Last
year we lost the up-and-coming actress Aaliyah in a tragic accident. Although
primarily known for her singing career, she had been trying to break into acting.
She had a charismatic turn in the silly Romeo Must Die and had just finished Queen
of the Damned shortly before her death. Needless to say, this movie will probably
make some money for all the wrong reasons.
Queen
of the Damned is part of Anne Rice's famed Vampire Chronicles. It features the
Vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) re-awakening in modern times and finding a place
in the world of rock and roll. What better cover for a vampire than the front
man of a rock band. Lestat finds that he's bitten off a little more than he can
chew, when he makes an army of undead enemies, who are outraged over the fact
that Lestat gives away trade secrets in his lyrics. Coming to Lestat's aid is
Akasha (Aaliyah), an ancient vampire queen who seems to have the upper hand in
the situation. Unfortunately, Queen of the Damned is an intriguing premise gone
wrong.
I really
liked Interview With a Vampire. It had a strange eroticism about it that was fascinating.
It also played like a vampire memoir, giving an all too real insight into the
world of the undead. Alas, Queen of the Damned lacks it's predecessor's passion
and sheer sense of scope.
Part
of the problem here is that the film makers have actually combined elements of
more than one book. They skipped The Vampire Lestat and opted to mesh elements
of that book with Queen of the Damned. As a result there is far too much going
on and we never really get any of the character dimension that made "Interview"
work so well.
Strangely,
this movie is much more about Lestat than it is the Queen of the Damned, and I
found that frustrating. Stuart Townsend looks the part, but isn't able to inject
the same brash, ferociousness that Tom Cruise nailed in the last movie. Cruise
was able to win over the harshest of skeptics as Lestat including Anne Rice herself.
Townsend isn't nearly as commanding in this part. Aaliyah is an absolute beauty
as Akasha. She is the only performer in the picture that really sinks her teeth
into the role, and gives us that sensual side that you expect from a bloodsucker.
The first time we see Akasha unleash her fury, is easily the best sequence in
the film. Sadly, there is very little of her character throughout the movie. Like
I said, this film is more about Lestat and his dull quest to learn how to co-exist
with humans.
The
special effects are not that impressive. The CGI stuff is quite run of the mill.
I did, however, like some of the old school make up effects. Queen of the Damned
is a weak follow up to Interview With a Vampire. They've tried to condense far
too much material into a one hour and forty minute film. This movie certainly
could have used the sure hand of director Neil Jordan. Film maker Michael Rymer
(Angel Baby) never really seems up to the challenge. And given that this was Aaliyah's
final film appearance, it is a shame it wasn't a better picture.
