Aaliyah's passing was sudden and tragic, leaving us to wonder what she was capable of doing had things been different. Trailers and TV spots for QUEEN OF THE DAMNED spotlight Aaliyah's performance, and give us the impression that the movie is all about her. Truth be told, it's not. The beautiful singer takes up a mere 20 minutes or so of footage, in a film that focuses primarily on Lestat, played by Stuart Townsend. Now that you know not to expect too much from Aaliyah, let's discuss what we're given. Townsend's Lestat character, as we learn in a series of flashbacks, was once a noble Englishman. He met a man named Marius, played by Vincent Perez, who turned out to be a vampire. Marius chose Lestat as a pupil, hoping to train him as a proper vampire. But Lestat's curiosity and rebellious nature get him into trouble, and Marius soon realizes that his protégé may not be properly prepared for what lies ahead. After discovering a mysterious Egyptian statue, hidden away beneath Marius' castle, Lestat goes through a series of events that leave him passed out. I'm being vague to keep from spoiling it all. Upon waking he finds the statue gone, along with Marius. Thus begins a mystery that will stay with Lestat for hundreds of years, until he wakes from a long sleep, and is now in the present. This is actually where the film opens, and let the silliness begin! Of all the things that could wake Lestat, rock music wins the prize. He comes out of his slumber, quickly meets a Goth garage band, and makes them his children. Lestat becomes their master, and the lead singer of the band, propelling it to superstar status. Ironically he uses his vampire persona as a character for promotional sake. The public eats it up, assuming it's all an act. Through his music and press conferences, Lestat calls out all vampires by divulging secrets, and challenging others to fight him. I'm not making any of this up by the way. Marguerite Moreau plays a humble vampire observer named Jesse, who comes from her own troubled past, and becomes intrigued with Lestat. Her fascination leads her toward him, and conveniently allows her to get close to this seemingly untouchable rock star. As the other vampires of the world grow angry, Queen Akasha (the mysterious statue from Marius' castle) returns to earth, letting all know she's a force to be reckoned with.
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED is a disjointed stylish mess. It's pretty enough to appreciate on some level, but silly enough to make you laugh at it's mediocrity. The biggest problem lies in it's all too serious tone. The heavy handed dialogue and over-dramatic posturing ultimately lead to it's defeat. Even Aaliyah, who shines with her sexy performance, can't hope to save this. Stewart Townsend plays Lestat gracefully enough, but doesn't seen to have the kind of emotion we would expect from someone with his past. Moreau's Jesse character is just plain boring, and makes me wonder why her fellow vampire observers don't seem to do anything aside from observing. The other actors here don't really seem to know quite what to do, not that they're given much to work with. FARSCAPE fans may notice Claudia Black as a background vampire, who has no character development whatsoever. This film is obviously a vampire flick for the MTV generation, which makes me wonder even more why there's so few laughs and so little action. Their target audience doesn't want this, though it's a small step in the right direction. What QUEEN needs most is a sense of humor. Horror films these days can't take themselves too serious without the chance of becoming a joke. Aaliyah's limited screen time is very disappointing, and it's a shame this had to be her final performance. Vampire fans and Goth folk will find a few perks here, but can ultimately expect to be let down by the overall result. In this day of high expectations from filmgoers, it's surprising that studios won't put more thought into what works and why. QUEEN OF THE DAMNED falls very short of it's potential. The more I think about it, the less I like it. To each his own I guess.
On a scale of ONE to TEN, 10 being the best, I give QUEEN OF THE DAMNED a 5.
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED is a disjointed stylish mess. It's pretty enough to appreciate on some level, but silly enough to make you laugh at it's mediocrity. The biggest problem lies in it's all too serious tone. The heavy handed dialogue and over-dramatic posturing ultimately lead to it's defeat. Even Aaliyah, who shines with her sexy performance, can't hope to save this. Stewart Townsend plays Lestat gracefully enough, but doesn't seen to have the kind of emotion we would expect from someone with his past. Moreau's Jesse character is just plain boring, and makes me wonder why her fellow vampire observers don't seem to do anything aside from observing. The other actors here don't really seem to know quite what to do, not that they're given much to work with. FARSCAPE fans may notice Claudia Black as a background vampire, who has no character development whatsoever. This film is obviously a vampire flick for the MTV generation, which makes me wonder even more why there's so few laughs and so little action. Their target audience doesn't want this, though it's a small step in the right direction. What QUEEN needs most is a sense of humor. Horror films these days can't take themselves too serious without the chance of becoming a joke. Aaliyah's limited screen time is very disappointing, and it's a shame this had to be her final performance. Vampire fans and Goth folk will find a few perks here, but can ultimately expect to be let down by the overall result. In this day of high expectations from filmgoers, it's surprising that studios won't put more thought into what works and why. QUEEN OF THE DAMNED falls very short of it's potential. The more I think about it, the less I like it. To each his own I guess.
On a scale of ONE to TEN, 10 being the best, I give QUEEN OF THE DAMNED a 5.