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Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, and Aaliyah combine talents in a blend of sex, vampire violence, pulsating rock rhythms, and erotic fantasy in director Michael Rymer's vision of Anne Rice's third novel in the "Vampire Chronicles."

With nary a Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in sight, this adaptation finds Stuart Townsend as the smolderingly sexy Lestat, waking from a decades-long slumber to the sound of throbbing rock music. Tired of living in the shadows, he transforms himself into a musical God, leading a band of goth musicians down the path to fame and fortune. In doing so he makes known his true self, revealing to the world that he's a vampire. His fellow bloodsuckers hate him for going public and gather, along with thousands of screaming fans, at a concert in Death Valley where they plan to put an end to his disturbing undead presence.

Lestat's music is also responsible for waking the powerful, ancient Egyptian vampire, Akasha, the Mother of all Vampires (played by a very beautiful, very regal-looking, Aaliyah). Akasha is drawn to Lestat's magnetism and yearns to make him her lover and partner in destruction. Akasha's need for death isn't limited to humans, she kills vampires with equal abandon. Inviting Lestat to rule beside her as her king, she offers him one of the things he craves the most - the ability to walk in the light without fear.

Akasha isn't the only female aching to claim Lestat as a partner. Jesse (Marguerite Moreau), a researcher of the paranormal - including vampires - is haunted by unexplainable dreams of her childhood that echo with a voice calling her name. Drawn to Lestat's side, despite the obvious jeopardy, Jesse finds in the centuries-old vampire a part of her that has been missing. The Akasha/Lestat/Jesse love triangle (twisted as it is) provides the centerpiece to the film's climatic scene.

How close this film version of Anne Rice's novel is to her work is something I can't address; I barely remember reading the first in the series, "Interview with the Vampire" and haven't read any of the follow-ups. I do know that viewed from the perspective of someone who is relatively uninitiated in the intricacies of Rice's family of vampires, the story was relatively easy to follow, even without knowing the background of the characters.

Producer Jorge Saralegui claims that adapting the novel to a screenplay was a daunting task. Saralegui says, "It really did take us quite a while because there was just so much happening in the novel. Our task was to find the core story on which to center the movie. We wanted to show Lestat's origins as a vampire, and in order to do that, we had to borrow heavily from 'The Vampire Lestat.' It's very much inspired by, and in the spirit of, Anne Rice's work."

Author Anne Rice approved of the filmmaker's vision of her work. Rice says," 'Queen of the Damned' is an energetic and innovative rendition of the 'Vampire Chronicles' featuring fine performances, and a magnificent look. Well directed, elegant and intriguing, the film is surely destined to take its place among notable modern interpretations of vampire mythology."

The three lead actors turn in worthy performances. Stuart Townsend's popularity among women moviegoers is going to skyrocket once female audiences get a look at his commanding, sexual onscreen presence in this visually stimulating vampire pic. Marguerite Moreau, best known for her role in the "Mighty Ducks" trilogy, takes Jesse from being a confused, innocent young woman to a sexually charged Lestat groupie (for lack of a better word). Aaliyah's final feature film performance showcases her physical beauty and her emerging acting skills. Her tragic death casts a pall over the film, however her family has said that she would have wanted her art to be seen. Co-stars Lena Olin and Vincent Perez bring acting depth to their roles as ancient vampires, enlivening (a hard task to do when playing the undead) their supporting characters with nuances above and beyond what was scripted.

Overall Grade: B-/C+

"Queen of the Damned" is rated R for vampire violence.


Director: Michael Rymer
Producer: Jorge Saralegui
Screenplay By: Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni
Cinematographer: Ian Baker
Production Designer: Graham Walker
Film Editor: Dany Cooper
Costume Designer: Angus Strathie
Music By: Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis
Casting: Kristy Sager and Greg Apps
Visual Effects Supervisor: Gregory L. McMurry
Art Director: Tom Nursey
Set Decorator: Brian Dusting

Lestat - Stuart Townsend
Jesse - Marguerite Moreau
Akasha - Aaliyah
Marius - Vincent Perez
David Talbot - Paul McGann
Maharet - Lena Olin
Mael - Christian Manon
Pandora - Claudia Black
Khayman - Bruce Spence
Armand - Matthew Newton
Roger - Tiriel Mora
Maudy - Megan Dorman
James - Johnathan Devoy

Photos © 2002 Warner Bros. - All Rights Reserved. Photos by Jim Sheldon.