Repo! The Genetic Opera
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Movie Reviews of Repo! The Genetic Opera
Movie Review: Ken Russell's "Blade Runner"
Summary: 5 Stars
High above the ruins of a futuristic city-state that may be have been built upon the ruins of a desolated New York, the Largo family hold sway over a vast surgical/cosmetic empire with the ruthlessness of the Borgias. As proprietors of GeneCo., the sole purveyors of organ transplants and 'Zydrate' (an addictive drug which anaesthetises the pain of repeated surgery) to a desperate population riddled with organ failures and genetic conditions brought on by the rigors of mid-21st century living, they rule with absolute power over the lives of the citizenry. Life and death is theirs to command and, should you fall behind with the repayments on your organ transplant surgery, then they'll gladly dispatch the dreaded Repoman - a nightmarish figure who stalks the darkened streets of this dystopian metropolis like a neo-futuristic combination of Burke and Hare, Batman, Nosferatu and Michael Meyers...
Saw II - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) alumnus Darren Lynn Bousman's "Repo! The Genetic Opera" is a film you're either going to love or hate. No two ways about it. If you can't deal with gore, rock opera, apocalyptic visions of dystopian futures and theatrical bombast, then the chances are that you will hate it. If, however, like me, you grew up with the likes of Tommy, Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition) as the soundtrack to your childhood and slasher movies and cyberpunk as the literary and filmic staple of your teenage years, then I suspect that you will adore it.
A cast that boasts the likes of Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Anthony Stewart Head, Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre, Alexa Vega, and some chick called Paris Hilton, sing their way with gusto through a film which is almost unlike anything else you've ever seen. I say "almost unlike" because if you've ever seen any of Ken Russell's trippier movies from the seventies then you'll have a good idea what you're in for.
And be under no illusions, this is an opera of Wagnerian proportions - complete with laments to lost love, paeans to betrayal, familial connivance and even the standard trope of a murder occurring onstage whilst the lights are suddenly dimmed.
If any of the above sounds like your thing, I urge to check it out. You won't see a more bizarrely entertaining film this year, and I strongly suspect that you'll find yourself singing the lyrics to the infernally catchy "Zydrate Anatomy" for days afterwards.
Movie Review: Rock Opera at it's best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Three, count 'em, three (!) songs from Repo! The Genetic Opera are being considered for Academy Award nomination. That shows how amazing this film is. Sadly, Lionsgate does not consider this film to be all that amazing, and is not doing anything to support this nomination. Generally, a film company would send letters and sample DVDs to the Academy members, promoting their film. Lionsgate, however, is run by a bunch of idiots and they are not doing this. So, it is up to the fans to promote Repo! Here are the three songs that are up for the nomination:
"Zydrate Anatomy"
"Chase The Morning"
"Chromaggia"
Set against a futuristic backdrop where an epidemic of organ failures is plaguing humanity, people turn to the unscrupulous Geneco Corporation to purchase replacements for their failing vitals. Not everybody makes good on their payments, however, which is where Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) goes into action as one of Geneco's "repo men", brutally reclaiming defaulters organs at scalpel-point.
I loved it! It's basically a very stylized, horror rock opera. I was a little worried about Alexa Vega and Paris Hilton being lead characters in it, but Alexa Vega was marvelous, and Paris Hilton was basically being herself (an heiress to a multibillion-if-not-more-dollar company who's obsessed with fashion and thinks she's capable of singing), so she couldn't really go wrong. Her character didn't sing much either, so you don't really have to hear much of her voice. The songs are incredibly catchy and well written, and the actors had the voices that really brought the songs to life. Imo, the best songs are "Zydrate Anatomy," "Infected," and "Legal Assassin." There wasn't as much gore as expected, but the gore in the movie was great. Lots of someone being cut open and then the Repo Man reaching into his/her abdomen and taking various organs.
I've read/heard a lot of complaints about the film saying "oh the story's too complex and weird!" or "the lyrics were awful and poorly written!" You know what? The movie's called Repo! The Genetic Opera. "Opera" being the key word here. The melodrama and crazy story lines are a staple of classic operas! The story line is just like many classic opera story lines. I read someone's comment that the only opera aspect missing is a mistaken identity, which I find to be totally true. Weird lyrics are also a staple of classic operas. I mean, come on, they sing EVERYTHING in operas. Even "oh no, I've dropped my hat" gets turned into a ridiculously emotional song.
Overall, I loved this movie. The cast was great, the songs were great, and the style of the film was really interesting. I loved the nods to classic opera as well.
Final Verdict: 10/10
Movie Review: Not For The Squeamish!
Summary: 5 Stars
* ****WARNING SPOILER ALERT**** *
"Repo! The Genetic Opera", is an excellent horror film in the musical format of an opera! Many people will try to compare this to the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in the same way non-Epicureans will describe new food encounters by saying "it tastes like chicken." When everybody knows that even turkey doesn't taste like chicken. But due to inexperience, we have nothing else to compare it to.
This is not a movie you would want to watch with the children. The violence is not implied, It is very graphic, with copious quantities of blood and gore. There are also scenes of partial frontal nudity and in certain scenes the lyrics are unrestrained and contain the F-bomb, but not to a gratuitous level.
The musical score is an excellent heavy metal cornucopia, with throbbing bass lines and virtuoso guitar leads. The acting comes through on a professional level; in spite of any preconceived notions you may have about Paris Hilton's abilities.
The costumes are excellent and effective in communicating the somber mood of the movie.
The set and setting of the movie are in the future and parallels today's mortgage banking quagmire. Say, you go to the hospital to have a life-saving procedure performed, a kidney, heart, liver or lung Transplant. And the surgery company's (GENECO) high-pressure sales staff talks you into some expensive upgrades(facelift, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, etc...) all on credit. But don't worry you'll be able to afford it because, now you are "one of the beautiful people".
As an added assurance they give you a presurgery drug that GENECO developed (suppoedly to simplify the surgery) called ZYDRATE. It is actually a highly addictive patented compound extracted from dead humans. GENECO has used its considerable political clout to make it illegal for any non-surgery purpose. In reality it is used to make people keep coming back to get more surgery just to get the drug (and a vicious cycle begins).
But whatever you do, don't miss a single payment, or the surgery company GENECO will send out their collection agents to perform a "repo". But at that point they are no longer interested in your money. They want to collect(repossess)the anatomy parts that you purchased. And they are licensed to do it anywhere they find you, in the streets, in a dark alley, at a restaurant, in your bed or at the theater. During this surgery there are no drugs of any kind. There's just you the repoman and a scalpel.
I do not presume to speak for everyman, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. And I hope you will also!
Movie Review: A Breath of Fresh Air (May Contain Spoilers)
Summary: 5 Stars
During a time when it seems like there are no new ideas for movies and the film industry is filled with remakes, sequels, and adaptations, REPO! The Genetic Opera is a welcome breath of fresh air. Though it is, techically, an adaptation of what started as a 10 minute two person opera, it has evolved into a brilliantly original film. The movie is a full fledged rock-opera with hardly a word of unsung dialogue. And don't let that put you off. This movie, while admittedly not for everyone, is a masterpiece of music, visuals, and wonderful actors and does have at least a little something for almost everyone. It is gothic, it has music, it is dark and twisted and has some gore, it has a touching story of a father's love for his daughter, it has comedy. It flows rather fluidly for the ammount of story being told and has a wonderfully diverse cast ranging from opera singer sarah brightman, to child actress Alexa Vega, to rock musician Ogre, to classicly trained actor Anthony Head, even to heiress Paris Hilton (who does a surprisingly good job with her character) The music is catchy, The story is original, the visuals are dark and astounding.
The movie is set in the year 2057 during an epidemic of massive organ failures. Thanks to GeneCo people could finance organ transplants, but failure to pay means a visit from the Repo Man, the legal assain. The story is that of Shilo (Alexa Vega of Spy Kids), a 17 year old girl with a rare blood disease who is kept locked in the house by her over-protective father, Nathan Wallce (Anthony Stewart Head from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) so that she doesn't have to face the cruel world that lies outside her window. Little does she know that he is also GeneCo's head Repo Man. The complex story line emerges as GeneCo's founder Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) discovers that he is dying and needs to find a worthy heir to inherit the company since he deems his own children, Pavi (Ogre of Skinny Puppy), Luigi (Bill Mosely), and Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton) unworthy of his legacy. To top things off, Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman), The leading Opera singer of the day, has decided that she cannot go on supporting a company that she does not believe in and decides to leave the genetic opera, much to geneco's dismay. But, a clause in her contract reads that if she leaves GeneCo she forfeits her eyes. Its a beautiful struggle for Shilo to finally break free of her father and try to save her hero Mag all while discovering the horrible truth about her father and herself. Throughout the events of this one night of discovery the character of Graverobber (co-creator Terrance Zdunich) narrates the story with wit and also has one of the most catchy and memorable songs in the whole movie.
Movie Review: Make your genetics[...]
Summary: 5 Stars
The Greeks believe that all great works of art come from the muses. And REPO! creators Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith have the best damn muse in the whole freakin world.
REPO! is a tale set in a futuristic world where an epidemic causes massive organ failures worldwide, and one company emerges as a savior of sorts. GeneCo manufactures new organs, and later turns plastic surgery into the latest fashion trend. Soon, changing everything from your face to your feet, and everything in between, is chic.
And just like the crack cocaine of today, this brave new world has a nifty drug called Zydrate. It is an addictive painkiller that is also sold as a cheap back-alley knockoff by Graverobbers, one of which serves as the Greek chorus to this bittersweet tale.
And just like that car of yours, your organs will be repossessed when you can't keep payments up. And that job falls to the Repo Man, a hooded scalpel-wielding SOB who carves you up like a turkey and absconds with your defaulted organs.
And where REPO! shines is not just its music, which is quite incredible. It also shines with its combination of interesting characters, like a man who wears the faces of women, and an incredible cast, that includes "Buffy" alum Anthony Steward Head (brother of Murray Head), former Spy Kid Alexa Vega (showing off the singing skills that wowed director Darren Lynn Bousman when he first saw her in a production of Hairspray), socialite Paris Hilton (where she provides a critic-defying performance as Amber Sweet, who ironically is the REPO! version of Paris herself), and the operatic skills of the stunning Sarah Brightman as the beautiful yet tragic opera singer Blind Mag, as well as the operatic skills of actor Paul Sorvino. And let's not forget Skinny Puppy frontman Nivek Ogre and horror alum Bill "Otis Driftwood" Moseley, who is also in a band called Cornbugs with musician Buckethead.
Overall, REPO! is the best film to come along in years, if not decades. If the unholy love child of Blade Runner and Rocky Horror knocked freak boots with the equally unholy love child of industrial rock and Wagnerian opera, then their love child would be REPO! The Genetic Opera.
And doubt the naysayers who think that this is pointless, stupid and whatever. This film deserves to be on the shelves of film buffs and casual film fans alike.
And see you... AT THE OPERA TONIGHT!!!