Queen of the Damned

Review by Clint Morris

What a joy it was to have a big Hollywood production being made right in my home town, let alone it being the sequel to one of the most novel vampire movies of the era, Interview with the Vampire.

I knew early on that Queen of the Damned, based on the second chapter in Anne Rice's novella series, would be poles apart.

After all it was being made in Melbourne Australia, didn't have any of the original cast (that's a big loss considering Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were the leads of the original) and had its lead bloodsucking Goth as a rock and roller.

But while I could almost smell the production being made when it was here; my senses must have been on lunch break when the film finished. It wasn't until I entered the theatre that I smelt the demoralizing unripe punnet of absurdity.

Defectively adapted for the screen and preposterously plotted, Queen of the Damned borderlines on being a sluggish B-grade horror pic and the latest music clip for Korn. But mainly, it's a sad and embarrassing send-off for the talented, Aaliyah, who died shortly after production.

Picking up where Cruise left off as the vampire Lestat, Stuart Townsend dons the rubber fangs and dark cloak this time - and his journey, this time, is significantly more farcical.

Seems, Lestat has one hell of a voice (sounds suspiciously like Jonathan Davis from Korn) and hence forms his own rock band. Naturally, the band becomes the biggest the world has ever seen; and in between playing to pack crowds, our friendly neighborhood vampire continues to swig the blood of his credulous neighbors.

Enter, Jessie (Marguerite Moreau), she's an investigative reporter out to get inside the head - and quite possibly skin tight pants- of Lestat, but not if the re-awoken Queen Akasha (Aaliyah) gets to her musically-gifted caller first.

If there's one good thing that comes from this movie, it's that Melbourne (or Australia) for that matter won't be too recognizable to the majority; hence saving us all of having this consignment of nonsense resting on our shoulders.

As a sequel it (excuse the pun) sucks. None of the suspense, novel plotting, or enthused gore from the first film are existent - instead they're replaced by a torrent of heavy metal music clips, a mind-numbing lot of sequences stapled collectively and a cast of recognizable Aussies - who no doubt - will be erasing this one from their resume in the future.

As Lestat, Stuart Townsend looks lost. It's hard to imagine this is the same character Cruise so convincingly played in the first movie. He's dressed for the part, sure, but he looks more like The Crow, than the broodish, mysterious vamp we remember from the original.

It goes for much of the support cast. If you're not already laughing at some of the terrible accents the Australian actors don, you'll be penning emails to the casting director.

For starters, who on earth would cast Matthew Newton - with girlish blond locks and cherub mug - as Armand, the same character played by Antonio Banderas - significantly more apposite - in the first movie?

The only saving grace is Aaliyah. She looks transcendent, beautiful and is convincing as the vampire queen, Akasha. Unfortunately though her role is so minute; and the film she's in so Snoresville that I doubt she would want to be remembered for it.

Director Michael Rymer unquestionably had the clout to make a good follow-up and didn't, instead he injects an uninspired dose of Type B flish-flash that might impress the execs at MTV or a judge at student film day, but will only infuriate those having to sit through it's 101 minutes of gallant waste.

If I were Anne Rice I'd want blood.

1 out of 5

Queen of the Damned
Australian release: On show now.
Cast: Stuart Townsend, Aaliyah, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez, Lena Olin, Paul McGann, Matthew Newton, Claudia Black, Tiriel Mora, Bruce Spence, Robert Farnham, Jonathan Davis.
Director: Michael Rymer.
Website: Click here

Brought to you by MovieHole