Queen Of The Damned 2002

Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News: If legendary shlockmeister Ed Wood had ever made a movie about a vampire, it probably would look a lot like this alarming production, adapted from Anne Rice's novel The Vampire Chronicles. Read more

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: ... a visually seductive, unrepentantly trashy take on Rice's second installment of her Vampire Chronicles. Read more

Charles Savage, Miami Herald: Aaliyah rarely dampens her diva persona enough to spark genuine chemistry with Townsend. When she speaks, her creepy Egyptian demigod voice is as computer processed and overproduced as it was in her music. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: ... too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: There's a bit of thematic meat on the bones of Queen of the Damned, as its origins in an Anne Rice novel dictate, but generally, it's a movie that emphasizes style over character and substance. Read more

Al Brumley, Dallas Morning News: ... a gloppy miasma of goo, blood and annoying sound effects. Read more

Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune: Queen of the Damned leaves us puzzled as to why the term 'damned' applies at all, when vampirism is depicted as so cool, fashion-savvy and glamorous. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: ... the movie is just a plain old monster. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Queen of the Damned wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so boring. Read more

Melanie McFarland, Seattle Times: For any of those die-hards still shunning daylight while anxiously awaiting the release of Queen of the Damned, I have two words for you: sunblock, matinee. Or, try this pair: dollar theater. Read more

Larry Aydlette, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Avoid this heavy metal hell at all costs. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A muddled limp biscuit of a movie, a vampire soap opera that doesn't make much sense even on its own terms. Read more

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader: Michael Rymer stages high-tech sequences combining gore, romance, and gothy music, and he has enough conviction to make what could have been very silly strangely provocative. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: None of it makes the least bit of sense, and it's all utterly ridiculous. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Rymer doesn't trust laughs -- and doesn't conjure proper respect for followers of the whole dead-undead genre, who deserve more from a vampire pic than a few shrieky special effects. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: When Queen of the Damned knows it's ridiculous, it's moderately entertaining fun; when it tries to be serious, it's truly ridiculous. Read more

Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly: Screenwriters Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni have turned Rice's complex Akasha into a cartoon monster. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: ... the kind of mess that never should have made it to theaters. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie doesn't reach the level of camp goofiness attained by films like The Mummy Returns and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, perhaps because the filmmakers labor under the impression that Anne Rice's works must be treated respectfully. Read more

Damien Cave, Salon.com: The late R&B star Aaliyah haunts an Anne Rice adaptation that feels like a vampire's life: It goes on forever. Read more

Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: Directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Rymer, who showed promise in the low-key Angel Baby, Queen of the Damned is self-serious, pointless and silly. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: [A] boldly stroked, luridly coloured, uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain. Read more

Time Out: Rice's complex, sprawling novel is rendered virtually incomprehensible by a combination of lacklustre direction, risible dialogue and shoddy effects. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: [S]o dull that you may be tempted to slip the projectionist 50 bucks to turn on the house lights and see what happens to the vampire cast. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: It isn't great entertainment or camp, but pic sets its ambitions so low, it can't help partially delivering on them. Read more

Jane Dark, Village Voice: Aaliyah fans, as well as fans of charisma, sex, and violence, will be sorely disappointed. Read more