X
- 2002
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 41 m
- 2002
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 41 m
Summary Based on the third installment of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, the film follows the supernatural adventures of the legendary vampire Lestat, who has reinvented himself as an international rock star. His music awakes Akasha, the queen of all vampires, who is determined to make Lestat her king.
Directed By: Michael Rymer
Written By: Anne Rice, Scott Abbott, Michael Petroni
- 2002
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 41 m
- 2002
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 41 m
Queen of the Damned
30
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary Based on the third installment of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, the film follows the supernatural adventures of the legendary vampire Lestat, who has reinvented himself as an international rock star. His music awakes Akasha, the queen of all vampires, who is determined to make Lestat her king.
Directed By: Michael Rymer
Written By: Anne Rice, Scott Abbott, Michael Petroni
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
30
6% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
45% Negative
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
30
6% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
45% Negative
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
Nothing near a modern vampire classic. Still, "Queen" is a great dose of vamp camp
Handsomely mounted, this direly conventional bit of vampire business is enlivened by flashes of humor and game performances. It isn't great entertainment or camp, but pic sets its ambitions so low, it can't help partially delivering on them.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 111 User Ratings
7.6
68% Positive
76 Ratings
76 Ratings
15% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
16% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 111 User Ratings
7.6
68% Positive
76 Ratings
76 Ratings
15% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
16% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
Very good movie. A lot of action, kills, fights and battles. Aalyiha did a pretty good job acting in this movie. R.I.P.
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At its best, Queen is campy fun like the Vincent Price horror classics of the '60s. At its worst, it implodes in a series of very bad special effects.
Rymer's film doesn't revitalize vampire clichés in any significant way and, frankly, "Velvet Goldmine" is a more seductive movie about sex, death and rock and roll -- and it's not even about vampires.
Aaliyah fans, as well as fans of charisma, sex, and violence, will be sorely disappointed.
What saddened me, however, wasn't the silliness but recognizing the great Swedish actress Lena Olin under a lot of "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" makeup. What a waste.
Audiences should demand this film be buried never to see the light of day again.
Love the music on this film, and the story is good even though some of the acting is not the best on Maurices part.
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A cheesy, rock n' roll fueled vampire flick. One decked out in gothic attire and flashy visuals. The characters are pretty goofy and the performances are hammy.
Yet it's not without it's entertainment value. We get to listen to some great tunes and everybody looks really sexy. Jonathan Davis of Korn does the writing and performances of vampire Lestat's music. Stuart Townsend just provides those rock star good looks, style, and confidence.
Townsend is actually pretty great here. Yeah, his dialog and performance are both cheesy, but he's totally committed to the goth, vampire, rock star persona. The whole movie is really. The writing isn't all that great, but it delivers a sense of style that's pretty appreciated. I just wished it delivered on more horror.
This vampire doesn't have much bite. You'll plenty of people get munched on, but it's actually not very bloody. It bares it's fangs in a suitable for most audiences kind of way. There isn't really any horror to be found here.
It's just another vampire flick all concerned about the glamour. It's world and vampires are made to look as stylish and sexy as they can. Once again these monsters go mainstream and lose any of the fear they once had in cinema. At least this one is kind of fun and has a great soundtrack to support it. It's nowhere near vampire greatness, but it's far from your worst option. Personally, I just wish these guys would be scary again.
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The artistic medium of film is very subjective. Every audience member has a different set of criteria they use to measure their viewing experience. Not everyone shares the same set of criteria. If we did, what a bland and uninspired world this would be.
What I Personally Liked About "Queen of the Damned":
The very beginning of the opening credits over the stone statues set an incredible tone which, sadly, cannot be maintained through the rest of the film. It's such a shame that all hope is smashed so shortly thereafter once the narration of Lestat commences. Really, the only strong recommendation I can give that lifts this film up is the presence of the late musician Aaliyah embodying the titular role. The slinkiness she brings ensures that her character will be remembered long after the movie is over. Indeed, she carries with her an almost supernatural sensuality that few actresses possess. It is too bad there was not a better film to surround her torrid role.
What I Personally Disliked About "Queen of the Damned":
Stuart Townsend is supposed to be the centerpiece of this production. However, he is a pale imitation next to the maniacal impression left by his predecessor Tom Cruise. He is too dry and uninvolving. He simply exists as a typical vampire with none of the traits that made Lestat who he was in the first film. Almost every other major player in this movie (Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez, Paul McGann, etc.) is equally as terrible which is surprising consider how wonderful some of their acting has been in other features. This brings me to Lena Olin portraying Aunt Maharet. Lena, why were you involved in this motion picture? Seriously, you're better than this! (Think: "Romeo is Bleeding" and "The Unbearable Lightness of Being") What happened? Did you need the money? Were you locked in an ironclad contract? Let's move beyond the quote/unquote talent for a moment and take a look at some of the other elements of the film. "Queen" doesn't have half of the wit or the willingness to shock its audience with its warped perversity and unbridled carnage as "Interview With the Vampire." It feels like it's holding back; like it's a watered down rendition playing exclusively for the Hollywood executives and not for the same crowd that adored "Interview." They also combined elements from two Anne Rice novels instead of letting each one stand on its own merit in the cinematic world. By cherry-picking certain elements from the pair of books, the filmmakers proved they had absolutely no understanding of the source material. The lack of any real cohesion between "Queen" and "Interview" is more fuel on that fire. Why piggyback on the shoulders of greatness if you are going to be so disrespectful to both the previous film and the novels on which this entry was based? Some of the special effects are simply atrocious as well. It's hard to believe this film was released eight years after "Interview" when its effects look like they were created eight years before its predecessor. A lot of the visual tricks used are amateurish at best (the "fast motion" of the vampires) or outright headache-inducing at worst (the "vampire mind flashes" Lestat has when he connects with Akasha and the slow motion walk between Lestat and Jesse). Finally, the generic hard rock music sprinkled throughout the picture. It's faceless. It's toneless. It's soulless. I didn't realize "plastic metal" actually existed until I saw this film. And I thought Guns N' Roses's version of "Sympathy for the Devil" was horrible from "Interview." Ha! That was not even close to the rubbish this film presents to us.
My Overall Impression of "Queen of the Damned":
Between the glossed over combination of two novels serving as one film, special effects that look like they were crafted from eighties' nerds using a Commodore 64, and a cast list that plays like the rejects from a bad romance novel, this less than thrilling follow-up to "Interview With the Vampire" should have been shelved in developmental hell where it belonged. It's hard to believe there are worse films in existence than this **** there are.
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This is a delightfully horrendous B movie. I was awaiting the appearance of Bruce Campbell the entire time. Unfortunately, he doesn't show up...maybe in the sequel.
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Production Company
Warner Bros.,
Village Roadshow Pictures,
NPV Entertainment,
Material,
WV Films LLC
Release Date Feb 22, 2002
Duration 1 h 41 m
Rating R
Tagline The Mother Of All Vampires
Awards
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
MTV Movie + TV Awards
• 1 Nomination
