Just as last year's string of gross-out comedies seemed leading up to the sickest comedy film of all time, vampire flicks in recent years appeared to be pointing toward a similar low-quality movie about creatures of the night. Admit it, Dracula 2000 and The Forsaken didn't exactly remind audiences of the constant sorrow and sadness of a vampire's life; both came across more like Calvin Klein ads with fangs, almost promoting a lifestyle consisting of drinking blood, living forever, and never being able to see the sun again. Yeah, good times.

Therefore, I first looked upon Queen of the Damned, an adaptation of author Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles novels, with dread. When production wrapped and post-production commenced, the film faced various problems. Among these were the test screenings, which incited such adjectives as "unwatchable" from Rice fans and moviegoers alike, and the tragic death of the film's star, singer Aaliyah, in the late summer of 2001. But when all is said and done, the case of Queen of the Damned is similar to that of Waterworld: by no means is the movie perfect or even that great, but after sifting through the troubled production and bad advanced buzz, the flick doesn't turn out to be half as bad as I thought it would be. Queen of the Damned is even a bit fun if taken as a guilty pleasure, which, considering it was preceded by the dark, serious-minded horror/drama Interview with the Vampire, is probably the only way it can be enjoyed.

After a good century resting in his crypt, the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) has decided to shake things up a bit. Lured by the scintillating sound of heavy metal and Goth rock bands, Lestat rises again, teams up with a garage band, and sets about reinventing himself as a rock star, capitalizing on his background as a real creature of the night. Of course, Lestat's arrogance doesn't go ignored. At least three forces become interested in the centuries-old vampire after he explodes onto the music scene, and for different reasons. Jessie (Marguerite Moreau), a member of a British organization dedicated to studying the paranormal, becomes obsessed with confronting Lestat and finding out what being a vampire is like. Next, there are various members of the vampire community, who are angered by Lestat breaking the ancient vampire code of living in secrecy. But a force more powerful than anyone could imagine desires Lestat above all: Queen Akasha (Aaliyah), the mother of all vampires. Freed from her statuesque form by Lestat's music, the Queen wishes to rule the world with him at her side.

When the vampiric characters of Queen of the Damned started moving in accompaniment to the sound Lee Majors made in "The Six Million Dollar Man," I knew the film's mission wasn't to impress me with its visuals or its dark, eerie mood. This flick is a prime example of modern-day camp, exploiting the mystique of vampires for shock value and soft-core sex -- and it works like a charm. Don't come here in search of a Dracula for the new millennium; Queen of the Damned belongs in the same league as flicks like The Lost Boys and Dracula 2000, movies that show all the glitz and flashiness there is to living life, so to speak, as a vampire without any of that bothersome gloom to mess up the fun.

True, there were often times when I wished Queen of the Damned would retreat back to its Anne Rice roots and come up with a more serious story, better sense of character motivation (and Jessie is obsessed with Lestat....why?), and less obvious special effects. Apparently, all vampires have at one point watched The Matrix, for creatures of the night have now gained the power to crawl on the ceiling, teleport themselves, and run extra-fast, with a "woosh" sound and trailing shadow for added effect.

I admit I haven't read a single Anne Rice novel, but at times, I even wondered about the film's confusing timeline. Where exactly do the events of Interview coincide with QotD? How does Lestat's demise in the original film fit in with his sudden appearance as a younger, paler version of himself, played with the personality of a Keanu Reeves wannabe by Stuart Townsend in present times? Story, logic, keeping a straight face...all of these are unknown to director Michael Rymer (In Too Deep), who throws sense out the window in favor of giving audiences a film in which press conferences seem to take vampires seriously, statues are given life through fiddle music, and someone really, really wants to be a vampire. Oh, and did I mention all of this is set to constant Goth rock and interwoven with flashy, eye-piercing editing tricks and a rushed, anticlimactic conclusion? 

As previously mentioned, Townsend's performance as the vampire Lestat is less than stellar. Compared to Tom Cruise, this guy's flat as a pancake, never playing his role with the proper amount of alluring sexuality and coming off more like a drag queen who forgot the makeup. The best I can say for him is that he lip-synchs to the music rather well. Moreau doesn't fare as well, though her performance stirs up a little more emotion than expected, even if her obsession with Lestat is never fully explained, never going past the level of having a Teen Beat crush on the hottest new thing. Then there's poor Lena Olin, a fine character actress who gets stuck leading a posse of about four other ancient vampires, all of whom serve no purpose but to be incinerated by Queen Akasha and wear a bunch of haggard costumes.

This brings us to the performances that do work in Queen of the Damned, led by the late and lovely Aaliyah. Amid the campy dialogue and strangely goofy neck-biting sequences, Aaliyah, whose Akasha is only in about four scenes out of the entire film, blesses her character with a seductive presence that grabs your attention the moment she walks on screen. Considering the type of film she's in, Aaliyah does an excellent job of playing the ruthlessly evil, eternally beautiful mother of all vampires, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Perez also delivers a good performance as Marius, one of the oldest vampires in existence, who is both impressed and frightened by Lestat's hunger for blood upon his first transformation.

Although Queen of the Damned is no great achievement in horror filmmaking by itself, it could have been worse.  Aaliyah's performance enhances the picture; I frequently enjoyed the gothic design; and the movie does not skimp on its cheesiness. 

Wow, I can't believe I made it through this entire review -- and without using vampire puns. 

MY RATING: ** ½ (out of ****)

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated "R" for vampire violence.)

Review also posted at www.ajhakari.com.