great film, flawed casting

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 1999)

I read and loved the book years before the movie was made. Of course, I painted myself a pretty detailed picture of it in my head, what the characters looked like, the location and atmosphere, etc.
When I heard Tom Cruise had been cast as Lestat, I felt like starting a riot on Hollywood Blvd. Blaspheme! And Brad Pitt? Yuck.
But I couldn't help myself and had to see the movie all the same. And I was pleasantly surprised. The "look" of the film was very close to what I'd pictured, with deep shadows and saturated colors.
Even more surprisingly, I enjoyed Tom's performance. He successfully embodied Louis' hedonistic, egomaniacal abandon. Brad, on the other hand, produced exactly what I'd feared: a shallow, pouty performance. I had pictured someone much taller, and more elegant. Brad is cute and all, but sophisticated he's not.
And then there was Antonio as Armand. Antonio is a pretty good actor, but the book described Armand as much younger, more innocent-looking, like a choirboy.
But Kirsten as Claudia was perfect, and everyone else fit the bill nicely.
8 out of 10.