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(About Our Ads) "QUEEN OF THE DAMNED" (2002) (Stuart Townsend, Aaliyah) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Heavy Extreme *Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Extreme *None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Minor Mild Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: A centuries-old vampire's ascension to the top of the rock industry ends up resurrecting the all-powerful mother of all vampires who wants to rule the world and kill all mortals. PLOT: Having grown weary and frustrated with leading a solitary immortal life, the vampire Lestat (STUART TOWNSEND) hoped to sleep away his problems for centuries. Yet, the former 18th century nobleman is awakened by the sounds of the 21st century, and decides to become a star front man for a heavy metal band. By doing so and flaunting the fact that he's a vampire, he draws the attention of Jesse Reeves (MARGUERITE MOREAU), a researcher at a British institute for paranormal studies whose fascination with vampires stems from having been raised for a while by one, her centuries old aunt Maharet (LENA OLIN). Yet, Lestat's breaking of the vampire code of conduct also brings out his former master, Marius (VINCENT PEREZ), as well as the Queen of all vampires, Akasha (AALIYAH), who's drawn to Lestat's music and ego. As Jesse tries to get to know and understand Lestat's world, the vampire continues to flaunt his disregard toward other vampires, a point that gets him in trouble with them and only further strengthens Akasha's resolve to rule the world and kill all mortals. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of vampire movies, the late Aaliyah, or anyone else in the cast, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For vampire violence. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: STUART TOWNSEND plays a vampire aroused from his century long sleep by the intoxicating sounds of rock and roll who then becomes a worldwide star and breaks the rules of being a vampire. AALIYAH plays the mother of all vampires who desires to rule the world by killing all mortals. MARGUERITE MOREAU plays a mortal who's entranced by the vampire world due to having been raised by Maharet, a vampire. VINCENT PEREZ plays the vampire who originally infected and taught Lestat the ways of being a vampire. LENA OLIN plays the vampire who raised Jesse and wants vampires and humans to live in harmony. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror picture. Being a film about vampires, there's naturally all sorts of vampire related violence where they feed on victims' bodies (with bloody results) and/or kill humans or each other. Although probably not quite as graphic as some might be fearing or expecting, there's a brief decapitation, a vampire eating a removed but still beating human heart and various views of vampires catching on fire and burning up. Some of those scenes could be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers, but that depends on their age and tolerance for such material. Some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is present, while several characters act sensuously toward others and some young women appear ready to have sex with Lestat (although that's not what he's interested in). In addition, various female characters are occasionally seen in revealing attire. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives and colorful phrases, while some characters drink and one briefly holds what appears to be a joint. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Two women brought to Lestat for entertainment and feeding purposes comment about what they've heard is offered to them, including what sounded like "weed." We later see one of these women with what looks like a joint (and offers it to Lestat but he ignores her). Various vampires and/or mortals have drinks in a vampire pub. We briefly see some people drinking. Lestat's assistant tells two women that there's champagne available for them. Some people backstage at a concert drink. A newspaper headline reads, "Lestat Concert - Drugs in the water?" (in reaction to everyone seeing flying vampires on the stage). BLOOD/GORE Lestat's mouth has some blood on it from one of his victims. In a flashback, we see a small trickle of blood come from Maharet's eye and young Jesse wants it, but the vampire stops her. In another flashback, we see a little bit of blood on Lestat's neck after Marius bites him there. Marius then slits open his own wrist (we see the bloody incision), and lets Lestat feed from that wound (that we then see instantly heal) after letting some of the blood drip down onto Lestat's mouth. On several occasions, we see a rapid succession of visuals that include the sight of some bloody people, but most of it goes by too fast to really tell what we're seeing. We see some blood on Lestat's mouth after feeding from Akasha's wrist. We see some blood on a man's neck and some on a woman's mouth after she's fed on him. Lestat pushes Jesse's finger against something that pierces the skin (we see a close-up of some blood come out) so that he can suck on her finger. Akasha grabs a vampire and yanks his heart from his chest. We don't see the actual penetration or yanking out, but do see her holding the still beating heart and then biting into it (with bloody results). Some blood splatters onto a TV screen as Akasha wards off various vampire attacks. Jesse scratches the top of her breast with a pin to draw some blood and entice Lestat to bite her there (he nearly does, but restrains himself). Lestat has some blood on his mouth after biting a woman's neck. After Lestat slices an attacking vampire's neck, the head falls off when Lestat then knocks the body backwards. Akasha bites into Lestat's chest (we don't see anything graphic) and they then kiss again (with her mouth all bloody). Some trickles of blood run down a wall as Lestat bites into a woman and then has blood on his mouth. A vampire who's been bitten by other vampires has bloody bite marks on her. A vampire's body turns black and then starts to disintegrate into the air (while we earlier see various vampires becoming discolored before being engulfed in flames). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The vampires obviously have both for feeding upon and/or killing mortal humans, and that's especially true of Akasha who wants to kill all mortals. FRIGHTENING SCENES The appearance and occasionally menacing behavior of the vampires might be unsettling or scary to some younger viewers, but there's nothing here that we haven't see in many vampire films before, and little, if any, of the material will probably truly be frightening to most older viewers. That said, scenes listed under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers. On several occasions, we see a rapid succession of visuals that include the sight of some bloody people, but most of it goes by too fast to really tell what we're seeing. Three vampires surround Jesse out on a street at night and prepare to bite her, but Lestat shows up and scares them away. GUNS/WEAPONS Knives: Used by various vampires in attempts to kill others. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Who the hell are you?" and "Pissed off." We see various miscellaneous characters with various body piercings (male nipple, facial, etc.) and/or tattoos. Some impressionable kids could be enticed to act like vampires and/or adopt their lifestyle or mentality, etc. (such as cutting themselves to bleed or allow others to drink/taste their blood). JUMP SCENES Sudden music might startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Various songs have lyrics that can't be understood, thus offering the possibility of some potentially objectionable material in them. PROFANITY At least 1 hell and 1 use each of "Jesus," "Oh God" and "Oh my God" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY We see the bare breasts on a mannequin. A woman at a concert has a sign that reads, "Suck me Lestat." A woman in the band comments about "Sex, blood and rock and roll" (in relation to their music). When a female reporter then asks Lestat to prove his powers, he suggestively says he could give her a private demonstration back at her hotel room. Two women brought to Lestat for entertainment and feeding purposes comment about him, with one stating that she's heard he'll feed on their necks whenever he wants, prompting the other woman to state she's done worse. One of the women wears a fishnet-like top that shows her black bra beneath it. Later, one of the women asks if he wants her. A question is then asked if he's hungry and one then suggestively asks if he's hungry for something else. She then goes to undo his pants, but he stops her. One of the women also shows some cleavage as she crawls across the floor. In a classic style painting on Marius' wall, we see a bare-breasted woman. We see various female vampires in varying degrees of scanty attire (some of which show cleavage), including Akasha who wears a small, Egyptian-themed chest plate that just covers her breasts (her back, sides and midriff are bare). Two female vampires are fawning over and caressing a clothed, mortal man. After some vampires believe Jesse to be a mortal since they don't see the telltale marks on her neck, Jesses tries to bluff them by stating that they haven't seen the rest of her body. A female vampire than suggestively asks if that's an invitation. Marius and Lestat sit on a construction scaffold that's situated right at the clothed crotch of a giant poster of Lestat (they're facing away from it). Jesse shows some cleavage and then purposefully scratches the top of her breast with a pin to draw some blood and entice Lestat to bite her there (he nearly does, but restrains himself). Akasha, still dressed like the above, acts and speaks sensuously toward Lestat. Later, we see her hand coming up out of some water filled with roses, move up Lestat's bare chest, and caress his neck. She then emerges from the water (but we don't see any nudity) and passionately kisses him. She then bites into his chest and they then kiss again (with her mouth all bloody). We then see some brief images of her on top of him, caressing his body, but we don't see anything else (and nothing sexually explicit). Lestat bites the top of a woman's breast (we don't see the whole thing) and feeds on her from there. SMOKING A miscellaneous person on the street smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see a flashback where young Jesse is being sent away from her home where she lived with her "aunt" Maharet. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Vampires. The allure and pitfalls of immortality. VIOLENCE Lestat grabs and bites a victim on the neck, but we don't see anything terribly graphic although there's some blood on his mouth and the victim slumps to the ground. Lestat crawls up a wall, then across a ceiling, and then drops down onto one of two women there with him and apparently feeds on her neck (we don't see anything graphic). We see a flashback to Lestat's first encounter with Marius who bites into his neck. Marius then slits open his own wrist (we see the bloody incision) and lets Lestat feed from that wound (that we then see instantly heal). In a flashback, we see Lestat feeding on a man's neck (nothing graphic) and then letting his body drop to the ground. Marius then kicks or steps down on the victim's neck (seen from a distance), presumably killing him. In the past and after a man has spotted Lestat as a vampire, a woman with that man runs off. Marius tells him to catch her and so he does, breaking her neck in the process, killing her. Meanwhile, Marius bites into the man's neck and kills him. Later, we see Marius pouring something flammable onto the two and then setting their bodies on fire (seen from a distance). We see that Marius has Lestat chained to a bed due to the latter becoming too powerful. Lestat picks up an object and throws it against a structure in anger, causing the former to shatter. We see some blood on a man's neck and some on a woman's mouth after she's fed on him. Lestat pushes Jesse's finger against something that pierces the skin (we see a close-up of some blood come out) so that he can suck on her finger. We see that Akasha has killed her king (we see his statue with a huge wound - still made entirely of stone - on its neck). Akasha grabs a vampire and yanks his heart from his chest. We don't see the actual penetration or yanking out, but do see her holding the still beating heart and then biting into it (with bloody results). Other vampires then try to attack her (some with knives), but she throws one aside (some blood splatters onto a TV screen). She then causes others to catch on fire, burn and/or disintegrate. We then see her walking out of a pub that's engulfed in flames. Lestat attacks a woman on a park bench and bites her neck (we see this from somewhat of a distance). We briefly hear the woman screaming. Various vampires try to attack Lestat and Marius on a stage where Lestat uses a microphone stand to impale one such attacker. They then hit and kick others (some of whom use knives as weapons), with Marius landing on one vampire's neck, breaks another's neck and Lestat slices one vampire's neck, leaving a large gash (and the head falls off when Lestat then knocks the body backwards). Akasha then causes the remaining vampires to catch on fire and die. An explosion then erupts from the stage, knocking down Marius and Lestat. From a distance, we see many dead bodies scattered about a resort, all victims of Akasha. Lestat feeds upon and seemingly kills a mortal woman. Various vampires try to attack Akasha, but she knocks them backwards and/or causes them to catch on fire. Various vampires attack another vampire, biting her on various parts of her body, weakening her as they do so. A vampire's body turns black and then starts to disintegrate into the air after being killed. Reviewed February 20, 2002 / Posted February 22, 2002