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Queen of the Damned (Widescreen Edition)

Queen of the Damned (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $14.96
Your Price: $11.97
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: ...Anne Rice liked it!!!????
Review: first of all i am a big fan of the Author who wrote the book this movie was supposedly based on. the last book they made into a movie, turned out great... but this one was a big disappointment. i am 15 and all my friends that had seen it (that didn't read the book) did NOT like this movie. they didn't understand it. i had read the book and was sorley disappointed by this movie. the story lines of the books was not all put into effect. first off they could not only get the hair color right, but they totally caboshed the storyline and tore apart the last movie. you would think that the people involved in the making of this movie had at least read the book! i cant even put into words how awful this movie was. pretty much, dont watch it- if you have read the book(s)(or heard anything about) it will be an utter dissappointment, and if you haven't then dont plan on understanding it. it is a roller coaster of confusion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent!
Review: After year and a half of waiting I finally got to see this movie (it was not in theatres in my country).
I admit I had mixed feelings about it. I read about how it differs from the books and that the whole story of the twins has been left out. I usually read Rice's books in one evening so I didn't want the movie to be anything less than that.
And it didn't disappoint. I've already watched it at least six times since I got it. I like Stuart Townsend's portrayal of Lestat. He makes him even more erotic. And Aaliyah truly was an excellent villain. I loved her in this role (usually singers don't make such good actors). But what I mostly like about this movie are the costumes (really great) and the music which completley fits the mood of the movie.
What I didn't like though is that it's perhaps a tad too short. My friends who've also seen it but haven't read the books told me that they didn't quite understand everything. There should have been more explanation about Akasha's and Maharet's involvement in all this, their common past. But the movie isn't about them, is there. It's about Lestat and his need for a companion which he finds in Jesse. This really differs from the book but it's more fitting for the movie (like in Interview with the Vampire where Luis loses his wife and child in the movie and not his brother). I guess we need some "usual" romance.
All in all, the movie is a story unto itself and it should be considered as such. No need for the books. You'll fall in love with the dark realm nevertheless.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: There is Good News, and there is Bad News
Review: Let's start with the Good news. This movie is, if looked at as being separate from and unrelated (except for the most basic level of the plotline) to the book it shares a title with, is not half bad. It is genuine fun to watch (though some may want to turn down the volume when the music hits hard and heavy), and the actors involved all give relatively good performances. Unfortunately, it also seems quite rushed. I get the feeling that if it had taken its time and revealed the deeper past that is hinted at in places, it could have been much more (then again, that might have avoided the Bad News, seen below). Even the character that gave the movie it's title (Akasha) was skimmed over on a shallow level, which is a shame, as Aaliyah did a good job of bringing life to the Queen. As I suppose was fitting, Lestat's character was given more depth than the others, though even that was a little shallow. Stuart Townsend did a marvelous job of portraying Lestat, audacious and fearless to a fault.

Now for the Bad News: This movie, though supposedly based on the works of Anne Rice, barely qualifies as being loosely based on her work. The first mistake made was combining two books into one movie (The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned). Had each book been given it's own film, things might have gone better, and the movie might have been truer to the books.
The other mistake was almost totally ignoring the books themselves. The character's were not as they were physically described in the books (though they got Armand right and other than not being blond, Townsend did well). The form of vampire created by Anne Rice was badly mangled, with the growth of power (and the powers themselves) with age being very out of whack, thus messing up the progression of power among the main characters: the young were too powerful and the Ancients not powerful enough. The vulnerability to sunlight was totally mishandled (even Akasha should have gone into a coma during the daylight hours). Also, the relationships between the characters were completely or mostly altered in the case of the main characters. The most glaring mistake in this regard is that Marius was not Lestat's maker. Totally ignored is the fact that as the first vampire, significant harm to Akasha could endanger the whole race. Instead, there is only a threat to the one who kills her. Nearly eliminated is the story of the Ancients. I hate to say this, but the people who scripted the film and made it either had not really read the books, did not understand what they read, or just did not care.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good Movie
Review: To all those ppl out there who think this is a bad movie, the only reason why you think that is bc you base it a upon the book, plZ! Do most movies follow the book? This was a really good movie!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Anne Rice Approved That Script?!
Review: Queen of the Damned was my all time favorite book of Anne Rice's. I am a devoted fan, I've read all of her books, even her newest book, Blackwood Farm (which is definitely worth reading). I have to say that if you've ever read her books, don't bother even seeing this movie, it's an abomination compared to what she actually wrote. Now, I've talked to a few friends who saw the movie before reading the book and they said they really liked it. Of course, they have since read the book and agree with me that the movie hardly did it justice. The book was eloquently written, very indepth, with wonderful plot and character development. The movie leaves many questions and most of the things that happen in the movie never even happen in the book. Not to mention that they leave out key characters of the book. A few of my favorite characters weren't even mentioned. I was deeply disappointed by this movie. I was hoping it would be like Interview With The Vampire. There were a few alterations to it, but the essence of the book was there. Anne Rice is a wonderful author, she captures the imagination and keeps you wanting more. If you saw this movie without reading her books, do yourself a favor and read the book. It'll definitely be worth your while.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: AN AMAZING DISSAPOINTMENT
Review: Not worth the buy. If you are really curious rent this movie. I agree with most other messages posted but want to further stress my disappointment with this film. I am a large fan of Anne Rice's Vampire chronicles and thought that this movie was a disgrace to her character development and beautiful looks into a dark and beautiful melancholy world of seclusion and misunderstanding.

IF however you are merely looking for yet another modern vampire action flick, which in no way tries to provide any new artistic inspiration to film, this might be worth the buy.

Enjoy your surround sound, cgi, and digital resolution I will continue my search for something better than this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I'd Like An Apology
Review: The first time I saw "Interview with the Vampire" after reading the books, I picked up on the errors, but I was forgiving. Even with the book in mind, "Interview" was pretty good and true to the story. This, on the other hand, is not.

About 5 minutes in to viewing this movie the word "atrocity" leaped into my mind. I'm amazed at how fast they butchered this poor story. It only got worse. By the end I wasn't quite sure if I should cry, become violently ill, or seek out the director and demand my money back. All 3 are perfectly acceptable reactions to this bit of trash they attempted to pass off as one of Anne Rice's better novels.

To be fair, I tried to see it as its own movie, and not as a version of the book. It didn't work, I just got confused, ending up with a headache. My mother, who was watching with me and has never read the book, said at one point, "Is it supposed to be this confusing?" Without prior knowledge of the book, the movie must seem like a mess of scenes with no real plot. Trust me, the book has a plot. And there are more, better characters who are actually given names, personalities, and something to do besides stand around...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not all Exact
Review: Not all exactly to how Anne Rice wrote this book. Though a good movie, not one of the best though. They could have stretched it a bit much longer and given more detail. It keeps you hooked for a good while. Worth watching

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great DVD and features!
Review: I really enjoyed the movie and I love the features that they offer. There's a lot of information about the movie, the actors, special effects...there's a tribute to Aaliyah, interviews, and also actual information about Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles! I was really impressed with how this CD turned out.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Worth a viewing, but it is no Interview with a Vampire
Review: After hearing how bad Queen of the Damned was, I was somewhat surprised by how I enjoyed this film overall. It isn't in the same ballpark as the great Interview with a Vampire, but on its own it is worth it to watch.

Among the problems it has is the lack of character development for all the main characters, including, to a lesser extent, Lestat. As that vampire re-awakens to become a rock star, we never get a real good sense of who he is, and why he's "coming out of the coffin" and revealing himself as a vampire to the world, a big no-no. But he's got more characterization than the queen of the damned herself, as well as his sort-of love interest, who wants to become a vampire.

The pacing of the film also is off, I'm assuming because the plot is taken from a number of Anne Rice novels, not any one in particular. Though I never read them, I could feel the schizophrenia in the film and it made me wish they would have narrowed the plot down to one book.

But despite these major flaws, there is still a good deal to appreciate. The world it takes place has the right, spooky atmosphere a good vampire film is supposed to possess, much of the cinematography is visually exciting, and the queen herself, when the rage takes her, is quite an exciting sight.

Overall, this film has as many weakness as it does strengths, and it's unfortunate it's not better. But it's not as bad as many critics make it out to be. Worth at least one viewing, especially if you love vampires.


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