Queen of the Damned Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Queen of the Damned," encoded in 1080p AVC, handles Ian Baker's cinematography with skill, delivering a visually captivating experience despite the film's inherent challenges. Shot without the benefit of a digital intermediate, the Blu-ray excels in maintaining clarity through dark, smoky scenes with rapid light shifts. The preservation of sharpness, even in intentionally soft shots, and substantial shadow detail showcases expert encoding. Good black levels contribute to identifying shapes, faces, and clothing in murkier scenes, while brighter moments highlight flamboyant rock star garb with vibrant, well-saturated colors, particularly reds. The fine original grain is kept intact without evidence of filtering, artificial sharpening, or compression artifacts.

The transfer offers remarkable sharpness with clean lines in clothing, hair, and architectures. Close-ups are especially revealing, showcasing pores and textures beneath the vampire make-up. Certain creative choices to give the night creatures a smooth, ethereal look might resemble noise reduction, but they are accentuated by the sharp presentation. However, some sequences exhibit an unpleasant digital blur, causing mild crush in shadows and posterization in highlights, with noticeable banding during specific scenes—such as Akasha and Lestat flying from the concert. The visual effects sequences notably suffer in quality. Yet, the overall presentation remains clean, featuring crisp contrasts and deep blacks that enhance the numerous nighttime scenes. The bold color palette is rendered cleanly, with softer pastel hues appearing full-bodied and warm, making this an engaging high-definition experience despite minor flaws.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for "Queen of the Damned" delivers an immersive and dynamic aural experience. Vampires seem to swoop and glide freely through the surround array, creating an engaging atmosphere that transports listeners into the supernatural realm. Memorable scenes such as Lestat's discovery of Akasha's statue and the climactic battle between Akasha and the ancients are augmented by well-executed directionality. Background details such as the flickering pops of flames and the ambient sounds of crashing waves add depth, making the audio a key asset of this Blu-ray.

Lestat's band's songs, rendered by Davis and Gibbs, with vocals performed by Davis, contribute significantly to the soundscape. If you appreciate Korn's music style, you'll find these tracks especially enjoyable. Moreover, the orchestral variations composed by Davis enhance the film's undertone with sharp acoustical details and dynamic range, resulting in an expansive soundfield. The dialogue remains consistently clear amidst all the audio activity, maintaining intelligibility without sacrificing the dramatic effect.

The lossless mix excels at creating a convincing soundfield that is both immersive and engaging. Directionality is flawless, with discrete effects and fluid movement across the front soundstage. Whether capturing the cheers of the concert crowd or the thundering winds upon meeting Marius, the precision and extensive dynamic range elevate the audio experience. The palpable low-end adds weight to action sequences, offering appreciable depth to both the music and various atmospheric elements. This DTS-HD Master Audio track stands as a highlight of the "Queen of the Damned" Blu-ray release, significantly enhancing the overall viewing experience.

The Blu-ray extras for "Queen of the Damned" offer a rich array of behind-the-scenes insights and supplemental content that will gratify fans and movie enthusiasts. The commentary led by Director Michael Rymer, Producer Jorge Saralegui, and Composer Richard Gibbs is particularly engaging, offering a deep dive into the creative decisions and challenges faced during production. A variety of featurettes cover topics such as the music development for Lestat's character and band, detailed aspects of the film’s vampire effects including prosthetics and wire work, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Aaliyah. Additionally, there are several deleted scenes with explanatory title cards, showcasing more of the film's narrative complexity. Music video enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of both film-related performances and standalone music videos. Overall, these extras enrich the viewing experience, adding layers of context and entertainment.

Extras included in this disc:

• Commentary with Director Michael Rymer, Producer Jorge Saralegui, and Composer Richard Gibbs: Detailed discussion on plot changes and production challenges.
• The Music of Lestat: Insightful look into the film’s music creation and concert sequences.
• Creating the Vampires: Examination of make-up, wire work, and visual effects.
• Aaliyah Remembered: Tribute to Aaliyah’s contribution to the film.
• Slept So Long: Full musical performance from the Death Valley concert.
• Not Meant for Me: Full musical performance from the Death Valley concert.
• Deleted Scenes: Thirteen scenes with brief explanations for their removal.
• Gag Reel: Humorous behind-the-scenes footage.
• Music Videos: Includes Redeemer, Forsaken, System, and Cold.
• Theatrical Trailer: Original movie trailer.

"Queen of the Damned" stands as a chaotic adaptation, cramming two dense Anne Rice novels into a single 101-minute film. The result is an erratic and disjointed narrative that struggles with exposition and flashbacks. Helmed by director Michael Rymer, the movie retains only trace elements of Rice’s intricate plotting, leaving fans yearning for the complexity of the source material. The star Aaliyah, who tragically passed away before the film's release, delivers an enchanting performance as Akasha, the ancient vampire goddess, providing rare moments of genuine vitality and charisma. Yet, her scenes arrive late in the film, after the convoluted story has exhausted much of its momentum.

Stuart Townsend’s portrayal of Lestat, a role formerly inhabited by Tom Cruise in "Interview with the Vampire," introduces a rock star edge to the vampire lore. His character’s journey from 18th-century origins to modern-day music fame is set against a soundtrack composed by Korn’s Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis. Unfortunately, attempts to juxtapose Lestat's timeless vampirism with contemporary nu-metal culture come off as dated and forced. The film's attempts to inject humor into the gothic angst through scenes like Lestat feasting on swooning groupies only serve to undermine its intended gravitas.

Supporting characters, including Marguerite Moreau’s Jesse and Vincent Perez’s Marius, add little substance to the chaotic plot, often serving as mere conduits for additional exposition. The climax, featuring an alliance between ancient vampires and the secretive Talamasca society to confront Akasha, feels rushed and overloaded with backstory. Despite promising performances from Aaliyah and Perez, and an undercurrent of intriguing gothic atmosphere, "Queen of the Damned" flounders under its muddled script and uneven pacing. The technical constraints and studio pressures to hastily produce the film are palpable, culminating in an underwhelming adaptation that fails to capture the essence of Rice’s richly woven narratives.

"Queen of the Damned" offers a mixed bag as a Blu-ray release. Intended as a follow-up to Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire," this film unfortunately falls short in numerous areas. The adaptation attempts to merge two distinct storylines from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but the result is an incoherent narrative marred by subpar acting, superficial visual effects, and weak direction. The screenplay fails to capture the essence of Rice's work, rendering it a hodgepodge of underwhelming mediocrity.

Despite its flaws, the film does have redeeming qualities. Aaliyah delivers an extraordinary performance as the titular Queen Akasha, momentarily lifting the film from its otherwise tepid execution. The Blu-ray release enhances the visual appeal with its high-definition video presentation, offering crisp and vibrant imagery that adds depth to the Gothic ambiance. The lossless audio mix significantly bolsters the experience, providing a rich auditory backdrop that envelops the viewer in the film's dark atmosphere. However, the bonus material remains unchanged from previous versions and offers little added value.

As Stephen King eventually succeeded in redoing "The Shining" to his satisfaction as a TV miniseries, one suspects that Anne Rice will eventually have her day with a serialization of her books "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" in a form she finds acceptable. It would likely have to be on premium cable due to the extensive themes of blood and sensuality Rice's stories require. The real obstacle isn't Rymer's film but the fact that Alan Ball has already adapted Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels into HBO's "True Blood," covering similar themes with much success. Unlike King, Rice won't have to compete with an iconic masterpiece; rather, she'd surpass "Queen of the Damned" with relative ease. Fans of the original content might find some satisfaction in this Blu-ray release, but for casual viewers, it may not warrant the investment.