Lavish looking but lacking substance

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2003)

In modern day America, a journalist is approached by a handsome young man to hear a story told. He tells a tale that begins hundreds of years prior, where he was a landowner who had lost his wife and daughter. He tells of being turned vampire by the suave killer Lestat. However the blessing of eternal life as the undead becomes a curse.
The hunky cast is clearly a major part of the reason that this film was as successful as it was  the imdb voting breakdown shows it ranking highly among female groups. However this is maybe not a fair reflection of a film that is certainly glossy and professional, but not as rich in depth as it is visually. The plot is reasonable, I have not read the book so I can't compare, but the plot was thin for the majority of the time. As a journey with Louis, it fails to really grip and involve and ends up being a little dull as it feels like it's going through the motions. A big problem is that much of the plot is character driven  which would be fine if the film had strong characters, but it doesn't.
Instead the characters are pretty bland and lacking substance. Louis is interesting at first when he struggles with the change, but after that he becomes all slick and starts speaking in a low, quiet voice! Most of the vampires are the same and the relationship between them aren't well done  it all feels very superficial without any meat on the bone. The actors must carry some of the blame. Pitt is way out of his depth and flounders with a character he is unable to bring the complexities and sorrows out of convincingly. Cruise looks like a model and is more pretty boy than devilishly dashing  his character is a fine example of what I mean by superficial. Dunst is OK for a child but all she really does is play the role in one way. Banderas is a poor choice for his role and he looks a little out of place  although Rea is good in his role.
Overall this film looks good and Jordan has done a good job as director. The score is effective and the film has a good list of names in the lead and support roles. However both the story and the characters lack a substance which was sorely needed to engage the audience. While Louis battled to keep his regrets and his human heart, I battled without luck to find any heart within this slick, glossy movie.