Mixed bag, great sets and atmosphere

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2013)

I had watched this in the 90s and remembered it was just OK. I had recently liked some Gothic movies as well as Neil Jordans other movies. I liked The Crying Game in particular and thought it may very well be one of the greatest movies of all time and Ondine wasn't bad at all either. So I decided to take another look at this too as it was available on Netflix. I liked it more than I thought, but it's not a 100 % winner. Not a perfect vampire movie nor a perfect Neil Jordan movie.
There are a few really great things about this movie and they are the sets, art direction, as well as some acting (Cruise, Dunst and Rea). They all do absolutely wonderful roles. On the other hand, I didn't like Pitt's acting at all nor Banderas'. Overall Brad Pitt's portrayal is not that bad, it's quite consistent, but in the details it suffers. Many lines are delivered either really stiff or with a theatrical fashion. It looks as if he had trouble with the make-up and not being able to control his facial movement at all, which makes his acting look really unnatural and forced. But he does have his moments and he creates a somewhat likable overall portrait as an opposite to Lestat. (For someone not having read the books.)
On the other hand, I really enjoyed Cruises Lestat and would've loved to see Stephen Rea do a bigger role, his small role was absolutely wonderful.
One thing I wasn't too fond about this movie either is the fact that it plays like a serious movie, but ends like a blockbuster with a contemporary rock song. It's uneven, feels like something you get when the director and the studio don't quite have the same vision.