The performances from all the main characters, especially Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) left me wanting more. It was always going to be a difficult task taking on such an infamous character, made memorable by Anthony Hopkins. That being said, Mikkelsen proved to be an impressively cool substitute. His demeanour came across as controlled and composed, constantly attentive, and unmistakably intelligent and dangerous, yet others were completely oblivious to his underlying nature.
Our true protagonist, Hugh Dancy is also perfectly cast as Will Graham, the clearly troubled but remarkably talented criminal profiler who is able to undertake the mindset of murderers to reveal their identity and motives. His vulnerability and instability is taken full advantage of by Dr. Lecter as he is forced to battle his crumbling mind as well as the doubtful FBI team.
Although the overall performances from the actors were of a very high standard, there was just one little thing that bothered me. I am talking about the character development of some of the supporting characters, particularly speaking Bella Crawford - the wife of Special Agent Jack Crawford. I really do not know why but out of all the underdeveloped female characters this one frustrated me the most. Maybe it was because she was only in two episodes? Or maybe it was because once we discovered she had terminal lung cancer, us and Jack were made to forget all about her? Whatever the reason was I thought it was one of the biggest weaknesses in the series.
Some critics have said that they felt that towards the beginning especially, the storyline started off as very slow and boring at times. I must argue the opposite though, as I was very much intrigued from the start, being too caught up in all the other side stories to be bored.
Beyond the fascinating story and the brilliantly portrayed (main) characters, praise must go out to what can sometimes be lost and forgotten amongst everything else - the cinematography. Its lighting, style and camera shots are an essential part of what makes this series so good to watch. From episode one we are shown the entirety of the 'Hannibal world' and it is so dastardly bleak but wonderful to look at.
I would definitely recommend my readers to watch the show to appreciate the genius of Mads Mikkelsen. I really hope we get to see more from him because he appears to be such a talented actor. As for Dr. Lecter, I cannot wait to delve even deeper into his insane brain!
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