Queen of the Damned

When the promising, recently deceased young R&B singer and actress Aaliyah is on screen in this incongruous vampire flick's title role, she absolutely lights up a scene with her potent presence. Too bad the real central character of this adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel is a vacantly bloodthirsty porcelain Goth-rocker version of the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), who is targeted for assassination by other nightwalkers when he breaks some undead code of ethics by becoming a celebrity. The Cliffs Notes of a plot takes a detour with a pretty, young occult student (Marguerite Moreau) who wants Lestat to suck her blood, but that's all filler leading up to a huge, televised outdoor concert, at which scores of even film remore evil vampires try to kill Lestat. Is it just me, or is that a pretty ludicrous way for vampires to stay anonymous? Far more MTV than Anne Rice, Queen of the Damned has few high points, beyond Aaliyah's chillingly alluring performance. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Michael Rymer, producer Jorge Saralegui and composer Richard Gibbs; "The Unseen"--30 minutes of 13 additional scenes that are preceded with text comments from filmmakers; three featurettes: the 20-minute "Creating the Vampires," a three-minute "Aaliyah Remembered" segment, and "The Music of Lestat" on the "making-of" the soundtrack featuring Jonathan Davis of Korn, Marilyn Manson and David Draiman of Disturbed; two extended concert sequences; a spirited gag reel; a production gallery; synopses of Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles," and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: an impressive extras package for an unimpressive film.] (R. Blackwelder)