’s Hannibal and CBS’s Clarice — but which is the better spin-off? Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs tells the story of Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee who is chosen to interview infamous serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the hopes of solving a rash of serial murders. In exchange for information and insight, Lecter demands personal information from Clarice, both allowing her to catch the killer and forcing her to confront her own past traumatic experiences. Clarice and Hannibal, as their respective titles would suggest, focus on each of these central characters, but due to a complicated division of rights to Harris’s original works, Clarice will not feature Hannibal Lecter and Hannibal could not feature Clarice Starling.

NBC’s series Hannibal chooses to focus on Hannibal Lecter’s life before the events of The Silence of the Lambs — specifically the events leading up to his eventual capture. Another pivotal figure in this story is Will Graham, a Quantico professor with an alarming capacity for empathy who occasionally consults with the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI. At the behest of Jack Crawford, head of the BSU, Will consults on a string of murders of young women. Hannibal Lecter, then a practicing psychiatrist, is brought on to keep an eye on Will and his fragile psyche as he delves into the disturbing depths of the minds of killers. However, developments in the case lead Hannibal to become directly involved, and his bond with Will deepens more than either could have imagined.

Clarice is set a year after The Silence of the Lambs takes place and follows Clarice Starling as she is pulled from her desk job into an investigation headed by Ruth Martin, mother of Catherine. Catherine Martin is the only surviving victim of “Buffalo Bill,” whom Clarice caught with the help of Lecter, now a cannibalistic inmate of the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. While investigating these new crimes, which other FBI ViCAP (or, Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) agents presume to be serial killings, Clarice begins to suspect something different. Soon, she is untangling a much more complicated criminal web and, thanks to a phone call from Catherine Martin, she must also confront the complicated web of her own trauma. While both Clarice and Hannibal tell compelling stories, which series reigns supreme as a better spin-off of The Silence of the Lambs?

Better Casting: Hannibal

Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

Though Rebecca Breeds nails Clarice Starling’s West Virginian accent, she is one of Clarice’s only stand-outs in terms of casting. Hannibal, in contrast, boasts several seasoned actors like Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford, and, in the titular role, the incredibly talented Mads Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen delivers a distinctly different Hannibal than the character Anthony Hopkins established in The Silence of the Lambs, which serves NBC’s Hannibal in more ways than one. Mikkelsen’s unique take on Hannibal Lecter serves to examine the iconic character before he becomes the unhinged, bored doctor many are familiar with, and what’s more, Mikkelsen’s portrayal doesn’t risk feeling like a facsimile of Hopkins’.

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While Rebecca Breeds is fantastic as Clarice Starling, her voice sounds almost unnaturally like Jodie Foster’s, which is apt to draw negative comparison to The Silence of the Lambs and potentially undermine Breeds’ talent. While Mikkelsen is certainly a powerhouse, he is also backed by fantastic performances from Dancy, Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas as Doctor Alana Bloom, and Kacey Rohl as Abigail Hobbs. All in all, Hannibal is an ensemble piece, whereas Clarice seems to rest solely on the shoulders of Agent Starling. Though Breeds acts the role excellently, it does not feel like quite enough to carry the entire series. Future episodes may see more development of the current supporting cast, but season 1, episode 1, “The Silence is Over,” sets a less than encouraging precedent.

Better Story: Clarice

Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

While Hannibal may have the upper hand in the casting department, Clarice edges ahead in terms of the story. Because it takes place about a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs, the series has the freedom to tell any story it wants, and it chooses both a fascinating and somewhat unexpected path. Hannibal becomes much more of a character study — it delves deeply into the psyche of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham and explores their complicated relationship amidst the investigation of different serial killers. The fact that Hannibal is one of the aforementioned killers is a narratively rich layer in an otherwise more character-driven series, but Clarice promises to be much more fast-paced.

Clarice, in contrast, seems more focused on mystery and plot, creating an interesting case that has the potential to span the entire first season without, improbably, having to do with serial killers at all. Clarice’s mental health doesn’t fall to the wayside, but acts instead as an important undercurrent; her reluctance to speak with Catherine Martin and confront her PTSD is challenged not only by her bureau-mandated therapist but by Catherine herself. While Clarice would perhaps rather bury her experiences and emotions, she will be forced to face them alongside her new duties with ViCAP.

Better Genre: Tie

Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

While Hannibal is a distinctly gory and disturbing horror series, Clarice positions itself as more of a drama; the choices are each smart in their own way, and there’s no real way to declare a winner. Hannibal established itself as a cult classic, garnering a loyal following that still, despite the show’s 2015 cancellation, seems hopeful for a potential season 4. Clarice, on the other hand, boasts more mainstream appeal and is far more palatable for a wider audience. Hannibal was often praised for its horrifically beautiful imagery, but a huge amount of blood and gore made the series inaccessible to potential viewers who were interested in the characters and story but could not stomach some of the show’s more gruesome aesthetic choices.

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Clarice smoothly avoids this pitfall by centralizing a larger criminal conspiracy — one to silence several women seeking to speak out about what seems to be a case of medical malpractice. As a young woman in a male-dominated profession, Clarice’s experiences speak to this story. However, in much the same way, Hannibal’s focus on violence crucially suits its exploration of its bloodthirsty titular character and lends it to a more artistically rich aesthetic. Each show’s choice of genre is strong, and a winner can only really come down to a matter of personal taste.

Better Visuals: Hannibal

Clarice vs Hannibal Which Silence Of The Lambs SpinOff Is Better

Despite some division among fans and general audiences about the show’s plot, Hannibal has received wide critical acclaim for its stunning visuals and cinematically beautiful camera work. Clarice is a well-made television series with some aesthetically interesting and beautiful shots (especially the frenetic flashbacks to Agent Starling’s encounter with Buffalo Bill), but it cannot compare to Hannibal’s beautiful and inventive overall aesthetic. Famous for its unsettling “murder tableaus,” Hannibal often sought to display the ways in which beauty can overlap with violence. It is a striking aesthetic choice, but one that also strongly serves the narrative, as Will Graham is drawn into Hannibal’s world of violence, first unwillingly but later completely seduced by it. Clarice’s aesthetics are functional and even sometimes beautiful, but they don’t serve the show’s overall tone and themes as strongly as those of Hannibal.

Why Hannibal Is The Superior Show

Though the series has only had one episode to establish itself, it feels safe to say that CBS’s Clarice falls flat with its mainstream appeal in comparison to the unique horror of NBC’s Hannibal. While less plot-driven, Hannibal is a much more artistically interesting series, with a richer exploration of character and a more compelling visual language, even as early as its first episode. Clarice promises to be an exciting mystery series that grapples intelligently with Clarice’s trauma, but all in all, Hannibal tells a more intimate and fascinating story. It allows its viewers an immediate sense of closeness with its protagonist, Will Graham, where Clarice feels much more at arm’s length, even as we see parts of her life that she shares with no one else.

Clarice’s plot is clearly established, and will certainly include exciting secrets, twists, and turns, but Hannibal’s psychological intrigue, even if slow-moving at times, is much more compelling. Clarice opts for a more mainstream appeal, and while that may serve the show in terms of longevity and/or popularity, Hannibal ultimately has more to offer its viewers in terms of both content and style. Though perhaps short-lived in its three-season run, Hannibal is a far more creatively complex series that offers both stunning visuals and an engrossing story.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/hannibal-clarice-comparison-silence-lambs-spinoff-better/

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