In the dark, lonely world of the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), the prospect of spending all of eternity in isolation presents a daunting and terrible future for the lonely vampire.

Awoken by the stylish jammings of an obscure goth band, Lestat promises to deliver to the miscreants of society all they have ever dreamed of, and, as a result, rouses Akasha (Aaliyah), the Queen of the Damned.

After the seriousness of “”Interview with the Vampire,”” the concept of a rock star vampire who wakes up an ancient Egyptian vampire seems a bit preposterous, but it might have been successful anyway if it had been more original and less silly.

In contrast to the beautifully natural and somewhat tragic atmosphere in the early parts of the film, later moments are remniscent of “”Superman”” and “”The Matrix”” with computer-enhanced fight scenes. These should have added to the overall essence of the film, but instead leave it unrealistic and cartoon-like.

Townsend delivers a strong performance as the despondent vampire more welcoming of death than solitude. Vincent Perez adds humor to the serious Marius, the vampire who created Lestat. Beside these more seasoned actors, Aaliyah (although we desperately wish to like her) does not play the evil undead queen mother convincingly and instead moves about akwardly as an exotic temptress. Among the supporting characters, Marguerit Moreau delivers a flawed performance as an orphaned English girl enchanted by Lestat, losing her English accent 10 minutes into the film.

Although part of the cast does a decent job of portraying their respective characters, the uneven fluctuations in voices as well as the fantastic depictions of extravagant concerts and superhero powers make the film unrealistic. Instead, it is the soundtrack that best depicts the turbulent atmosphere and has a strong and powerful effect on the audience, with tracks from artists such as Disturbed, Marilyn Manson and Papa Roach.

There are some redeeming qualities to the film, including the humorous and witty remarks by Lestat and Marius, as well as the frivolous fans who cannot help but induce laughter. But overall, “”Queen of the Damned”” is unsuccessful for a film that once had potential.

‘Queen of the Damned’

***

Starring Aaliyah, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez and Stuart Townsend

In theaters Feb. 22

Rated R