Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

I s**t you not, this really really is a musical (or Operatic) Horror film. Right from the start this film is bonkers but soo soo colourful and engaging - the opening credit's themselves should keep you hooked and wondering what the hell is going to happen in the film. I wasn't 100% convinced about the musical score but it wasn't at all out of place and did serve as great narrative drive as the film progressed. There are comic-book flashbacks which serve to keep this nerds taste buds moist. The film takes place in 2046 in it's own Gothic and dark world - it's visually stunning and due to the complexity of the construct I can see a lot more films being spawned from this. Organ failure is a common problem and to assist civilization companies like GeneCo have been set up. GeneCo is a bio-tec company offering organ transplants for a cost, the largest company. For a price they will fix it's customers, but should they miss a payment the RepoMan will be sent to hunt them down to get GeneCo's product back. This is normal everyday life for a culture addicted to painkillers and medication. Anthony Head is the RepoMan, contracted by Paul Sorvino's Rotti Largo character in an almost Faustian pact to repossess organs and limbs of people unable to maintain payments. This is the deal for Head thinking/assuming that he killed his wife and Rotti lets him continue believing this. Meanwhile Head's daughter Shilo (Alex PenaVega) is struggling with life growing up with a degenerative disease which will ultimately kill her. Shilo has her own adventures but will cross paths eventually with the Largo family members and some home truths about her childhood. The Largo kid's (Paris Hilton, Bill Mosely, and Nivek Ogre) are all fighting for the power to control Largo Rotti's GeneCo empire. A chance encounter allows Shilo to meet Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman) who helps assist Shilo discover herself and the deals which were made when her mother dies and the RepoMan was born. The climax of the film is a brilliant fight scene/opera song worthy of any musical. I recommend this film highly to anyone similar to myself who likes brilliantly bonkers spectacular movies, who might just have a penchant for horror or the occasional musical - FTR this is not as 'camp' as you'd expect from a musical, sure it's got songs to replace speeches but it works extremely well and you may just find yourself humming some of the songs after the credits have rolled. If you enjoyed "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Sweeny Todd" this is a natural progression and you will not be disappointed. A total departure from what I'd expect the director of 'Saw' films to make but well done Darren Lynn Bousman, I take my hat off to you. I can see this film being a cult classic and shown on many midnight Halloween film events. It's extremely original, it's visually stunning, and direction and production values are extremely high. Casting is brilliant and you'd normally expect such big names to get more screen time, the complex relationships between characters is explored via comic style flashbacks which just add to the beauty and appeal of this film. I really can't say enough superlatives about this film, just leave expectations at the door and let the film's world immerse you in itself.

Hmm. I'm not sure what to think of REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA; as a film it gets an A+ for enthusiasm and effort, but in terms of quality it's something else entirely. This is a poorly shot (by SAW director Darren Lynn Bousman), over the top rock/horror/musical about a futuristic society where plastic surgery and the repossession of body organs are the focus of the story. It's a bit like REPO MEN but with songs instead of dialogue.REPO! was perhaps inspired by Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD horror musical but it's nowhere near it in terms of consistency and quality. The best thing I can say about REPO! is that some of the songs are sung well, but in terms of lyrics and storyline, well, you can forget it. We get a bunch of unpleasant characters going around offing each other in various cheesily gory ways while they sing about it. The whole thing is shot in the dark on a cheap budget so it doesn't look too great.Cast-wise, it's a mixed bag. There are veteran actors like Paul Sorvino and Anthony Head who are really game and who you can't help but enjoy. But the lead actress, Alexa Vega, is acceptable at best and doesn't really have much in the way of presence despite being on screen for almost all of the running time. Bill Moseley's here too, but I had enough of his hammy schtick before long. Why they cast Paris Hilton I don't know, because a singer she isn't. Still, we do get a prominent supporting role for Sarah Brightman, and she sings everybody else off the screen. The film suffers big time whenever she's not around; a pity that she's mired in such a messy, juvenile production.

I'm going to say something that might sound a bit weird, but when I first saw this film I thought 'what the hell was that?'Like a lot of people in the forum have said, it gave me a kind of strange headache a lot like the first time I watched Moulin Rouge which, just like Repo, went on to become one of my all time favourite musicals. My explanation for what made me change my mind? I gave it another watch and the songs got stuck in my head, it's about as simply as that.So the premise of this movie - without giving everything away - is that a mega-corporation known as GeneCo have started transplanting organs for people due to a global epidemic of organ failure, but only as long as they agree to pay money or face the consequences (potential organ repossession which is now legal.) The guy who carries out these repossessions is known as the Repo Man and, of course, is widely feared (and for good reason!)One of the things I love, and yes even admired the first time I watched this film, about Repo is the originality of its storyline. The characters are so bizarre and different that it's actually highly refreshing. The only other films/productions it's slightly reminiscent of are The Rocky Horror Picture Show (for a mixture of horror and straight up camp theatrics) and maybe even some of the Saw flicks (in terms of gore, which maybe isn't all that surprising since Darren Lynn Bousman directed a couple of those as well.)This movie mixes animation, creepy prosthetics (I'm looking at you Pavi) and some pretty twisted humour but in the end it's going to be the soundtrack that determines whether you dig this film or not. My one word of advice, as you can see from my own story, is to give it a couple of watches or even listen to the soundtrack away from the movie. Once you like it, you really like it and soon you'll be fighting with people over who's better, Luigi or Pavi. If you straight up don't like the soundtrack, you may never get this movie.But for your sake I hope you do.

I was introduced to this film the fall of 2008 by one of my best friends. She watched it and automatically knew I would love it and she was right. From the first scene, I was intrigued. The characters, the plot, the music.... it all captured my heart. I found myself being able to relate to the character Shilo in some ways. I was hesitant when I learned that Paris Hilton was in the movie, but after seeing it I grew to like her just because of her role in the film. She did an amazing job. Anthony Stewart Head is an amazing actor and has a fantastic voice (those of you who watched Buffy should remember this from the musical episode). His character is just amazing... And Alexa Vega... I grew up watching her in Spy Kids and she has always been an excellent actress. She shines in this role. If you like musicals or gory horror films, you will love it. The songs were stuck in my head after the first time I watched it and honestly, they still are. The creators of this film are genius. If you watch this and decided you like it, I highly suggest you research their new movie The Devil's Carnival which will be released in just a few days. It even has a few of the same actors from Repo!