The reason Cruise is on the poster is not just because he's the bigger star, but because Lestat is the main character of the 2nd and 3rd books, and was the more popular character in the series.
Louis was the perfect sympathetic entry character like Kitty Pride in the X-men, but Lestat is the Wolverine of the piece... constantly searching for answers and finding nothing.
Anne Rice was initially sceptical and quite angry at Tom Cruise being cast as Lestat. But when she saw the film, she made a personal phone call to him, to congratulate his performance and honouring the character, as it was written. So yeah, he did a great job and Anne is a testament to that...i really loved this reaction btw. It was funny 😄🤣😄
It was totally different from what we knew if Cruise. This was long before his cray-cray days, back then he wasn't seen as eccentric at all. He was a typical action movie star. So then he took on this completely different role and everyone was so hyped about how well he played "sophisticated lunatic" lol
@@walkerlocker6126 'a typical action movie star' actually no. if you go through his filmography, you'll see that most of his character-driven drama films were done between the late 80s and the mid 90s, so during this time period (when he did IWTV), he was less of an action movie star rhan he is now. after 1996, he almost always stuck to making mainstream action flicks
Such a great intro for Kirsten Dunst in her first co-star role. She basically knocked it out of the park especially against big stars like Pitt and Cruise. I also thought Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea made huge impressions even with much more limited roles.
@Rocket1377 yeah they intentionally used Banderas because the homosexual subtext between Armand and Louis made the relationship between a grown man and a boy who was 16 and looked 13 or so troublesome on film. Kirsten and Brad were okay because it felt like a Father and daughter relationship, Armand and Louis felt like lovers.
As a goth teen in the 90s, this movie was everything. We went to the regular theater a couple times and the dollar theater a couple times a week until it was done. Then we all got VHS copies we watched at every sleepover. We quoted it constantly. Armand was my favorite, followed closely by Louis.
don't remember the movie too much, I read some of the books and liked the sequel (think it was a prequel actually) from the pov of Lestat a lot more, I found him far more relatable (when I was an angsty teen) and compelling than Louis
@@Dularr I missed it. Too old? I was nearly 30 with a kid and in the midst of a divorce when the movie came out. I had skipped the books because I wasn't reading a lot of YA then. TBF, I wasn't reading a lot then, it was not my favorite time. I read a lot again now, but I focus on sci-fi/fantasy and erotica (which I also write, lol). Thus- I have never read, nor seen, Twilight. Though I did read the first Fifty Shades of Grey book (to properly criticize the fake/toxic/abusive BDSM aspects), which was a Twilight fanfic. Horrible stuff, do not recommend.
Technically Lestat is kind of the protagonist of the Vampire series. A lot of Rice's stories either center directly around him or feature him as a large supporting character. Rewatching this I would have LOVED more of this cast and this series with the proper treatment, it's so sad we never just got more of this.
IMO, Interview is the best, most moving novel. Retconning of Lestat into a silly rock star was a huge mistake. Each successive book is worse than the last.
Simone, the book(s) are different enough that watching this really won’t ruin it for you. Particularly the first 5 or so books are genuinely fantastic. Also, guys, if ya want a HILARIOUS vampire mockumentary: What We Do In The Shadows. It is amazing.
"Thelma and Louise" and this film introduced Brad Pitt to the masses as a pretty boy movie star. But his work the next year in "12 Monkeys" cemented his status as a great award-winning dramatic actor. 1994-1995 was a big time for Brad Pitt with the release of this, "Legends of the Fall", "12 Monkeys", and "Se7en". In contrast, by 1994, Tom Cruise was already an established leading man and had his first Oscar nomination. Anne Rice initially thought his fame and previous roles might be too distracting for the audience to believe he was Lestat.
Brad was never afraid to do roles in wich you wouldn't expect someone like him to be in. Even if he had to be made "uglier" or grimy, and he is a good actor, not just a pretty face. His range is quite diverse.
You think so? Watching 12 Monkeys, I kept thinking, "Good gods, someone get that boy an Oscar before he explodes!" He tried WAY too hard in that film, to the point where the effort was palpable. You can't out-Meryl Meryl, kid, so calm down and give us a real person.
Nobody ever mentions Kalifornia with Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Juliette Lewis and Michelle Forbes - it was horrible! BP plays a truly scary guy with no boundaries at all, social or physical. I think it was 1993 - I saw it at the local arthouse cinema.
Whilst the book isn't essential to understanding the film, I can highly recommend that you guys read the original Trilogy in The Vampire.Chronicles. It goes into great depth about how vampires came to be.
Haven't read for book for Interview for some reason, but the other two The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned are definitely great reads, and go WAY deeper into the lore behind Anne Rice's vampires. Wish they'd done films of those two as well at the same quality of Interview, rather than the mishmash that's reallly the other two squeezed into a single film minus most of the details.
I agree, even as good as this movie is, the book trilogy is just so much more in depth and well developed. And the movie version of "Queen of the Damned" just didn't do the books justice.
"Oh my god... Oh my god! Jesus, this guy..." Lestat dancing with Claudia's dead mother is one of his best scenes. He's such an asshole to Louis and so disrespectful of mortals 🤣🤣🤣
Oh man, this movie/book franchise has a story with my family. This movie came out in '94, and my Mom (who was a massive Anne Rice fan) won advanced screening tickets in New Orleans, where Rice is from and had a large house in. The next day on the radio, Rice was giving an interview and my mom called in to ask a question and proceeded to rip the movie to shreds because Rice's massive changes from the book to her screenplay. Rice was blown away, so much so she asked for my Mom's number off the air. Rice called our house later that evening. She invited her to dinner at her home and kept correspondence with her for a number of years. Even offered her a job as a tour guide for her house the following Halloween. She was grateful to have a passionate fan of the series and having the stones to call out studio meddling with a movie's production.
Well, that's interesting, because Anne couldn't stop praising the film once she actually saw it. Doesn't surprise me that she'd change her tune once she had someone's ear to bend.
What was it your mom didn't like in the movie vs the book? From what I remember it's one of the more faithful adaptations, broadly speaking, but also I haven't read it in a couple of decades.
@@hellomark1 the omission of characters, the skipping of Louis and Claudia's trips around Europe. Lestat kept Louis alive to suffer over days before finally turning him. In the book Louis was more than willing to feed of humans until he learns he can survive off of feeding from animals instead. The supernatural floating/flying wasn't in the books either. Louis knew Armand was responsible for Claudia's death and she hated that ending. Over the years, the movie grew on her. I think more of her issues was just a matter of pacing. Easier to move along in a movie, whereas if this was a mini-series or TV show that pacing can marinate with character development, etc.
@@dnllrnt Um, the flying very much WAS in the books. It didn't come up until the second one, but Lestat did have that ability. It's how he gets around when he has to travel and is in a hurry.
It's a lost quality to accept thoughtful criticism with grace and to even respect the person making it like that. To many writers today have an antagonistic relationship with fans.
It's fascinating that you didn't know she was in this movie, because this is the movie that really launched Kirsten Dunst's career. The movie has its ups and downs, but her performance is incredible. She's more intimidating as Claudia than most seasoned actors/actresses ever succeed in being.
This was the best vampire movie ever, in my opinion. When Ann Rice first learned Tom Cruise was picked to play Lestat, she was livid. He was too mainstream and shallow for the character, she said. But when she saw him act the part, she changed her mind and fully embraced him as Lestat. He won her over. Another trivia is that River Phoenix was supposed to play the reporter but he passed away and the job went to Slater
Claudia in the novel was a much more tragic character. In the book, they turned her when she was 5 years old. Imagine being trapped in the body of a 5 year old, for eternity.
Yes, except for practical purposes they couldn't do this film with all the adult themes with an actual 5 years old child. The Christians already hated on this film. They would've totally lost their minds if a 5 year old was cast in it.
@@clit_niblr0375 I think it was more because of how difficult it would have been to find a 5 year old that had the acting ability to pull off such a role.
From what I remember, the interview role was supposed to be River Phoenix but he passed away. So Christian Slater stepped in and donated his pay to one of River’s charities. Back in the day we were all upset by River Phoenix’s death so it kinda aided to the mystique of this movie.
True Romance not only has Brad as a side character but Christian Slater plays the lead, and the script was written by Quentin Tarantino. It also had one of the greatest casts of any one film ever.
2:03 if you guys haven't seen it you HAVE to watch What We Do In The Shadows (the New Zealand movie not the BBC series). Incredible twist on the idea of vampires being "interviewed"
My week has officially started with a laugh from the best line of 2023 Simone-" I wanna get into Anne Rice" George- " I prefer Anne Noodles" Me- "I'm now dead"
27:35 Tom Cruise was on the poster, not because he's the bigger actor, but because he played Lestat. The entire series in the books (and what little they made of the movies) revolves around Lestat. Interview with the Vampire was just an introduction to the world and characters. The second book is so named The Vampire Lestat. But until the 6th book (IIRC), they're all his stories.
As a child i loved this movie mostly because i was in "love" with Kirsten Dunst to be honest. But now i appreciate the almost epic storytelling and incredibly beautiful cinematography. That shot of the statue opening its eyes alone. Just beautiful. That was the time when CGI was used very sparingly, but with care ;)
Great reaction! Hey guys, on AMC+, Anne Rice, before she passed away, wrote a tv series titled the same thing that is airing right now! And if you've ever watched Game of Thrones, Jacob Anderson, ( GREYWORM) plays Bad Pitt's character, Louis! Anne Rice also wrote the books, " The Mayfair Witches," with Alexandra Daddario playing the main character, Rowan Mayfair. Phenomenal books, all of them!! You should check those shows out! They're GREAT💕 RIP Anne Rice, a true literary legend!
Assuming this hasn't been mentioned in any of the other comments.... it's vitally important to understand Anne Rice wrote this when she was grieving the loss of her own daughter. When you view the film through that lens, particularly Louis loss of his first family and then his second.... it's a completely different perspective. In many ways, Louise WAS Anne Rice, and her journey mirrored Louis's. Rice would choose to focus on Lestat rather than Louis in subsequent books...as she stated she had to let that part of her go to move on. Which IMO was sad because I would have liked to see Louis grow. But he didn't, and in subsequent cameos in the books largely stayed the same (at least as far as I read the books). Also sad was how this franchise nose-dived after this one... with the Queen of the Damned falling FAR short of the bar set by this film. The new TV show is different and has many fine qualities, but is ultimately too different from the original text for my taste...
I don’t know how far you read in the books, so I don’t want to spoil anything, but Louis does evolve! I also wish she had written more of him. Perhaps her son will?
She had considered the name "Lestan" originally as her her husband was named Stan. Thankfully she went with Lestat. Tangent, her son also became a writer.
Simone if you really want to know more about this world, please, PLEASE read the books. At least the first three: Interview with the Vampire, Lestat the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned. You are not gonna regret it.
Watching this as a kid shaped so much of my deep appreciation for vampire stories and goth aesthetic. Tom Cruise was PERFECT as Lestat, easily the greatest thing about the movie. And you're right there's so much of everything, from comedy, romance, to horror. It's like you were there to experience a whole life with the 3 main characters. Loved it. So glad yall enjoyed it too.
yes lestat knows how to drive, not because he has driven before but because vampires have a blood based psychometry. meaning he can see the memories and skills of those he drinks from
The books are so good! The TV show is such a great adaptation too. I HIGHLY recommend. Sam Reid as Lestat is just 🤤! The movie Queen of the Damned is technically a sequel but it is disjointed & altered so much so that I don’t even consider it related. The soundtrack is fire tho.
Warner Brothers butchered that movie. Den of Geek wrote a great article last year about the whole fiasco. They could have had an entire vampire cinematic universe before Marvel studios even existed, but they biffed it so hard we had to wait 28 years to get these characters back on screen
The most thought provoking scene to me was when Louie had just been turned, and looked at the statue. I would have like to have seen more shots like that. Immortal, but haunted by statues.
Anne Rice was a wonderful author. She wrote with great grace and imagination in a totally believable, but deeply dark and gothic idiom. Read dozens of her books.
Anne Rice is good, but she spends way WAY too much time describing certain scenes in her books. There's a part in Queen of the Damn where she goes on for like a page and a half detailing the intricate floral patterns on a piece of china and the decor of someone's home. It's like, okay, enough already. We get it. The person is very wealthy. Move it along.
@@magicbrownie1357 - Patience is one thing. Laboriously going on and on in excruciating detail about plates and furniture and home decor is just obnoxious.
@@magicbrownie1357 - No, if you're such a terrible writer that you can't succinctly get your point across then I'm not wasting anymore time with you. Life is way too short and there are way better authors who can do the job better.
Anne Rice's interview with the vampire redefined the vampire genre before vampires were just evil monsters . Anne Rice's books were the first vampire books to focus on the vampires point of view. They turned vampires from demonic monsters into incredibly morally complex characters. If you want to see more vampire see stuff check out The Originals
It just occurred to me that all those vampires killed Madeline along with Claudia and Madeline was completely innocent. She was a new born vampire. So they essentially broke their own rules and killed one of their own.
True Romance is a must! Brad Pitt def has a small role but it's such a good one! Starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Quentin Tarantino screenplay.
This movie and the book, were told from Louis’ point of view. Lester is actually the protagonist of the Vampire Chronicles. So you are right about him being the main vampire. But the books are amazing. The sequel (book) is The Vampire Lestat. It tells his entire history from a child to the vampire par excellence. In the next book, The Queen of the Damned, you get the entire history of vampires, back to the first one and exactly how SHE became a vampire to begin with. Well worth reading. Best vampire stories ever.
I remember reading them as a kid or young teen and I recall the Vampire Lestat being a far better book than Interview. I felt I related to what Lestat was about (his existential crisis and so on), not so much with Louis
@@helvete_ingres4717 Louis is a bit mopey. But with Lestat....I wish I could have his courage to go through life and death so unapologetically with all this "nothingness" . His constant questioning and painful realisation: everything has no meaning. So you have to MAKE the meaning for yourself. Plant a tree in your Savage Garden and grow with it. Fascinating character. Anne Rice called him the man she wished she could be if she was one. And he was a lot like her husband,too
This was a great watch along! For Simone, if you want more of this I would recommend the Interview with the Vampire book, it doesn't matter that you saw the film first as the book stands alone! The sequel The Vampire Lestat which gives a background to Lestats origin story is also a compelling read. The other books are good, but for me the first two are the best. I don't think I've clicked a link so fast when I saw you both had reacted to this masterpiece
Love your guys reaction! The Vampire chronicles world is very awesome to explore. There is another movie in the universe that came out "Queen of the Dammed" which follows the sequel books that focuses on Lestat's life before and after interview. It is a great movie and would love to see you guys react to it.
Such a great vampire movie. The tone is pitch perfect. It treats is vampires with both awe and horror. Too many vampire stories focus on one or the other. Vampires from Anne Rice are both creatures of incredible grace and intelligence, but also sociopathic (and sometimes psychopathic) qualities that make them monsters. They are not to be loved only but also feared. It's such a shame there's never been a sequel film that stuck this balance.
Simone, based on your response to this, I would absolutely recommend the first three Vampire Chronicles. They answer most of the questions, origin stories, and create vivid and fascinating worlds. Sooo good! Oh also, at this time Brad was an up-and-comer, Tom was a huge star, and Brad had just finished filming Legends of the Fall which was huge for him once released. So it was very much a Tom above the title movie, and an Oh yeah that guy is going places movie for Brad.
I remember when this came out, they had a sort of "launch party" on Oprah, in which she walked out halfway through and had a "prayer circle" in the lobby because they thought the movie was equal. When they were interviewing the cast later, they were like: well it's a vampire movie starring vampires, yeah, people are going to die in it...
When Anne Rice first heard that Tom Cruise was going to play Lestat, she was vehemently against it and refused to watch the movie. She eventually came around and found that she loved him in that role and from that point forward could picture no one else in her mind as portraying him. I know Simone enjoys D&D, but if she likes this sort of theme she really should try the RPG called Vampire: The Masquerade. It borrowed heavily from Anne Rice's books.
This is my favorite vampire movie ever! Some people were up in arms when it was remade for TV in 2022 using a very different take on the story. I had to watch it twice before I loved it. Give it a shot. The Anne Rice kids are credited in it for stamp of approval. (Not in the acting capacity but the approval capacity of the original books)
17:52 “come to me, I am sexier” L0l that made me crack up and then in the next sentence you said it was like the original snuff film, and that brought me back to AHS American horror story, I absolutely adore you guys
This is such a good movie! I'm so glad y'all enjoyed it. Not vampires, but a retelling type story that is pretty incredible that I'd recommend is Big Fish (2003) from Tim Burton.
There are hundreds of reactors out there, this is by far the best in my opinion. Your choice of movies seem to match my own taste, and your reactions are entertaining and fun to watch. Thank you for all your reactions over the years!
One of my favourite movies of all time, and one of the few where I wouldn't change a thing. The script, the acting, the music, the cinematography... it's all impeccable. I'd highly recommend reading at least the first books in Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. They're very good.
Great reaction you two! Simone - I'll just repeat what others have said already - if you want more of this universe you'll have to read the books! The first 3 in the series are essential, and then others that came later less so. A number of later books focus on the stories of individual vampires that appear in the first 3. Aside from Rice's vampire series, her other great book series is The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. The first of those books is The Witching Hour - which is simply outstanding. This one has just come out on TV as a series, but as they've made significant changes to it in the adaptation, do start with the book (if you're interested).
in case the comments have mentioned it yet; this was (based on) the first book of a series (5+ books) about Lestat. There are movies based on a few of the other books but they were pretty much bombs
Anne Rice said she was inspired by Dark Shadows ( TV show, in one part there's an alternate universe story where a writer writes a book about Barnabas ).
At the time this was made, Tom and Brad were the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. Antonio wasn't doing too bad, either. That was the point of casting them - their megafame made them the closest to what Anne Rice's vampires are: beautiful, wealthy, and attractive to everyone.
One bit of trivia tgat might make some of the interactions and plot points more clear, is that Lestat and Louis are of very old and powerful generation and marginally less diluted compared to the Paris vampires (which makes them far stronger and fascinating to the others). While Loius is extremely conservative with his power use, when enraged he is an absolute beast ps. Lestat IS the main character of the main story arc this is only a part of
At the time this movie elevated the vampire genre to art (the director, the actors were all high profile), along with Coppola's Dracula. And then Twilight happened lol
This book series is one of the origins of the emo vampire trope, except when it came out, it blew everyone's mind. It blew people's minds again when the movie came out too. I'd be very interested to hear Simone's perspective if she ends up reading the books.
I was a BIG Vampire Chronicles fan as a teen in the 90s, and, I remember being SO upset over the casting news. Tom Cruise just seemed like absolutely the wrong choice to play Lestat. BUT, I was totally blown away by his performance!
They also adapted "Queen of the Damned" as a sequel to this, but, it had Stuart Townsend as Lestat, instead of Tom Cruise, and, it just didn't approach the level of this movie.
Didn't Anne Rice feel the same way, and after the movie came out ended up taking out a newspaper ad apologizing to him? Or is that just a sort of urban legend at this point?
kirsten dunst definitely knocked it out of the park.. in that scene where she cuts off her hair, her fury is amazing. but i also give MAJOR respect to tom cruise. i think it might be his best acting in his whole career. also, this is probably my pick for best overall vampire movie/story of all time
Hello. I think this vampire movie had the best historical lure. It wasn't campy and had the intention to respect origins and not make it wonky. It was scary enough, but at the same time not gory. It may have been a bit shocking back in the 90s. Oh and I recommend Bram Stokers Dracula if you haven't seen it yet.
When Louis says "I failed again" he means that he keeps looking for someone who understands that his vampiric existence is ultimately a miserable one but everytime he tries to relate that, the person always says "Whoa, Vampire life is awesome!" and he's all "What am I doing wrong?! What am I doing that makes people WANT to be like this?!"
Wowee, it's so weird to see someone have this be the exception to the vampire stories! I'd seen some of Christopher Lee's Dracula movies as a kid, but I was 14 when this came out and for me, this is the quintessential take on vampires -- along with the RPG Vampire: the Masquerade. I'm not a fan of Cruise in it and I think it meanders here and there, but it's a lot of fun and I love the unapologetically gothic aesthetics of it.
Watching Tom Cruise devote himself almost entirely to Mission Impossible movies, it's fascinating that there was a time he was genuinely going very interesting roles. This, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia. Occasionally, he'll do Tropic Thunder, or Valkyrie or American Made or Collateral. I love what he does with Mission Impossible and that he seems to be the only person doing interesting things in Hollywood action movies, but I also hope he doesn't forsake those more wild and interesting movies for completely Mission Impossible
Now that he’s convinced he’s an immortal superhero who can cure cancer with his mind, I doubt he’ll be back. Unless he gets into some PR fiasco & does an a funny/artsy role to sway public opinion. *cough cough Tropic Thunder*
I live in New Orleans. I went to opening night of this movie. Anne Rice is a goddess here. I know every word to this movie. And, surprisingly, they stuck very closely to the book. Aside from a few small things they changed, like the reason Louis wanted to die, it’s faithful to the source material. The other books will tell you the connection between Lestat and the Paris vampires. No need to read the book before this one, though. Such a GREAT movie/book. Though my favorite is the second one, The Vampire Lestat. It’s amazing. But Louis will always be my favorite. I’m sure it’s said before, but Christian Slater filled in for River Phoenix. He died before he could make the movie. Man, I STILL remember seeing this in the theater. Soo good. Brad was SOOOOO beautiful 🤷🏻♀️
But right now, we´re blessed with a Interview with a Vampire streaming series, presenting Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt. And let me say this: it´s even better than the film. Jacob Anderson is so much more nuanced than Pitt and Sam Reid manages to be as charming, devilish and even more sensible(I´m refraining to use "humane") than Cruise, given it´s a seven episode season, which gives us a much more detailed story and character development.
2:03 Funny you mention that because there actually is a Show and a film based on the show called "What We Do in the Shadows" that's basically EXACTLY that.
For Brad Pitt Thelma & Louise got him noticed but Interview With The Vampire was his true breakout roll. Anne Rice did not like this production of her book and protested it strongly. And nearly everyone protested Tom Cruise playing the Roll of Lestat. I thought he did a great job.
You should check out the Interview with the Vampire TV series that just came out! I mean, you'll know what's going to happen, but the changes they made made it interesting in different ways -- I didn't feel like I was watching an exact copy of this and I was interested in seeing what was going to happen. I never could imagine anyone besides Tom Cruise as Lestat, but the new Lestat did an amazing job (and the new Louis and Claudia are great too).
Read the books! You’ll love them! They are so beautifully written, Anne has such a wonderful style. You don’t know what you’re missing! But make sure to read in the right order. Anne writing the screenplay is the reason why this movie is quite close to the book and everyone apart from Banderas was cast perfectly (Armand in the books is a 17-year-old boy with an angelic face and auburn locks). Anne wanted to turn her books into a tv series with her son Christopher writing the script. That would’ve been an epic series to watch I’m certain. Unfortunately, she passed away before the project could be realized, and the series they’re currently promoting as ”Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles” has very little to do with the original books. A shame. Fun fact, Anne objected to Cruise being cast as Lestat, because physically he was the exact opposite of the blond, 6 ft French aristocrat that Lestat is described as in the books. However, Cruise was the only actor who had actually read the books before he auditioned for the role, and he nailed Lestat’s narcissistic personality. After that, Anne had no further objections. :) Thank you for another great reaction, guys! 🙏
Claudia can create vampires but she has not enough strength to create adult vampires, she only could create vampires of her own "size". In the book she is much much younger, like 6, and she stated ironically that she would be capable only of creating a legion of child vampires. And about the movie regarding to the books one thing: this is the version of the events by Louis. Lestat has a different point of view of what happened...so yes, read the books. They are great.
Just noticed Christian Slater was driving an old model Mustang convertible, the same type vehicle driven by another Night Stalking, vampire-hunting reporter named Carl Kolchak.
The next book after Interview with the Vampire is called The Vampire Lestat. It is very well written and goes over Lestat's origins all the way up to modern times. It is a little truer(?) on the interactions between Louis and Lestat and is a heck of a fun read.
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![[TH] VALORANT Champions Seoul - Grand Final - EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvObMc9VelI/mqdefault.jpg)
Would you rather have Tom Cruise or Brad Pit fang you in the neck?
Antonio!
Cruise
Bradley.
neither. im too dom for that. i'd be biting tom's neck and bums, all day every day.
Cruise 100%
The reason Cruise is on the poster is not just because he's the bigger star, but because Lestat is the main character of the 2nd and 3rd books, and was the more popular character in the series.
Louis was the perfect sympathetic entry character like Kitty Pride in the X-men, but Lestat is the Wolverine of the piece... constantly searching for answers and finding nothing.
Anne Rice was initially sceptical and quite angry at Tom Cruise being cast as Lestat. But when she saw the film, she made a personal phone call to him, to congratulate his performance and honouring the character, as it was written. So yeah, he did a great job and Anne is a testament to that...i really loved this reaction btw. It was funny 😄🤣😄
It was totally different from what we knew if Cruise. This was long before his cray-cray days, back then he wasn't seen as eccentric at all. He was a typical action movie star. So then he took on this completely different role and everyone was so hyped about how well he played "sophisticated lunatic" lol
Tom Cruise stole the show...
although I must say that Antonio Banderas did a great job playing a similar/opposite role when Cruise wasn't on screen
@@walkerlocker6126 'a typical action movie star' actually no. if you go through his filmography, you'll see that most of his character-driven drama films were done between the late 80s and the mid 90s, so during this time period (when he did IWTV), he was less of an action movie star rhan he is now. after 1996, he almost always stuck to making mainstream action flicks
Such a great intro for Kirsten Dunst in her first co-star role. She basically knocked it out of the park especially against big stars like Pitt and Cruise.
I also thought Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea made huge impressions even with much more limited roles.
She was great in Little Women too
"She ruled that set in her little mind." - Brad Pitt talking about Kirsten
@Rocket1377 yeah they intentionally used Banderas because the homosexual subtext between Armand and Louis made the relationship between a grown man and a boy who was 16 and looked 13 or so troublesome on film. Kirsten and Brad were okay because it felt like a Father and daughter relationship, Armand and Louis felt like lovers.
She was really good in the movie, but she said at the time she thought kissing Brad Pitt was gross... lol
Yeah. I really liked her.
As a goth teen in the 90s, this movie was everything. We went to the regular theater a couple times and the dollar theater a couple times a week until it was done. Then we all got VHS copies we watched at every sleepover. We quoted it constantly. Armand was my favorite, followed closely by Louis.
Don't know if you know this but queen of the damned is part of this series 😊
As a fellow 90s goth teen I wore out my VHS copy and obsessively listened to the score.
don't remember the movie too much, I read some of the books and liked the sequel (think it was a prequel actually) from the pov of Lestat a lot more, I found him far more relatable (when I was an angsty teen) and compelling than Louis
As 90s goth kids, how did you react to the Twilight Saga? As a monster movie fan, I would debate old school vampires vs. Sparkly vampires.
@@Dularr I missed it. Too old? I was nearly 30 with a kid and in the midst of a divorce when the movie came out. I had skipped the books because I wasn't reading a lot of YA then. TBF, I wasn't reading a lot then, it was not my favorite time. I read a lot again now, but I focus on sci-fi/fantasy and erotica (which I also write, lol).
Thus- I have never read, nor seen, Twilight. Though I did read the first Fifty Shades of Grey book (to properly criticize the fake/toxic/abusive BDSM aspects), which was a Twilight fanfic. Horrible stuff, do not recommend.
I loved the dialogue in this film so much. It was like a Shakespearean vampire tale
Technically Lestat is kind of the protagonist of the Vampire series. A lot of Rice's stories either center directly around him or feature him as a large supporting character. Rewatching this I would have LOVED more of this cast and this series with the proper treatment, it's so sad we never just got more of this.
Yeah. I really wish they had made 'The Vampire Lestat'.
They were all in but couldn't align their schedules.
Lestat became a pretty famous name for Vampires because of that I think
IMO, Interview is the best, most moving novel. Retconning of Lestat into a silly rock star was a huge mistake. Each successive book is worse than the last.
@@tophers3756 I absolutely respectfully disagree with you Haha the books were amazing
Simone, the book(s) are different enough that watching this really won’t ruin it for you. Particularly the first 5 or so books are genuinely fantastic. Also, guys, if ya want a HILARIOUS vampire mockumentary: What We Do In The Shadows. It is amazing.
The series is even better!
"Thelma and Louise" and this film introduced Brad Pitt to the masses as a pretty boy movie star. But his work the next year in "12 Monkeys" cemented his status as a great award-winning dramatic actor. 1994-1995 was a big time for Brad Pitt with the release of this, "Legends of the Fall", "12 Monkeys", and "Se7en". In contrast, by 1994, Tom Cruise was already an established leading man and had his first Oscar nomination. Anne Rice initially thought his fame and previous roles might be too distracting for the audience to believe he was Lestat.
Brad was never afraid to do roles in wich you wouldn't expect someone like him to be in.
Even if he had to be made "uglier" or grimy, and he is a good actor, not just a pretty face.
His range is quite diverse.
You think so? Watching 12 Monkeys, I kept thinking, "Good gods, someone get that boy an Oscar before he explodes!" He tried WAY too hard in that film, to the point where the effort was palpable. You can't out-Meryl Meryl, kid, so calm down and give us a real person.
Nobody ever mentions Kalifornia with Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Juliette Lewis and Michelle Forbes - it was horrible! BP plays a truly scary guy with no boundaries at all, social or physical. I think it was 1993 - I saw it at the local arthouse cinema.
@@davidahmed7792 "put your titty back up Adel" Kalifornia is actually really good : P
Thelma & Louise was his breakout, but I think "A River Runs Through It" was his first leading (or at least co-starring) role that put him on the map.
Whilst the book isn't essential to understanding the film, I can highly recommend that you guys read the original Trilogy in The Vampire.Chronicles. It goes into great depth about how vampires came to be.
Queen of the Damned is my favorite Anne Rice book. So of course the movie version is terrible.
Yeah, just don't watch the movie version of Queen of the Damned because it sucks.
Such a great series!!
Haven't read for book for Interview for some reason, but the other two The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned are definitely great reads, and go WAY deeper into the lore behind Anne Rice's vampires. Wish they'd done films of those two as well at the same quality of Interview, rather than the mishmash that's reallly the other two squeezed into a single film minus most of the details.
I agree, even as good as this movie is, the book trilogy is just so much more in depth and well developed. And the movie version of "Queen of the Damned" just didn't do the books justice.
"Oh my god... Oh my god! Jesus, this guy..."
Lestat dancing with Claudia's dead mother is one of his best scenes. He's such an asshole to Louis and so disrespectful of mortals 🤣🤣🤣
Tom Cruise playing an asshole? Nah! That'd never happen!
Oh man, this movie/book franchise has a story with my family.
This movie came out in '94, and my Mom (who was a massive Anne Rice fan) won advanced screening tickets in New Orleans, where Rice is from and had a large house in.
The next day on the radio, Rice was giving an interview and my mom called in to ask a question and proceeded to rip the movie to shreds because Rice's massive changes from the book to her screenplay.
Rice was blown away, so much so she asked for my Mom's number off the air. Rice called our house later that evening. She invited her to dinner at her home and kept correspondence with her for a number of years. Even offered her a job as a tour guide for her house the following Halloween. She was grateful to have a passionate fan of the series and having the stones to call out studio meddling with a movie's production.
Well, that's interesting, because Anne couldn't stop praising the film once she actually saw it. Doesn't surprise me that she'd change her tune once she had someone's ear to bend.
What was it your mom didn't like in the movie vs the book? From what I remember it's one of the more faithful adaptations, broadly speaking, but also I haven't read it in a couple of decades.
@@hellomark1 the omission of characters, the skipping of Louis and Claudia's trips around Europe. Lestat kept Louis alive to suffer over days before finally turning him.
In the book Louis was more than willing to feed of humans until he learns he can survive off of feeding from animals instead. The supernatural floating/flying wasn't in the books either.
Louis knew Armand was responsible for Claudia's death and she hated that ending.
Over the years, the movie grew on her. I think more of her issues was just a matter of pacing. Easier to move along in a movie, whereas if this was a mini-series or TV show that pacing can marinate with character development, etc.
@@dnllrnt Um, the flying very much WAS in the books. It didn't come up until the second one, but Lestat did have that ability. It's how he gets around when he has to travel and is in a hurry.
It's a lost quality to accept thoughtful criticism with grace and to even respect the person making it like that. To many writers today have an antagonistic relationship with fans.
It's fascinating that you didn't know she was in this movie, because this is the movie that really launched Kirsten Dunst's career.
The movie has its ups and downs, but her performance is incredible. She's more intimidating as Claudia than most seasoned actors/actresses ever succeed in being.
"This is just spawn camping."
Awesome line. George! 🤣 🤣 🤣
This was the best vampire movie ever, in my opinion. When Ann Rice first learned Tom Cruise was picked to play Lestat, she was livid. He was too mainstream and shallow for the character, she said. But when she saw him act the part, she changed her mind and fully embraced him as Lestat. He won her over. Another trivia is that River Phoenix was supposed to play the reporter but he passed away and the job went to Slater
And Slater donated his salary to River Phoenix’s two favorite charities ❤
No way, I always thought River Phoenix would've made a great Louis. I had no idea he was intended for the role of Daniel
Claudia in the novel was a much more tragic character. In the book, they turned her when she was 5 years old. Imagine being trapped in the body of a 5 year old, for eternity.
And having the mind of an adult.
Yes, except for practical purposes they couldn't do this film with all the adult themes with an actual 5 years old child. The Christians already hated on this film. They would've totally lost their minds if a 5 year old was cast in it.
@@clit_niblr0375 I think it was more because of how difficult it would have been to find a 5 year old that had the acting ability to pull off such a role.
@@piercedviking8058 - That too.
Shes a tragic character because it's based off of Anne daughter who died at age 5 of a rare blood disease.
From what I remember, the interview role was supposed to be River Phoenix but he passed away. So Christian Slater stepped in and donated his pay to one of River’s charities. Back in the day we were all upset by River Phoenix’s death so it kinda aided to the mystique of this movie.
True Romance not only has Brad as a side character but Christian Slater plays the lead, and the script was written by Quentin Tarantino. It also had one of the greatest casts of any one film ever.
The Hopper/Walked scene was superb in that movie.
"Don't condescend me, man. I'll fuckin' kill ya, man."
Floyd is love. Floyd is life.
2:03 if you guys haven't seen it you HAVE to watch What We Do In The Shadows (the New Zealand movie not the BBC series). Incredible twist on the idea of vampires being "interviewed"
My week has officially started with a laugh from the best line of 2023 Simone-" I wanna get into Anne Rice" George- " I prefer Anne Noodles" Me- "I'm now dead"
I’ll probably think “Anne Noodles” at any mention of Anne Rice for the rest of my life 😂
In the Books, Lestat has his own story of what happened and its totally different from how Louis tells it... lol!
Simone, never settle for anything less than Naked Woman #1. Know your value.
I was thinking she was holding out for #6 😀
I'm curious about the movie. Especially with that kind of casting 😊😉
I would settle for number 2.
27:35 Tom Cruise was on the poster, not because he's the bigger actor, but because he played Lestat. The entire series in the books (and what little they made of the movies) revolves around Lestat. Interview with the Vampire was just an introduction to the world and characters. The second book is so named The Vampire Lestat. But until the 6th book (IIRC), they're all his stories.
George laughing at his own Ann Noodles joke warms my heart.
As a child i loved this movie mostly because i was in "love" with Kirsten Dunst to be honest.
But now i appreciate the almost epic storytelling and incredibly beautiful cinematography. That shot of the statue opening its eyes alone. Just beautiful.
That was the time when CGI was used very sparingly, but with care ;)
Great reaction! Hey guys, on AMC+, Anne Rice, before she passed away, wrote a tv series titled the same thing that is airing right now! And if you've ever watched Game of Thrones, Jacob Anderson, ( GREYWORM) plays Bad Pitt's character, Louis! Anne Rice also wrote the books, " The Mayfair Witches," with Alexandra Daddario playing the main character, Rowan Mayfair. Phenomenal books, all of them!! You should check those shows out! They're GREAT💕 RIP Anne Rice, a true literary legend!
Assuming this hasn't been mentioned in any of the other comments.... it's vitally important to understand Anne Rice wrote this when she was grieving the loss of her own daughter. When you view the film through that lens, particularly Louis loss of his first family and then his second.... it's a completely different perspective. In many ways, Louise WAS Anne Rice, and her journey mirrored Louis's.
Rice would choose to focus on Lestat rather than Louis in subsequent books...as she stated she had to let that part of her go to move on. Which IMO was sad because I would have liked to see Louis grow. But he didn't, and in subsequent cameos in the books largely stayed the same (at least as far as I read the books).
Also sad was how this franchise nose-dived after this one... with the Queen of the Damned falling FAR short of the bar set by this film.
The new TV show is different and has many fine qualities, but is ultimately too different from the original text for my taste...
I don’t know how far you read in the books, so I don’t want to spoil anything, but Louis does evolve! I also wish she had written more of him. Perhaps her son will?
She had considered the name "Lestan" originally as her her husband was named Stan. Thankfully she went with Lestat.
Tangent, her son also became a writer.
Simone if you really want to know more about this world, please, PLEASE read the books. At least the first three: Interview with the Vampire, Lestat the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned. You are not gonna regret it.
But if you’re into historical fiction and eventual speculative fiction, take the whole crazy ride!
Watching this as a kid shaped so much of my deep appreciation for vampire stories and goth aesthetic. Tom Cruise was PERFECT as Lestat, easily the greatest thing about the movie. And you're right there's so much of everything, from comedy, romance, to horror. It's like you were there to experience a whole life with the 3 main characters. Loved it. So glad yall enjoyed it too.
LOVE this movie, Kirstin Dunst OWNED the role of Claudia , stellar, once-in-a-career role
Agreed
yes lestat knows how to drive, not because he has driven before but because vampires have a blood based psychometry. meaning he can see the memories and skills of those he drinks from
The books are so good! The TV show is such a great adaptation too. I HIGHLY recommend. Sam Reid as Lestat is just 🤤! The movie Queen of the Damned is technically a sequel but it is disjointed & altered so much so that I don’t even consider it related. The soundtrack is fire tho.
The Queen of the Damned movie was... .a disappointment.
Warner Brothers butchered that movie. Den of Geek wrote a great article last year about the whole fiasco. They could have had an entire vampire cinematic universe before Marvel studios even existed, but they biffed it so hard we had to wait 28 years to get these characters back on screen
The most thought provoking scene to me was when Louie had just been turned, and looked at the statue. I would have like to have seen more shots like that. Immortal, but haunted by statues.
Anne Rice was a wonderful author. She wrote with great grace and imagination in a totally believable, but deeply dark and gothic idiom. Read dozens of her books.
Anne Rice is good, but she spends way WAY too much time describing certain scenes in her books. There's a part in Queen of the Damn where she goes on for like a page and a half detailing the intricate floral patterns on a piece of china and the decor of someone's home. It's like, okay, enough already. We get it. The person is very wealthy. Move it along.
@@clit_niblr0375 Reading requires patience and imagination. Anyway, it's still better than Melville describing the whaling industry for 88 pages.
@@magicbrownie1357 - Patience is one thing. Laboriously going on and on in excruciating detail about plates and furniture and home decor is just obnoxious.
@@clit_niblr0375 Or the reader has to improve their patience. Two sides to every coin.
@@magicbrownie1357 - No, if you're such a terrible writer that you can't succinctly get your point across then I'm not wasting anymore time with you. Life is way too short and there are way better authors who can do the job better.
“It’s exactly like what happens when a redhead goes out in the sun!” 😂🤣😂🤣😂 It’s SO true!!!
Anne Rice's interview with the vampire redefined the vampire genre before vampires were just evil monsters . Anne Rice's books were the first vampire books to focus on the vampires point of view. They turned vampires from demonic monsters into incredibly morally complex characters. If you want to see more vampire see stuff check out The Originals
It just occurred to me that all those vampires killed Madeline along with Claudia and Madeline was completely innocent. She was a new born vampire. So they essentially broke their own rules and killed one of their own.
Dopender- "You're my Tom Cruise!"
Deadpool- "You're my Kristen Dunst!"
True Romance is a must! Brad Pitt def has a small role but it's such a good one! Starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Quentin Tarantino screenplay.
This movie and the book, were told from Louis’ point of view. Lester is actually the protagonist of the Vampire Chronicles. So you are right about him being the main vampire. But the books are amazing. The sequel (book) is The Vampire Lestat. It tells his entire history from a child to the vampire par excellence. In the next book, The Queen of the Damned, you get the entire history of vampires, back to the first one and exactly how SHE became a vampire to begin with. Well worth reading. Best vampire stories ever.
I remember reading them as a kid or young teen and I recall the Vampire Lestat being a far better book than Interview. I felt I related to what Lestat was about (his existential crisis and so on), not so much with Louis
totally agree. I loved these books. I still reread "Memnoch" from time to time. And Vittorio...a loveletter to Florence and art.
@@helvete_ingres4717 Louis is a bit mopey. But with Lestat....I wish I could have his courage to go through life and death so unapologetically with all this "nothingness" . His constant questioning and painful realisation: everything has no meaning. So you have to MAKE the meaning for yourself. Plant a tree in your Savage Garden and grow with it. Fascinating character. Anne Rice called him the man she wished she could be if she was one. And he was a lot like her husband,too
definitely worth reading the books - they're epic and much more detailed and really deliver all that extra context and information that you want
I love George's jokes. "Moody teenager the movie" is a perfect description of vampire fiction!
The books are very different. Darker, more romantic and much longer. I highly recommend them.
I never thought of that before. Photography and movies allowing vampires to see the sun they otherwise are unable to experience.
The acting in this is PHENOMENAL. All the main cast just does an amazing job in this.
And the supporting cast/extras!
This was a great watch along! For Simone, if you want more of this I would recommend the Interview with the Vampire book, it doesn't matter that you saw the film first as the book stands alone! The sequel The Vampire Lestat which gives a background to Lestats origin story is also a compelling read. The other books are good, but for me the first two are the best. I don't think I've clicked a link so fast when I saw you both had reacted to this masterpiece
Definitely the most excited I’ve ever been to watch a reaction!
Love your guys reaction! The Vampire chronicles world is very awesome to explore. There is another movie in the universe that came out "Queen of the Dammed" which follows the sequel books that focuses on Lestat's life before and after interview. It is a great movie and would love to see you guys react to it.
Such a great vampire movie. The tone is pitch perfect. It treats is vampires with both awe and horror. Too many vampire stories focus on one or the other. Vampires from Anne Rice are both creatures of incredible grace and intelligence, but also sociopathic (and sometimes psychopathic) qualities that make them monsters. They are not to be loved only but also feared.
It's such a shame there's never been a sequel film that stuck this balance.
Yeah, although there've been others that come close
Simone, based on your response to this, I would absolutely recommend the first three Vampire Chronicles. They answer most of the questions, origin stories, and create vivid and fascinating worlds. Sooo good! Oh also, at this time Brad was an up-and-comer, Tom was a huge star, and Brad had just finished filming Legends of the Fall which was huge for him once released. So it was very much a Tom above the title movie, and an Oh yeah that guy is going places movie for Brad.
I remember when this came out, they had a sort of "launch party" on Oprah, in which she walked out halfway through and had a "prayer circle" in the lobby because they thought the movie was equal. When they were interviewing the cast later, they were like: well it's a vampire movie starring vampires, yeah, people are going to die in it...
I remember Oprah absolutely tearing Tom Cruise a new one for the violence in the movie. 🙄
@@nicolehand Oprah is just as insane if not more insane than Tom Cruise
When Anne Rice first heard that Tom Cruise was going to play Lestat, she was vehemently against it and refused to watch the movie. She eventually came around and found that she loved him in that role and from that point forward could picture no one else in her mind as portraying him.
I know Simone enjoys D&D, but if she likes this sort of theme she really should try the RPG called Vampire: The Masquerade. It borrowed heavily from Anne Rice's books.
I think Tom didn't like the character.
I think heard him say it years after
This is my favorite vampire movie ever! Some people were up in arms when it was remade for TV in 2022 using a very different take on the story. I had to watch it twice before I loved it. Give it a shot. The Anne Rice kids are credited in it for stamp of approval. (Not in the acting capacity but the approval capacity of the original books)
17:52 “come to me, I am sexier” L0l that made me crack up and then in the next sentence you said it was like the original snuff film, and that brought me back to AHS American horror story, I absolutely adore you guys
This is such a good movie! I'm so glad y'all enjoyed it. Not vampires, but a retelling type story that is pretty incredible that I'd recommend is Big Fish (2003) from Tim Burton.
There are hundreds of reactors out there, this is by far the best in my opinion. Your choice of movies seem to match my own taste, and your reactions are entertaining and fun to watch. Thank you for all your reactions over the years!
One of my favourite movies of all time, and one of the few where I wouldn't change a thing. The script, the acting, the music, the cinematography... it's all impeccable.
I'd highly recommend reading at least the first books in Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. They're very good.
The Play in Paris was epic! Pure poetry and art. Loved it.
Great reaction you two! Simone - I'll just repeat what others have said already - if you want more of this universe you'll have to read the books! The first 3 in the series are essential, and then others that came later less so. A number of later books focus on the stories of individual vampires that appear in the first 3. Aside from Rice's vampire series, her other great book series is The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. The first of those books is The Witching Hour - which is simply outstanding. This one has just come out on TV as a series, but as they've made significant changes to it in the adaptation, do start with the book (if you're interested).
There's a AMC series that gets more graphic and that mid season finale gets really hardcore brutal. If you didn't know this already.
in case the comments have mentioned it yet; this was (based on) the first book of a series (5+ books) about Lestat. There are movies based on a few of the other books but they were pretty much bombs
Anne Rice said she was inspired by Dark Shadows ( TV show, in one part there's an alternate universe story where a writer writes a book about Barnabas ).
At the time this was made, Tom and Brad were the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. Antonio wasn't doing too bad, either. That was the point of casting them - their megafame made them the closest to what Anne Rice's vampires are: beautiful, wealthy, and attractive to everyone.
Yes for Tom but Brad was only starting to really make a name for himself around this time, mostly supporting roles before this
One bit of trivia tgat might make some of the interactions and plot points more clear, is that Lestat and Louis are of very old and powerful generation and marginally less diluted compared to the Paris vampires (which makes them far stronger and fascinating to the others). While Loius is extremely conservative with his power use, when enraged he is an absolute beast
ps. Lestat IS the main character of the main story arc this is only a part of
At the time this movie elevated the vampire genre to art (the director, the actors were all high profile), along with Coppola's Dracula. And then Twilight happened lol
Beautiful! George pegged Louis' personality exactly, in scarcely over 3 minutes!
This book series is one of the origins of the emo vampire trope, except when it came out, it blew everyone's mind. It blew people's minds again when the movie came out too. I'd be very interested to hear Simone's perspective if she ends up reading the books.
I was a BIG Vampire Chronicles fan as a teen in the 90s, and, I remember being SO upset over the casting news. Tom Cruise just seemed like absolutely the wrong choice to play Lestat. BUT, I was totally blown away by his performance!
They also adapted "Queen of the Damned" as a sequel to this, but, it had Stuart Townsend as Lestat, instead of Tom Cruise, and, it just didn't approach the level of this movie.
Didn't Anne Rice feel the same way, and after the movie came out ended up taking out a newspaper ad apologizing to him? Or is that just a sort of urban legend at this point?
Cruise did a good job, but Lestat (to me) was much different than that. He was more elegant and thoughtful, rather than insane and small.
What do you all think about the roles being reversed? Brad as Lestat and Cruise as Louis?
@@Ivy94F I always thought Brad would have been a better Lestat, but Cruise could not have pulled off a Louis, he isn't pretty enough.
kirsten dunst definitely knocked it out of the park.. in that scene where she cuts off her hair, her fury is amazing. but i also give MAJOR respect to tom cruise. i think it might be his best acting in his whole career. also, this is probably my pick for best overall vampire movie/story of all time
Hello. I think this vampire movie had the best historical lure. It wasn't campy and had the intention to respect origins and not make it wonky. It was scary enough, but at the same time not gory. It may have been a bit shocking back in the 90s. Oh and I recommend Bram Stokers Dracula if you haven't seen it yet.
One of my favorite book series! Books are still better but they did a great job. I even cosplayed as Louis
The new tv series 'Interview with the Vampire' is different, taking place during a later timeline, but I gave it a chance & like it very much!
“What if it’s a documentary but the vampire’s just an idiot, like in Spinal Tap?”
That movie exists, it’s called What We Do In the Shadows
And Dracula Dead and Loving It
When Louis says "I failed again" he means that he keeps looking for someone who understands that his vampiric existence is ultimately a miserable one but everytime he tries to relate that, the person always says "Whoa, Vampire life is awesome!" and he's all "What am I doing wrong?! What am I doing that makes people WANT to be like this?!"
A. being rich
B. not dying
Wowee, it's so weird to see someone have this be the exception to the vampire stories! I'd seen some of Christopher Lee's Dracula movies as a kid, but I was 14 when this came out and for me, this is the quintessential take on vampires -- along with the RPG Vampire: the Masquerade.
I'm not a fan of Cruise in it and I think it meanders here and there, but it's a lot of fun and I love the unapologetically gothic aesthetics of it.
Watching Tom Cruise devote himself almost entirely to Mission Impossible movies, it's fascinating that there was a time he was genuinely going very interesting roles. This, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia. Occasionally, he'll do Tropic Thunder, or Valkyrie or American Made or Collateral. I love what he does with Mission Impossible and that he seems to be the only person doing interesting things in Hollywood action movies, but I also hope he doesn't forsake those more wild and interesting movies for completely Mission Impossible
Now that he’s convinced he’s an immortal superhero who can cure cancer with his mind, I doubt he’ll be back. Unless he gets into some PR fiasco & does an a funny/artsy role to sway public opinion. *cough cough Tropic Thunder*
I am so happy George mentioned “Man From Earth”. I love that movie so much and always wanted to do it as a stage play.
The Spinal Tap-esque, mockumentary approach to vampires you joked about in the beginning is basically What We Do In The Shadows, lmao
It would awesome if you two reacted to the first season of the new Interview With a Vampire show.
I'm gonna tell my kids this is Twilight.
I live in New Orleans. I went to opening night of this movie. Anne Rice is a goddess here. I know every word to this movie. And, surprisingly, they stuck very closely to the book. Aside from a few small things they changed, like the reason Louis wanted to die, it’s faithful to the source material. The other books will tell you the connection between Lestat and the Paris vampires. No need to read the book before this one, though. Such a GREAT movie/book. Though my favorite is the second one, The Vampire Lestat. It’s amazing. But Louis will always be my favorite. I’m sure it’s said before, but Christian Slater filled in for River Phoenix. He died before he could make the movie. Man, I STILL remember seeing this in the theater. Soo good. Brad was SOOOOO beautiful 🤷🏻♀️
The books were awesome. The Mummy and the Mayfair Witches are also in this world.
OMG ... I love Man from Earth!
... and if you want to know more of this world the Anne Rice books elaborate on it more and more as you go on ....
But right now, we´re blessed with a Interview with a Vampire streaming series, presenting Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt.
And let me say this: it´s even better than the film.
Jacob Anderson is so much more nuanced than Pitt and Sam Reid manages to be as charming, devilish and even more sensible(I´m refraining to use "humane") than Cruise, given it´s a seven episode season, which gives us a much more detailed story and character development.
2:03
Funny you mention that because there actually is a Show and a film based on the show called "What We Do in the Shadows" that's basically EXACTLY that.
For Brad Pitt Thelma & Louise got him noticed but Interview With The Vampire was his true breakout roll. Anne Rice did not like this production of her book and protested it strongly. And nearly everyone protested Tom Cruise playing the Roll of Lestat. I thought he did a great job.
You should check out the Interview with the Vampire TV series that just came out! I mean, you'll know what's going to happen, but the changes they made made it interesting in different ways -- I didn't feel like I was watching an exact copy of this and I was interested in seeing what was going to happen. I never could imagine anyone besides Tom Cruise as Lestat, but the new Lestat did an amazing job (and the new Louis and Claudia are great too).
2:08 you’re literally describing What We Do In The Shadows, which should be added to your watchlist asap! Hilarious vampire mockumentary
Thank you! This was awesome! Anne Rice wrote some wonderful books. So glad you liked this movie adaptation. :D
My favorite vampire movie! Ugh Tom Cruise was so amazing as Lestat 😍
2:06, You basically described the plot of "What We Do In the Shadows" lol
Read the books! You’ll love them! They are so beautifully written, Anne has such a wonderful style. You don’t know what you’re missing! But make sure to read in the right order. Anne writing the screenplay is the reason why this movie is quite close to the book and everyone apart from Banderas was cast perfectly (Armand in the books is a 17-year-old boy with an angelic face and auburn locks). Anne wanted to turn her books into a tv series with her son Christopher writing the script. That would’ve been an epic series to watch I’m certain. Unfortunately, she passed away before the project could be realized, and the series they’re currently promoting as ”Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles” has very little to do with the original books. A shame. Fun fact, Anne objected to Cruise being cast as Lestat, because physically he was the exact opposite of the blond, 6 ft French aristocrat that Lestat is described as in the books. However, Cruise was the only actor who had actually read the books before he auditioned for the role, and he nailed Lestat’s narcissistic personality. After that, Anne had no further objections. :) Thank you for another great reaction, guys! 🙏
Minute 2:00 you basically just described WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. My favorite movie. You gotta watch
Claudia can create vampires but she has not enough strength to create adult vampires, she only could create vampires of her own "size". In the book she is much much younger, like 6, and she stated ironically that she would be capable only of creating a legion of child vampires. And about the movie regarding to the books one thing: this is the version of the events by Louis. Lestat has a different point of view of what happened...so yes, read the books. They are great.
Man From Earth is a MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A very original way to film!!
I second this. A great low-budget movie.
Just noticed Christian Slater was driving an old model Mustang convertible, the same type vehicle driven by another Night Stalking, vampire-hunting reporter named Carl Kolchak.
Georges "Spawn camping" comment was a definite 'Wipe tea off the monitor' moment for myself.
The Vampire Lestat is the best book of the series imo, I never re read books but I've read that one three times I enjoyed it so much.
Lestat owned the theatre of the vampire
The next book after Interview with the Vampire is called The Vampire Lestat. It is very well written and goes over Lestat's origins all the way up to modern times. It is a little truer(?) on the interactions between Louis and Lestat and is a heck of a fun read.
The lady at 11:35 was my grandma's friend. Her name was Mrs Jeanette