Rating: 
Summary: One of the Worst Films I've Ever Seen...
Review: Words cannot describe the absolute loathing I have for this film. No other movie has ever made me so angry and so repulsed at the same time. The fact that is was supposedly "based" on one of my favorite books of all time by my favorite author of all time only adds fuel to the rage. When I first saw "Interview With the Vampire" I was taken to a dark and gothic world. Tom Cruise's Lestat was stuck in my mind for weeks till I just had to to read every other book on the Vampire Series. The movie was a gem and everything book adaptations should be: it enhanced the experience and made me want to read the rest of the related books. This film is a travesty. There's so many things wrong with this film that I will go into list mode to get them all here:1.) Horrible Adaptation
I'm not kidding. The fact that they tried squeezing two books into one movie smacks of cheapness and crassness. The director obviously didn't want to take the time to actually build a story or develop characters, he just wanted to make a film filled with shiny things and other [stuff] that 14 year olds hooked on MTV will enjoy. If you haven't read the book you cannot imagine how much information is cut out of the movie. I realize that there are constraints but this is ridiculous. I watched the film with 5 people and none of them really understood what was going on. They had no idea who the Twins were, they didn't know why Akasha just wanted to kill people, they didn't know why Lestat wanted to sing in a band, they didn't know what the Talamasca was...the horror, the horror.. 2.) Bad Casting
Nothing makes me more angry than bad casting. For God's Sake Anne Rice is famous (and infamous) for her long and detailed descriptions of her characters. Is it so hard to actually get people that match those descriptions? Lestat is supposed to be beautiful, elegant and blond...Stuart Towshend just looked like a heroin addict. Marius is supposed to be majestic with long, flowing blond hair...Vincent Perez looked old and tired and once again...sickly (what's with the shoddy makeup in this film?". All of the other vampires who made the books so colorful and seductive are given no more than seconds in the movie. And by the way, all this rage about Aaliyah's acting is unnecessary: she was not that good. She was in the movie for all of 6 minutes and had fewer lines than some of the extras. She did not transmit any information at all about her character. She was obviously cast just because she was famous. 3.) Bad Production Values
I mean it. Bad makeup, bad art direction, murky cinematography, [bad] costumes and laughable visual effects. In the books, Vampires are supposed to be beautiful, elegant creatures who delight in wearing expensive clothes, velvet and long hair. In this movie, the vampires all look like cast-offs from "Trainspotting". 4.) Bad Music
Let's just face it...there's no way a 200 year old vampire would wake up from an 80 year long sleep and want to play in a derivative, whiny nu-metal combo. He'd probably do something more in the vein of Dead Can Dance or Guns N' Roses. I Could go on but why let this movie take more minutes of my life? Please do buy this film. Encourage others to stay away from it. If this movie fails miserably and sinks without a trace the producers won't be tempted to try to butcher another Anne Rice Masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Tom Cruise...
Review: Well, this movie has its flaws. It compresses two books into one ninety-minute tailspin and has the film equivalent of ADD- too much in too little time. As a serious movie, it's... well, not to be taken seriously. HOWEVER. Stuart Townsend is absolutely edible, and his makeup and lynxlike inscrutability save the more languid moments of the film. Aaliyah is believable if a bit wooden, but she's pure eye candy. And as my friend... agrees, this movie is loads better than Tom Cruise pretending to be Lestat. It's beautifully shot, with a great soundtrack, and better than the first attempt. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but I would put on a pair of comfy sweats and eat a bunch of ice cream while watching it. It's the film version of comfort food. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Lestate was created by who???
Review: This movie is okay at best if you think about it as an original
story. However, any similarity to the names and events in Anne Rice's works is purely coincidental. This movie is so convincing
that in a newpaper review Anne Rice's 'Blood an Gold' printed in the book, used the words Marius, Maker of Lestat. Read the book to find out who really made Lestat. No comparison...Tom Cruise
was much more realistic as Lestat.
Rating:
Summary: On its own, pretty darned good.
Review: It's been years since I've read _The Vampire Lestat_ or _Queen of the Damned_, so I remember only bits and pieces of detail from them. This probably contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the film, because the screenwriters largely mangled the plot from both of those books, combining them into one movie. If I had looked forward to the actual QotD plotline, I would've been disappointed. Akasha actually has a relatively small role in the film, and Mekare is entirely absent. Maharet is alive and well in the Mojave Desert. Still, it all comes together, and focuses primarily upon Lestat, his transformation into a vampire, and his career as a rock star (his singing voice is Jonathan Davis, the lead singer from Korn, who is perfect for Lestat.) For those unfamiliar with Rice's books, Lestat is a bad boy, even by vampire standards; he likes to cause trouble, and lots of it. We learn why he has a hard time being a vampire, and what he yearns for most of all. In the first few moments of the film, he awakens from a 100-year nap to find an entirely different world - a world in which he can cope much better. He outs himself as a vampire to the whole world, becomes the biggest rock legend around, and begins giving away the secrets of the vampires living among humans. The other vampires are, needless to say, a bit peeved about this, and they come after him. There are several driving forces in the film - Lestat himself, the covens coming after him, Akasha's awakening and subsequent quest for a lover, and Marius, who in this film is Lestat's sire. While the last 20 minutes are somewhat less than gratifying, the rest of the movie is fairly sound and enjoyable. It felt shorter than it actually was, strangely enough. Large sections of the original plot are left out entirely or are incorrectly depicted, and if one were to focus on that point alone, one would probably not enjoy this movie at all. I went into it with the sole intent of just enjoying a movie that looked like it was very beautiful - and it was. Aesthetically, this film is top-notch. The costumes, make-up and special effects are wondefully done. The acting is very good, and the screenplay itself isn't bad, either. Aaliyah did a fine job as Akasha, and Stuart Townsend was a great Lestat - much, much better than Tom Cruise. The settings are appropriately dark and moody, filled with beautiful sets, sensual people, and a wonderful soundtrack, and there is an almost dreamlike quality to much of the film. The one problem I had with the film was that too much was cut out of it for a lot of details and characters to make a great deal of sense. When many of the ancients arrive on the scene, many questions hung in the air, chiefly "ok, who *are* you guys, and why are you helping this person?!" The DVD features many scenes that were cut, though, and includes notes on why the filmmakers removed them. Many of them help things come into focus more clearly, and it's unfortunate that they were deleted. Perhaps someday, an extended version will be released, reintegrating these scenes. Overall, it was a very enjoyable movie experience, and I think even Anne Rice fans will enjoy it, if they can look beyond the liberties taken with the storyline, and just try to enjoy a vampire movie that's better than most.
Rating: 
Summary: Not faithful but still VERY sexy
Review: First of all, I put watching this video off because I loved the book so much. After months of waiting, it was finally relased on video and I rented it. I waited until about midnight to watch it, secretly hoping that I would at least enjoy the film. I sat enthralled for the entire film. Not only was the acting acceptable, the music/soundtrack was amazing. Overdone, just as the book, the movie seemed to capture the few things I really wanted to see realized, for example, Akasha comming to life from a statue. Now, even though the story is horribly flawed from the book, IE Marius is Lestat's maker, no Baby Jenks, Jessie is too young, etc. I think this does a good job of at least setting the stage for Anne's dream. Very sexy costumes and actors, with the exception of Akasha's character, this movie was pretty good. I wanted to watch this movie again and again. So, of course, I bought it and I am still pleased.
Rating:
Summary: NOOOOOO!!!!
Review: Seriously, Interview with the Vampire was okay. Tom Cruise was a lot better than I expected, even if there was no way he could really capture Lestat. I didn't like Brad much. Kirsten Dunst was amazing. BUT WHAT THE HELL IS THIS TRASH! I mean, Aaliyah as the queen? Aaliyah! Some twenty-something-year-old R&B singer? I like her music, I really do. But she was so damn corny in this film that I can't bear to see her face again. That accent! Those clothes! That cheesiness, and lack of presence! (don't get me started on the makeup). And some unknown named Stuart Townsend as Lestat. If they had to use an unknown with no talent for this kind of work, they could have used a BLOND unknown! Really! He really embarrassed me at times. I feel horrible, because of all the people (like my friend, whom I watched this with) who now think Anne Rice's books are trash because of this movie. THEY AREN'T. THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, FROM THE BOOK AT LEAST, IS THE MOST AMAZING CHARACTER IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE. READ THEM. Now, back to this horror erroneously associated with a book called the Queen of the Damned. Jesse had a tiny part in the book. She spoke maybe two lines to Lestat in the whole thing. If she had to be a love interest, they could have at least made her a female Louis or something. Instead, we get some idiot teenybopper. The real Lestat would never have spent a minute on her. If you're not an Anne Rice fan, don't watch it. If you are one, DEFINITELY DON'T WATCH IT. YOU'LL END UP BEGGING LESTAT TO BITE YOU AND FINISH YOU OFF SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO FINISH THE DAMN MOVIE.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what you'd expect
Review: Yet another of Anne Rice's vampire novels has been brought to "life" on the big screen. In this one, the vampire Lestat has somehow awakened the evil undead queen Akasha with his music concerts. Meanwhile, a young girl whom Lestat is sort-of in love with keeps contemplating the idea of becoming a vampire. Some mellowdrama goes on between the two, but when Akasha shows up, that all changes. In the end, the Lestat and the other vampires are left to confront Akasha and put an end to her evil, which may very well cost them all they have to give. The visuals in this film are great, as are the special effect. Unfortuantly, none of the vampires are very convinicing, especially Akasha. There is so much mellowdrama in this film it ruins the overall quality of the script. The characters' lines come off as lame rather than dramatic. As with a lot of modern vampire stories, shows, and films, you get a level of camp that only devote followers of Rice and vampire films in general can overlook. Everyone in this film seems to whine and mope endlessly, especially the undead. While watching this film, there were moments when I found myself thinking: alright, we get it: the poor vampires are all leading tormented unhappy unlives that will never end, bla bla bla, yada yada yada. Get on with the film for crying out loud! If you want a decent vampire film that actually has a point to it, you may want to look else where. If you want good special effects, then Queen may be just the film for you.
Rating:
Summary: OUCH !
Review: This movie does for 'Vampire Chronicles' what Ed Wood did for
Klaatu.
Redeeming facets? Paul McGann (Doctor Who # 8) in a nice
homage to (Doctor Who # 3) Jon Pertwee in the vamp-pic "House
That Dripped Blood".
Rating: 
Summary: This One Became My New Favorite
Review: I think you need to have something of a dark streak inside you to really appreciate this film. Yes, it's a sin-in-velvet gothic musical melange which wouldn't appeal to as wide an audience as the Interview film. I read a lot of complaining about how the film diverged from the novel, and this must be by people who missed the line that the film was "based upon the Vampire Chronicles". That is, it's not supposed to be the third volume retold to the letter. It's not even the third volume--it's QOTD and the Vampire Lestat brought together. Lestat, as might be expected, is what makes this film so much fun. He's an immortal bad boy with an angelic look and an unassuaging hunger, both for blood and to satisy his ego. Prior to watching this film I had a difficult time visualizing the vampire as a rock star, but in the film flamboyant personality and music come together. Akasha comes across well too, being softly ruthless and gently menacing. A huge factor this film has going for it is its sensual quality, and this goes beyond Lestat in the bath with rosepetals. It's a film you can feel with a visceral velocity.
Rating:
Summary: Differs FAR too much
Review: I understand that movies will never be the same as the books they are based on but some of this is ridiculous. While the movie doesn't absolutely suck, it can never hope to measure up to the first movie at all. Queen of the Damned should be veiwed with the mindset that it is independent from the first movie. As a stand-alone movie with an awesome soundtrack, it isn't that bad(hence my three star rating). But for true Anne Rice fans the differences from the two novels used to make this movie are glaring. There are key parts left out and alot of story points changed. If you are a fan of "The Vampire Chronicles" then you should either NOT watch this or keep an open mind and watch it as if it weren't part of these stories.
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