Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

Based on Anne Rice’s nigh unreadable novel, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles follows 18th century plantation owner Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) as he’s transformed into a vampire by Tom Cruise’s Lestat de Lioncourt – with the film charting Louis’ exploits over the next few centuries, including his paternal relationship with Kirsten Dunst’s Claudia. As was the case with Rice’s book, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, in its initial stages, comes off as a surprisingly uninvolving work that boasts few elements designed to capture and sustain the viewer’s interest – with the movie’s less-than-engrossing atmosphere exacerbated by a pervasive lack of momentum within its opening hour (ie there’s just nothing propelling the thin narrative forward). The talky atmosphere is sporadically alleviated by the inclusion of striking sequences, while the various performances – Cruise is especially good here – prove instrumental in staving off total boredom among the increasingly impatient viewer. There’s little doubt that the movie benefits substantially from the arrival of Dunst’s undead character, as Claudia effectively infuses the proceedings with a jolt of much-needed energy and dramatic heft (ie the character’s plight is genuinely interesting). The presence of several surprisingly engrossing stretches – eg Louis and Claudia watch a sinister play performed by actual vampires – ensures that Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles improves steadily as it goes along, although, having said that, there’s little doubt that the movie’s aggressively overlong running time often does threaten to negate its positive attributes – with the end result is a passable horror effort that unquestionably fares better than its worthless source material.

**1/2 out of ****