Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Repo! The Genetic Opera Blu-ray Movie Review

'Repo! The Genetic Opera' earns a nomination for most original movie of the year.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 11, 2009

It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it!

Repo! The Genetic Opera is like some sort of drug- or otherwise-induced hallucination that combines rock music with a twisted family feud where blood, power, and money are at the center of everyone's attention. It's imaginative to say the very least, combining elements of a rock opera with all of the expected highly dramatized and stylized performances, capped off by plenty of blood, intestines, brains, hearts, faces, bile, tissues, limbs, bones, eyes, and pretty much every other body part strewn all over the screen. Aside from being imaginative, it's a good idea and a frightening vision of the future that's certainly over-the-top, but also plausible (certain segments of it, anyway), which makes it even more horrific on a deeper level, far more frightening than the simple display of torn open chest cavities and organs yanked from bodies. The story is simple and clearly laid out, supported by the music, covered in blood and guts, and helped enormously by a few good performances.

That sums it up rather nicely.

In the not-too-distant future, human organs fail at an alarming rate and chaos reigns. A mega corporation, GeneCo, arises and offers organ transplants on payment plans. Its founder, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino, Goodfellas), has managed to persuade Congress to pass into law a bill that allows for the forcible repossession of organs when users miss their payments. The organs are recovered by "Repo Men," ruthless, tough, insensitive men who are paid to violently tear GeneCo's organs from bodies. The story revolves around a Repo Man named Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head, TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") who retrieves GeneCo property while at the same time caring for his ill daughter, Shilo (Alexa Vega, Spy Kids). As the plot progresses, the connection between Nathan, Shilo, and Rotti reveals itself. Meanwhile, it is discovered that Rotti carries a deadly disease. He begins the search for an heir to his GeneCo empire, hoping to pass over his own children, Luigi (Bill Moseley, The Devil's Rejects), Pavi (Ogre), and Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton, House of Wax), a trio of misfits and surgery addicts, and find someone capable of continuing on the proud tradition of organ replacement and violent repossession.

Repo! The Genetic Opera offers an interesting premise that suffers from questionable execution. Director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV) allows the film to meander here and there, and for as violent as it is, it seems somewhat reserved, even phony, in the execution of the repossessions and the display of gore. Some viewers may be disappointed with the decision to dramatize the film rather than simply making it an all-out Horror movie, but then again, for every Repo! there are a hundred My Bloody Valentine's, which means that Repo! must cater to an eclectic sort of audience that is tired of the same old Horror rubbish yet willing to think far outside the box and accept a premise that is novel yet completely inane, but also with a disturbingly prophetic feel to it. Perhaps the single biggest downside is that the drama never enjoys much of an emotional payoff. Yes, the film features a few twists and turns, but the climax comes as neither all that shocking nor all that upsetting. It fits with the tone and pace of the movie, but won't leave audiences emotionally drained or reflecting on what brought the characters to that point. It plays as a traditional sort of tragedy, as does the entire film, and even though it does a good job at developing the characters, the ending feels hollow.

Speaking of the characters, Repo! The Genetic Opera enjoys a slew of decent-to-good performances that, more than any other facet, helps the movie along and solidifies it as passable, yet not wholly memorable, entertainment. Paul Sorvino, excellent to flawless in most any role, plays the unscrupulous head of GeneCo with something of a fatherly, teddy bear-like quality to him. He's on one hand an evil you-know-what with an ugly background and the man responsible for making grisly and ultra-violent repossessions legal. On the other, he displays a tender side towards Shilo. It's his dual persona that drives the plot and makes him a fairly fascinating character to examine. Sorvino embodies the essence of the character nicely, and along with a solid singing voice, his is the best character, and the best performance, in the film. Anthony Stewart Head, better known to genre fans as "Giles," is a character much like Rotti Largo. He shows both a tender, caring side and a vicious, relentless side as he goes about his business as the Repo Man. He, too, pulls off the dual persona very well. Alexa Vega delivers, perhaps, the most unassuming performance in the film, playing her character rather straight, a character that, despite a terrible illness, is portrayed as the only major character in the film resembling anything close to normal. The Largo children each bring a highly stylized, over-the-top performance to their characters, and each performance seems to reflect the intended traits. It seems the goal was to create the ultimate dysfunctional family, but it doesn't quite succeed. The characters seem too forced and clichéd, and while each is appropriately odd, none are particularly memorable. Finally, Terrance Zdunich, co-creator of Repo! and "Graverobber," turns in a particularly good performance, too. He's creepy, acts the part nicely, looks just right, and does well as the glue of the picture, a narrator of sorts that leads audiences through the story at different points of the film. He also sings rather well.

Repo! The Genetic Opera Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lionsgate Presents Repo! The Genetic Opera on Blu-ray with a 1080p high definition transfer framed inside a 1.85:1 window. Shot on a High Definition Panavision Genesis HD Camera, the film features a very unique look. The picture is dark throughout with splashes of color here and there, most of it washed out by bright lights that drown out much of the color and detail. Whites in particular appear almost blinding in a few shots, and this lighting scheme, aided by some makeup, lends to many characters a ghastly, almost vampiric look that completely eliminates natural flesh tones in favor of a frighteningly pale appearance. This overblown look also lends soft edges to most every object. Fine detail is washed out as a result. Occasionally, viewers will note moderate detail in clothing or background objects, but the majority of the film is soft and slightly blurry in appearance. Blacks are a little dull in some shots and rock solid on others. Some noise is seen over the image.

Repo! The Genetic Opera Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Repo! The Genetic Opera tears onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack. This track makes sure to utilize all seven speakers, each providing plenty of atmosphere, sound effects, and music spilling out of every corner of the listening area. It sounds fantastic over the opening comic book sequence that sets up the back story, but loses a little steam from there. The more mundane scenes feature tiny-sounding effects, and music never really features the same powerful, clear and robust presence as did that opening segment. It's not bad, though. Everything comes through crisply and cleanly, with a decent amount of oomph behind it, but not quite as efficient and impressive as that opening. Dialogue reproduction is fantastic, with nothing hindering the spoken or sung word. This is a perfectly good track, but one that might have enjoyed a bit more in the way of robustness and power.

Repo! The Genetic Opera Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Repo! The Genetic Opera leaves viewers with plenty of bonus materials. Two feature-length commentaries are first. The first features Director Darren Lynn Bousman along with Actors Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega, and Ogre. This is one of those tracks that feels more like a group of friends enjoying the movie together rather than simply and dryly recounting all of the expected anecdotes. This track still hits plenty of production and behind-the-scenes notes in the midst of all the laughter. The second track once again features Bousman, this time accompanied by Co-creators Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, as well as Music Producer Joseph Bishara. This track, too, has a lighter feel to it, though not quite as giggly as the first. It covers all of the expected bases, including the history of the production, a discussion of the style and themes of the film, the sets, overcoming hurdles and thoughts on what the future holds for the film, and more. Also available are "select scenes audio commentary" with Bousman and Actress Paris Hilton for four scenes -- Zydrate Anatomy, Blame Not My Cheeks, Happiness is Not a Warm Scalpel, and Who Ordered Pizza. This duo also delivers optional commentary on a series of four deleted scenes presented in standard definition -- Come up and Try My New Parts, Needle Through a Bug, Buon Giorno, and Graverobber and Shilo Escape.

Next up are four featurettes. From Stage to Screen (480p, 10:54) examines the production's history, showing how it started as a "10 minute opera," the goal of combining The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Blade Runner, and how it transitioned to film. 'Legal Assassin': A Repo Man on the Edge (480p, 3:53) features cast and crew discussing some of the plot points of the film, particularly those that involve Nathan and Shilo. 'Zydrate Anatomy' Amber Sweet: Addicted to the Knife (480p, 4:15) takes a closer look at the drug Zydrate and its role in the film, including the song that describes its use to the audience. 'Chase the Morning' Blind Mag: The Voice of GeneCo (480p, 2:54) more closely examines the Blind Mag character that appears in the film and actress Sarah Brightman's performance. Four Sing-A-Long tracks presented in 1080p high definition -- Legal Assassin, Zydrate Anatomy, Chase the Morning, and We Started This Op'ra $#!( -- are also available. Concluding this set of special features is a GeneCo Poster Gallery presented in 1080p high definition, the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:14), and additional 1080p trailers for The Haunting in Connecticut, Saw V, and The Doors.

Repo! The Genetic Opera Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Repo! The Genetic Opera is a movie that will likely become a love-it-or-hate-it slice of cult cinema that will appeal to a limited audience. Those looking for a straight horror movie may be disappointed by the inclusion of the musical numbers. Rock opera fans might be turned off by the tremendous amount of gore. Repo! The Genetic Opera requires just the right frame of mind, just the right amount of love for the Horror genre, and an appreciation for an off-kilter style of moviemaking. It does feature several good performances in the midst of its off-the-wall story and style. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of Repo! The Genetic Opera is sure to please fans. The video quality seems to reflect the filmmaker's intentions nicely, but the audio is slightly disappointing. Those hoping for a plethora of bonus materials won't be disappointed. Repo! The Genetic Opera will likely only appeal to fans of oddball cinema, and to them this disc comes recommended.