It's not bad, but the comparisons to Silence of the Lambs does it no favors. Visually it looks great - the scenes in Italy are especially beautiful - but the story really suffers from its diversions from the book. In the book we get to follow Hannibal as he lives his free life, and we get to follow him as he follows his urges that make him a villain, and also get to take part in his life of cultured largesse. The movie however paints him merely as a meek museum curator with a secret. The ending especially is a pretty monumental cop-out compared to the big "wow" moment in the book.
Overall though this is worth watching. Anthony Hopkins is still an incredible, sinister villain and the movie is entertaining, it just could have been so much better.
Overall though this is worth watching. Anthony Hopkins is still an incredible, sinister villain and the movie is entertaining, it just could have been so much better.