In association with

Queen Of The Damned [2002]
from Warner Home Video
starring Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez, Paul McGann
directed by Michael Rymer

Features:

• Dubbed
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

Queen of the Damned combines the plot elements from the two disappointing novels Anne Rice cranked out as the sequels to Interview with the Vampire and contrives to be better than the book it is named after, but not by much. The vampire Lestat (a pale, pretty Stuart Townsend) awakens after a century-long nap and discovers flamboyant metal music, then irritates the vampire community by "coming out" and courting celebrities. His sub-Marilyn Manson songs interest paranormal-watching human librarian Jesse (Marguerite Moreau), who looks him up in a Mile End Goth club that caters for an undead clientele, but his tunes also awaken Akasha (Aaliyah), eponymous mother of all vampires, who makes him her number one disciple and sets about devastating the world, opposed by a cadre of conservative vampires who include Lestat's sire Marius (Vincent Perez) and Jesse's Aunt Maharet (Lena Olin).

The plot is of the "one-damn-thing-after-another" variety, zipping about the world from New Orleans to Glastonbury to a huge concert in Death Valley as broody characters exchange solemn but comical dialogue and indulge in fight scenes too swift for the camera to catch. Like Blade 2, it offers some spectacular vampire combustions, but its romance is strictly 15-certificate blood-nuzzling and it's hard to take Lestat himself seriously when Townsend plays him as such a feckless twit. --Kim Newman

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• ...Please... ...Not worthy of... well ANYTHING!!
  The first time I watched it, in 2002, it was the night before one of my driving lessons... The man who was teaching me to drive was very nice and we talked a lot, and I started talking about it... I remember being so angry at this movie, that I couldn't really pay attention to the street... he laughed at me a lot... 'cause he couldn't understand what the big deal was... (not an Anne-Rice-Reader, of course!!)
  and I remember saying that they couldn't have read the book, 'cause they even had the wrong... more info

• Queen of the banned
  Where, oh where, do i begin?? I have to confess, I'm not a fan of Anne Rice's novels. But I did watch Interview with a Vampire and, whilst the film was camper than Lord Baden Powell on a scout mission, i found it quite enjoyable.
  So, when I saw the next installment coming out, I decided to go and see it in the cinema with my mate Doug who has also just posted a review.
  Awful. Absolutely awful. Why was Stuart Townsend cast for a start? I guess the filmmakers wanted a relatively unknown actor to... more info

• Two stars because it's so bad it's enjoyable
  If you've ever witnessed a major train accident in real life with arms and limbs and heads scattered all around you can imagine some of the mind-numbing shock you'll feel after watching Queen of the Damned. My friend Ray and I came out of the cinema unable to speak at the awfulness of this film. A silent understanding passed between us. We would never speak of this and it is only six years later that I have broken that blood oath between us to entertain you, gentle reader...
  From the punk vampire in... more info

• Jaw-droppingly excellent
  I haven't read all of the Vampire Chronicles - in fact, nowhere near. But I'm working on it. I'm definitely a fan of the books and think Anne Rice invents wonderful characters and that films need to work hard to do justice to the books. And this, the second in the series of books and films, certainly impressed me.
  Despite being called The Queen of the Damned, this film is the story of legendary vampire Lestat, played by Stuart Townsend. In the beginning of the film, Lestat has been in a decades-long... more info

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