Rock musicians and vampires seem like proper bedfellows.

With traits such as reclusiveness, narcissism, fits of aggressive behavior and the habit of staying up all night then sleeping during the day, the lifestyles are interchangeable at times. In “Queen of the Damned,” based on the best-selling novels by Anne Rice, the connection is more directly linked, thanks to a vampire who possesses a thirst for music as much as blood.

Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah star in Anne Rice's supernatural adventure Queen

After several decades in a New Orleans tomb, Lestat (Stuart Townsend) awakens upon hearing the throbbing sound of heavy rock grooves coming from a nearby band rehearsal. He reveals himself to the amateur act and explains that he can make them all famous rock stars.

Named The Vampire Lestat, the band soon draws worldwide attention. This is based primarily on the enigmatic quality of the lead singer, who never appears in public, only does press interviews via satellite TV and claims to really be a creature of the undead. Lestat also begins to expose many vampire secrets within his songs (performed by Korn frontman Jonathan Davis), leading similar powerful beings to want him stopped.

Among them is Lestat’s original mentor Marius (Vincent Perez) and a long-dormant Egyptian deity (the late pop star Aaliyah), who’s been resting for centuries until the right moment to assume command of the world. The opportunity arises for everyone to undertake their plans at a concert in Death Valley, where Lestat intends to make his first “live” appearance.

Although there was hardly a clamoring among the filmgoing public for a sequel to 1994’s “Interview With the Vampire,” the popularity of Rice’s series seemed reason enough to resurrect the characters. (Rice actually offered to write the screenplay to “Queen of the Damned” for free, but was turned down in favor of TV scribes Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni.)

As inauspicious as that sounds, this latest installment is a stylish exercise that fully embraces the vampire mystique. It avoids compulsory shocks or goriness. Instead, its strength lies with a kinetic visual atmosphere and a supremely sexy cast.

In the role that Tom Cruise originated, Stuart Townsend gives a charismatic portrayal as the ostentatious Lestat. The Irish actor is probably more famous to American audiences for the film he hasn’t been in than the ones he has the result of being dismissed from the plum part of Aragorn (that eventually went to Viggo Mortensen) after four days of shooting “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Townsend, whose last name already conjures images of guitar amplifiers, is perfectly believable as both a rock star and a centuries-old bloodsucker. Looking more like The Crow than Nosferatu, the lithe performer sinks his teeth into the role, giving depth to what potentially could’ve been a superficial, MTV-like spoof. And he shares many fine scenes with his co-stars, including the refreshingly un-Hollywood-looking Marguerite Moreau, who plays a human “talamascan” (defined as one who studies ancient and paranormal activities).

Unfortunately, the movie loses momentum when its leading man divides time with the woman of the title. The malevolent queen Akasha is too transparently evil to be of much interest. The other vampires (especially Marius) have a real complexity to their emotions. They seem to perpetually struggle with their place in the world, and how their predatory existence harms the mortals that surround them.

Akasha just wants to RULE THE EARTH, although it’s never explained what that means exactly.

By the third act, the pseudo good vs. evil plot grows tiresome. The showdown becomes routine as special effects dominate over dialogue. One actually yearns for the talky introspection of the movie’s first hour.

Novice director Michael Rymer comes up with enough compelling imagery creepy vintage dolls, the cold eyes of a marble statue, the focused gaze of scattered vampires in a crowd of writhing concertgoers to camouflage the shortcuts in the flashback-heavy narrative. He also knows how to employ striking locations (mainly Australian) and an appropriate mix of modern and vintage set design.

But even he appears to grow tired of where the picture is headed. At one earlier point in the story, a human character is told it’s wise to “observe the dark realm but be not of it.” “Queen of the Damned” is best when its characters are engaged in observing and discussing, not when fighting and biting.