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Queen of the Damned (Full Screen Edition)

Queen of the Damned (Full Screen Edition)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice Lestat at Least
Review: With the novels after Interview with a Vampire still waiting in my 'to do' list, I had no preconceptions going into the movie. I found I liked this actor more than Tom Cruise playing Lestat, he has an effeminate/ethereal yet brooding/surly quality that one gets from Rice's novel. Watching the singer whatshername as the Queen doing her over accentuated belly-dancing/walking routine, trying to act, and maintain an accent, was painful. In all, it seemed a bit run of the mill and pedestrian, a sadly average time killer.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The movie was horrible!!!!!!
Review: I just need to say that I am a big fan of Anne Rice. Having said that I was pleased to learn that there would be another movie made from her Vampire Chronicles. I now wish I never watched the movie. The film-makers butchered the story to no end. All that was in the movie was music which wasn't even that good and practically no story line. Interview with the Vampire was filled with the story and was a true testament to the writing talent of Anne Rice. Nothing in the movie was true to the book (the concert came close though). The "ancients" were not even introduced by name they were just plopped into some scenes that did not make sense. I could not even follow the storyline. Way too confusing. Stuart Townsend was okay but Tom Cruise was much much better as Lestat. Anne Rice was right in not getting involved in this production. I am happy though that she is involved in a new mini-series on her other novel - the Witching Hour. That should be a show. Once again I am truly dissapointed.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: should have been on mtv
Review: this movie is AWFUL! during the entire 155 mintues of this movie i felt like i was watching mtv the ENTIRE time! this flim has korn songs thoughout!

even jonthan davis(lead singer of KoRn) pops up in one scene!

i find it quite funny that they overdubbed jonathon davis's voice in this movie when the concert and music videos were playing!

the guy who was playing lestate looked more like val kilmer playing jim morriosn in the doors than say a vampire!

the dialog in this movie is quite laughable comapared to the horror films i watched when i was bored.

"come out come out whereever you are"

sounds so corny
and rehashed from vinenct price films when he did those edger alan poe movies in the '60s

now i have read the book the movie doesn't quote measure up!

lesate would have NEVER been jesse's boyfriend infact in the book they WERE NEVER INTRESTED IN EACHOTHER TO BEGIN WITH!

is all jesse did was talk to him ONCE in the book ONCE!

this whole movie might as well been on mtv cause i felt like i was watching one long korn video!

jesse in the book is older not some 16 year old who falls for a rock star!

"interview with a vampire" follows the book exact this movie doesn't even follow the book period!

at one point of the movie near the end where they were talking about "the family tree" and walking towards it!

i all of sudden felt like i was watching "the breeders" in which the other NO EXPLAINTION AS TO HOW THEY CAME ABOUT IN THE MOVIE VAMPIRES AT THE CONCERT(THE ONES WITH THE STRANGE OUTFITS NEXT TO THE BACKSTAGE AREA)WERE HANGING ABOUT AT THE END TOWARDS THE TREE!

then the dialog became even more corny and "acting" even worst!

lesaste would have never wasted his time with jesse not even to bite her!

SKIP THIS MOVIE AND REVIST THE LOST BOYS!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "A chance to explain the 1st living Vampire What do we get?
Review: A chopped up, made up, story that is a long cheesy music Video!

This is O.K but I would have done it a bit differently. First of all the screenwriters would have been the first to go! I would have gotten Neil Jordon back or Frances Ford Cappola (Bram Stokers Dracula Fame)! Second of all Aaliyah would have went through extensive vocal and acting lesson's or else. Then I would have waited on Tom Cruise to play Lestat again. Then I would have asked WB to give me a bigger budget so everything wouldn't look so fake, glossy & overdone as it did in this film. What happened to the twins Maharet and Makere? What happened to the history of how Vampirism Started? I mean after all, she was the "Mother of all Vampires". What happened to the Decapitation at the end of Queen Akasha? And Marius wasn't even supposed to be around because Akasha trapped him in a ice prison. Jesse's neck was broken at the concert so how was she suppose to be kicking it with Lestat? Actually they never met in the book..it was all passion between he and the Queen. These were things that were explained in the book that they totally didn't touch in the film! Acutally they didn't even touch on Egypt at all! They didn't even show the power and how regal the Queen really was. In the book there was revenge that was wanted by the Twins because Akasha tortured them centuries ago and seperated them. Floating them both in stone coffin's one to the East the other to the West!That was a huge suspense factorin the book. In the movie she had no enemies there wasn't any suspense. And Marahet didn't have a sister nor was see aggressive in any way. Queen Akasha was a human in the beginning but was consumed by a Blood sucking Spirit "Amil". What happened to the Blood God Azim, that Akasha despised and destroyed in one instant? Because she had come back to Reign and he was in the way. Did they explain any of this in the movie NOOOOOOOO! They were too busy talking about the irrelivant character Lestat. In the book Lestat was relevant but in as a supporting character not the main character. I thought the movie was called "Queen of the Damned?" This movie was a made up ...and just took Anne rice's characters and misused them. This isn't an adaptation of the book this is a totally different situation. I also think Salma Hayek would have been a better Queen after seeing her perfomance in "Dusk Til DAWN"! Also that girl from "The Mummy" wouldn't have been a bad choice! I think Aaliyah was sexy but I do think she needed more experience in acting to convey an important character like this. But with a scrip that horrible I think she was the only one up for it. I gave this movie 3 stars simply for Aaliyah's sex appeal nothing more the script was a disappointment. Queen of the Damned could have been the best Vampire flick ever made. But was destroyed by unworthy and unprofessional directors and screenwriters. This movie could have ,if it had of followed the book would have superceded "Bram stokers Dracula". Well, maybe someone will redo it and make it right next time. But they can't call it Queen of the Damned because that name will be damaged forever! I think I will start writing a script and call it "Akasha-The Vampire Chronicles!" I could have conveyed that book in 2 and a Half hours and it would have explained everything! The first 15 mins before the credits started I could have explained the whole torture of the Twins and the transformation of the Queen. Then after the credits I would have started off showing how the Queen slayed egypt! But anyway no sense in talking about this, it is done and done very wrong! This movie should have been PG-13 I don't see where there is any graphic violence other than the club scene. This is far from scary..but the book was horrible, loaded with graphic violence. They really ruined this story it delivers nothing unusual or horrifying. This is a enjoyable film if you never read the book. The book is such a work of mastery! And the sensuality passion & suspense it reaks was not conveyed in this film at all.

Start Reading!

Arish

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Queen of The Damned...uh...Bad Movies
Review: Hmmm, an interesting, cute little horror flick--pity they didn't at least attempt to actually follow Mme. Rice's book of the same name. I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out which part of France Lestat came from...was it Pasadena or Venice Beach? Apparently, the actor playing Lestat has watched "The Doors" movie a few too many times...he seemed to be doing Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. Aaliyah, as Akasha, made a wonderful African Queen...oh wait, wasn't Akasha supposed to be Egyptian? And the wonderful character of Marius, a Roman of Keltoi blood chosen for his height, beauty and blonde hair and forced into being a vampire for his looks, seems to have lost both his European background and his blondeness...oh yes, he also created Lestat. Forget that old storyline of "The Twins", and "Magnus", and forego altogether any association with Louis and "Interview with the Vampire", and of Lestat making his mother into a vampire, one of the great reunions of literary plot; oh yes, and also forget the story of Nickie and his violin...Lestat didn't need Nickie here...he already carried a violin...just in case he became a vampire and was suddenly able to play one. And don't worry about he tale of how the vampires came about, because that would have been a bit too much of a waste of film to actually cover...better to go without a storyline, as they say in Hollywood. Oh, and please ignore all events leading up to Lestat's concert, because they don't matter here, and don't make much sense. Like I said, a cute little horror flick, if you haven't actually read the books, or followed them, or like them due to any form of elegance that Anne Rice puts into her writing.If you're just out for a cute little flick to pass the time away while you munch microwave popcorn, this is passable, though I think you'll find the popcorn itself infinitely more interesting.

Just my thoughts,

Donn

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Damned if you do...
Review: Silly, witless, wooden, dreary, jagged mess. Actors lack presence (they're like paper mache up there). Direction lacks direction. Script is crummy and forgettable. Visuals are unimpressive. Soundtrack is better than the movie... and... yep, I'm done. Reviewing this stupid movie any further is a waste of my time.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Yep...it's damned
Review: *sigh* Where to begin? When Interview with the Vampire (the movie) came out when I was in sixth grade, I was immediately hooked, and I devoured the original 4 Vampire Chronicle books one after the other. I fell in love with Lestat, I felt Louis' pain...it was wonderful. When I heard they were making a movie version of Queen of the Damned, I was glad, yet surprised, because The Vampire Lestat (book 2) is actually my favorite of the series, and I would have liked to have seen that as a movie. Now begins my rant.
There's plenty of things I could say about this movie doing no justice to the feel and/or deep and layered plot of the book. However, since it is a movie and not the book, I'll try not to get that specific (i.e., Marius didn't make Lestat, but that doesn't make that much of a difference...does it?) What really [ticked] me off about this is that instead of taking one book's plot and trying to fully develop and explain the story, they shoved a bunch of [junk] into ninety minutes and made it loud, shiny, and polished. And let's not forget the kung fu.
1) I loved Tom Cruise as Lestat, but...Stuart Townsend was hot. I'll admit it. He played the modern Lestat quite well, and I'm willing to say that his hair is *dark* blond. That doesn't quite make up for his brown eyes, however. :)
2) Aaliyah. Not bad; she certainly looked pretty, but what was up with that stupid Hungarian accent? And she had basically no character development, which brings me to
3) NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!! The only reason I recognized half of the "ancients" in the movie was by their costumes, because God forbid we should actually mention their names!!
4) Why did we have to have that stupid "romance" [stuff]? Can't we just accept Lestat as being androgynous/bisexual and not give him a little teenybopper girlfriend?
5) This wasn't even good as a plain old "vampire" movie. They used the same crap we've seen hundreds of times before. "This is how you become a vampire. This is what you do as a vampire. I love you, but you're a mortal. No, I cannot bring you into my world. Well, now that you're dying, I guess I can." And so on.
6) The soundtrack is rather well done.

So in closing, PLEASE, I implore you, do not base your like/dislike of the Vampire Chronicle BOOKS on seeing this one film. As another reviewer said, READ THEM. READ THEM NOW. They are fascinating. They are better than this movie. This movie is pretty. But it is not good.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad at all
Review: I'm a big fan of both the book and movie Interview with the Vampire. As far as the book goes, the tale was epic. The movie brought the book to life even more wonderful than I'd imagined. This film had a lot to live up to as a sequel... and as a sequel, it failed completely.

To enjoy this movie, don't think of it as a sequel. Think of it as a movie all of its own, loosely based on familiar characters. Lestat is no longer himself, but instead rock star vampire with a completely different look and accent. If you can ignore that, and enjoy the loosely fitting perhaps alternate story, you can probably enjoy this movie.

Lestat's musical talents are interesting and enjoyable, though I wish they'd done more special effects to his voice. I just didn't find it superhuman enough. On the first note he sings in the movie, his voice is like a dark choir of sound, it's powerful and far beyond human. Later however, his voice seems to turn standard punk rock, nothing special but not bad. Another fault to overlook, then, is what could have been.

The movie's rather fast paced, so you won't get bored. It's got good rock sound, vampires crawling everywhere, a decent story so long as you don't expect it to have anything to do with the book. Top it all off with some cool effects. As a movie, it's average, but still good. If you like vampire movies and/or the series, don't hesitate to at watch it. It's not half bad.

- Rirath_com

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: AALIYAH IS GREAT: FILM IS GOOFY BUT ENJOYABLE!
Review: This film is really quite goofy (it is VERY hard to believe Lestat as a rock star and the press conference scene at the beginning is just too stupid for words) but AALIYAH is GREAT as the Queen of the title and the film is oddly enjoyable. It is a pity her life was cut short, she clearly had the talent to become a great star. She is beguiling, bewitching and beautiful here; its too bad she didn't have a little more screen time. I could have done with less of Lestat and more with Aaliyah. The DVD is quite nice. The widescreen tranfer looks good and sounds nice (the rock songs STINK, however). The extras (esp. the gag reel and cut scenes) are very good.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Movie...could have been better
Review: I read the first 3 books of the Vampire Chronicles (the others are a waste of time) and I can honestly say I was expecting a better adaptation of the books....but remember....this movie is really squeezing two books together...that's very hard to do (even Peter Jackson couldn't make the Lord of the Rings trilogy into a 2 hour movie)so one can understand why the movie didn't live up to everyone's expectations.... A LOT OF STUFF HAD TO BE CUT OUT.....if you want the real deal behind Queen of the Damned then read The Vampire Lestat and then read Queen of the Damned....

As for the movie....I kinda liked it....I felt like I was watching a kick-... vampire music video....which is a good thing...lol. The acting was good (not superb)but as long as I kept an open mind about it....I wasn't disappointed as much as I thought I was going to be......the movie becomes even more surreal when you see the late actress/singer Aaliyah light up the screen as the mother of all vampires-Akasha....her movement is sooo slinky and Aaliyah so pretty, her role of Akasha worked for me....I just wish that the movie explained Akasha's background more....maybe if Anne Rice supported the movie....heck...how about the script?...the movie could have been sooo much better.... grant it, this movie didn't have the mega-watt star power Interview with a Vampire had (good adaptation of the first novel)...but worked well for me....some the action sequences were kinda goofy...but overall, I liked it for an action/horror flick not a visual bible for an Anne Rice novel.......

Some people thought that Aaliyah's portrayal of Akasha was wrong because she's black and in the novel Akasha is white....big mistake on Anne Rice's part.....Akasha hailed from ancient Egypt...the ancient Egyptians were black, not white....even if she was dead for 10 millennia she wouldn't be alabaster white like the book said she was.....Egypt is in Africa, not in the Middle East like most people want to believe (just look on a map)so why wouldn't the Egyptians be black?......before Arab-imperial conquest of northern Africa,the Egyptians were black....here's a movie/cinema fact...did you know Aaliyah was the first black woman to play an Egyptian? We had Elizabeth Taylor and various other Caucasians and Latinos play Egyptians...why? History has been twisted...I really don't blame Rice for her description of Akasha...she was taught that way I guess.........kudos go to the makers of this film for casting a black woman to play....well....a black woman...even if she's a vampire. Even if you do see this movie despite the bad reviews and you are a Rice devotee....keep an open mind an you might actually like it.


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