“Repo the Genetic Opera” Review (available on Netflix & Amazon Prime)

(Note: those of you outside of the US might want to give unblock-us a try to watch this movie, either on Netflix or Amazon)

So, this movie showed up in my Amazon Prime recommendations this weekend, and I see that it is available on Netflix as well, as of a few days ago. “Repo the Genetic Opera” is a horror musical (yes, you read correctly), and definitely gains points for originality. It is available for free on Amazon Prime (you can get a one month free trial here if you want to watch the movie for free), and also on Netflix.

This is what Amazon Instant video has to say about the movie:

By fusing the ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and BLADE RUNNER, this unique production will modernize the “rock opera” genre with original music and rich, dark production design. Produced and directed by the creative team behind the SAW franchise.

For some reason I have been missing a good disgusting-horror movie these days and I felt in the mood for it. Plus the scenario of the movie was definitely intriguing:

A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.

Pun aside, Repo the genetic opera takes place in a pretty cool futuristic place, were people take a loan on surgery, and if they can’t manage to make the payments, the company selling the manufactured organs can take them back. Which kind of hurts… there’s a reason this is being produced by Twisted pictures, the people who made Saw, after all

Nevertheless, the movie is, interestingly, not as disgusting as a Saw movie, and the story kind of makes sense. In a way, the disgusting torture-porn bits of the movie integrate very well with the rest of the atmosphere, and somehow this is not as frightening as a movie like Saw.

Oh, also, pretty much the whole movie is made of rock songs. It is a musical, did I forget to mention that?

The songs go from “meh” to pretty cool stuff. My favorite song in the movie by far is “Chase the morning” (see youtube video below), followed by “Zydrate anatomy”. Somehow however, the “musical horror” gimmick kind of got boring to me about half of the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZcxUaPpZPM

The universe is great, the visuals are impressive, and I really wanted to love this movie. The thing is, for some reason, the story in it is kind of a “classic” and became quickly boring to me.

Interesting anecdote, Paris Hilton plays in this movie, and she plays the role of the plastic-surgery-addicted, spoiled daughter of a very rich man… I’m not a big fan of Paris Hilton, but I find it redeeming that she played such an ironic role in a movie given the image she gives of herself in real life. Wikipedia tells me she won an award as the “worst supporting actress” for this movie, which I feel is undeserved.

Overall, the actors are really giving it their best in this movie, which should be emphasized: given how weird and original the movie is, this could have been a huge career breaker for many of them, and I can imagine the actors questionning their own career choices while acting in some of those scenes, but really giving it all. I remember telling myself these guys had some pretty solid acting integrity to carry this project through, and they should be commended for it, not given raspberry awards. This was a risky project, and the movie industry needs more artistic experiments like this one, not yet another Michael Bay turd.

Repo The Genetic opera is a weird best that is difficult to categorize. I definitely enjoyed the universe they created, and was sad to learn that a sequel, even though it was initially in the plans, will probably not be made. However, I’m not sure I would watch this movie again. Other people have said it better than me, Repo The genetic opera is more than a movie, it’s an experience.

I’d highly recommend people to give it a try if they have an Amazon Prime or Netflix account (you can get Amazon Prime for free for a month), especially if you’re tired of always being given the same insipid stuff by Hollywood. This one should definitely surprise you.