“Queen of the Damned,” a second part of Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles,” earned nearly $15 million in its opening weekend, mostly due to the morbid fascination associated with late singer Aaliyah’s performance in the title role.
In truth, Aaliyah fans would do well to remain far away from this film.
Aaliyah’s portrayal as Akasha, a 2000 year old vampire queen, plays a minimal role in the story of the film. Instead, the film should be titled after the true main focus Lestat, a role made famous in “Interview with the Vampire” by Tom Cruise, who wisely chose to stay away from this follow-up.
In “Queen,” Stuart Townsend takes over as the slumbering vampire, who is woken from his 100-year nap by the sounds of a local Goth rock band.
To pour salt into this already cheesy wound, Lestat decides to join the band as the newest lead singer, inflecting bits of vampire secrets into the lyrics. With the help of Jonathan Davis’ voice (the lead singer of Korn), Lestat guides the band to the top of the charts, drawing the vampire community’s attention to the new rogue member.
Among the vampires drawn towards Lestat include Marius (Vincent Perez), Lestat’s ex-mentor and creator and Maharet (Lena Olin), a slightly shady vamp whose true agenda is still unknown.
Forefront among Lestat’s followers is Jesse (Marguerite Moreau), a budding researcher for a London occult institute, also with a few too many unknown plans to match her hazy past. She follows Lestat’s trail, from vampire bars to the band’s sole live concert in Death Valley, drawn to his mystique.
Like the Goth rock effect on himself, Lestat’s music awakens Akasha, who seeks him out since he is the only vampire to wake her in hundreds of years.
With the plot as paper-thin as this is, it’s no wonder the film isn’t drawing a great deal of repeat attention. Anne Rice offered to pen the screenplay, but was rejected in favor of a pair of little-known authors. The result is a mix-match of vampire lore added to a group of pretty actors and set to rock music (which is sure to be more popular than the movie itself).
Townsend has always had a knack for picking beautiful co-stars, but most of his films have fallen short of mass recognition. His last appearance in “About Adam” earned him the most notoriety, but acting opposite recent Oscar nominee Kate Hudson may have added to that. As Lestat, Townsend falls short of Cruise’s mass appeal and fails to capture his solid independent experience again.
Moreau may seem like a newcomer to large films, but one would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t seen her before. As Connie, she made her debut skating alongside Joshua Jackson and Emilio Estevez in the three “Mighty Ducks” movies, but with only kid and teen fair filling her resume, she hasn’t quite hit the peak of her adult performances yet.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the film is the appearance of Lena Olin, an actress with solid, credible movie experience so far, but also with a lack of role smarts. For every “Chocolat” and “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” she chooses, Olin also picks a few too many like “Mystery Men” and “The Ninth Gate.”
For most, the appearance of Aaliyah inspires at least a peak at her post-crash appearances. In “Queen of the Damned,” Aaliyah falls far short of her potential, wandering through her scenes like a cardboard cutout. Granted, the dialogue is often weak and her character is very one-dimensional, but she never rises above it (Moreau showed it was possible), leaving only this tragic performance as one of her final appearances.
Having already signed on to appear in the “Matrix” sequel, the singer was set to be as big a crossover act as Jennifer Lopez.
Like “Romeo Must Die,” “Queen of the Damned” should have been a stepping stone to get her into the industry, but instead, the film is just a grisly and subpar glimpse at the life of a potential star cut short.
Todd LaPlace is a sophomore in journalism. He believes no Hollywood vampire tale will ever beat TV’s Buffy, the Vampire Slayer in terms of quality (hey, no laughing!). He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
