Queen of the Damned

Reviewed by:
Deborah Day

If you listened to the critics—all of them—when Queen of the Damned saw its theatrical release, then you probably haven’t seen this movie yet. And good for you, honestly, because if you had dropped $10 or so to see this music-video adaptation of Anne Rice’s vampire novel of the same name, you would have upchucked your popcorn.

And, unlike wine, the movie doesn’t improve with age—or on DVD. Starring music icon (and one of our favorite ladies ever) Aaliyah, who died in a tragic plane accident at age 22 before the film was released, Queen of the Damned is a sorry final tribute to her legacy. Yes, she looks beautiful. Yes, she’s sexy as hell. But the film ultimately rates as only a pop-smeared mess of a translation of the novel. Had the task been given to a Tim Burton or a David Cronenberg (even with the same cast), the results wouldn’t have seemed like outtakes from MTV’s Total Request Live, the Broadway Musical.

Rent it if you will. Own it only if you’re amassing the complete Aaliyah collection—in which case, what are you doing reading our review?