10 Movies Franchises That Went From 5 Stars To 1 Star

10. Hannibal

5 Star: The Silence Of The Lambs 1 Star: Hannibal Rising The Silence Of The Lambs could have easily turned out as a simple pulpy thriller, but with Jonathan Demme at the helm and a powerhouse starring duo of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins it became an Oscar dominator, winning in all five major categories (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay). Hopkins' Hannibal was clearly the most memorable thing about the film, but with its personally told plot and limit-pushing serial killer it was an all round treat. A sequel gestated for about a decade and when it finally emerged Foster had left the series. Hannibal, which puts the bad doctor front and centre, treated itself far too grandly, while Red Dragon was the pulpy thriller Silence had so masterfully avoided becoming (see Michael Mann's Manhunter to see how it could have been done right). Still, both were enjoyable films, with Hopkins always entertaining in his legacy role. One final swansong for the franchise, Hannibal Rising, however, ruined it all. A prequel that delved into the origins of Lecter (hinted at in Ridley Scott's Hannibal), Rising cast Gaspard Ulliel as Hannibal, with the unknown bringing no charisma to the role. The whole film is a ponderous mess with no real point, which is understandable when you know how it came about; Thomas Harris only wrote the source novel so that the film wouldn't be made without any involvement from him.