Repo! The Genetic Opera - The Movie Discussion

[ChronoGrl]

So I just watched Repo! The Genetic Opera (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963194/) and I have to say, I was disappointed...

I mean - I love blood. I love horror. I LOVE eugenics! AND I love musicals!

So when the movie began and the senses were engaged with the pop comic art introduction re: organ repossession, I began to quiver with veritable delight!

...

But some of the songs were so insipid and poorly-written that I just wanted to GAG!

I mean - I am not a virgin to musicals. I've seen some in my day. A LOT in my day, actually. I've seen musicals that are smart, funny (everything from Cabaret to Les Miserables to Avenue Q) to musicals that are horribly overrated (RENT). So I tend to be sympathetic to the musical theater - I've seen what it can do; I've seen its highs... And I LOVE its successes...

But unfortunately Repo! fell horribly, horribly short.

I mean - I would keep the entire premise, story, plot, backstory, characters - EVERYTHING! - and just rewrite the whole damn thing if I could. And while I DID like the characters, I would have fleshed them out a bit more, particularly the Largo kids.

As for the movie, it was fun - Well-directed, great set and costumes, well-acted (with the exception of Bill Moseley, but to be fair, I don't think that his character Luigi was very well-defined), but using the bones if a poorly-written play really ruined it for me.

I mean - It was HOT!

I WANTED to like it, but it seriously needed a rewrite. I'm angry and embarrassed that such a fantastic horror concept was allowed to be presented so poorly with that writing.

I mean - We're geeky horror fans. But we're not illiterates for Christ's sake.



Has anyone else seen this movie? Anyone saw the play on stage? What are your thoughts? Good? Bad?

[Roderick Usher]

I'm with you. I dig musicals. I've been in musicals.

I'm also a gorehound and fan of dystopian future scifi stories, so this one had me primed from the get-go. But this film just fell flat for me.

The songs were really bad. Painfully, laughably bad. And the story? Ugh.

Everyone who gets gutted (and the gore is spectacular!!!) is a character who just appeard on screen at that moment to be killed. We never have a chance to feel any hint of fear because we don't care about the people being killed.

AND... it's a movie about a Repo Man who rips organs out of people and there isn't a single lead character with an organ in danger of being reposessed!:confused: :confused: :confused:

That's just bad story-telling

You should ALWAYS have your antagonist in direct conflict with your protagonist.

And every bit of connect-the-dots exposition was handled with TEXT on screen in those comic-book panels. TEXT ON SCREEN? You can't be more creative than that? That's lazy writing.

I really wanted to love this, but it was so poorly concieved that I ended up hating it.

[AUSTIN316426808]

I'm not sure how many more times I'll watch it, but it was weird and fun enough to keep me entertained.

[TM-Beane]

This movie was so good, I loved it~

[Disease]

I was really dissapointed with the songs as well, maybe 1 or 2 were decent, but the rest not so. It looked amazeing, but what it was ment to be or could have been and what it was were to different things. Saying that, I did still like it by the end, but there wasn't enough redeeming factors considering the expectations it had brought apon its self.

[Doc Faustus]

Good world building put to waste and it's a shame. They finally made it seem like Paris Hilton seem like a sentient being instead of the walking sperm bank she tends to be. Sarah Brightman gave me chills too. But you gotta write the shit! It's not the heir to Rocky Horror they said it would be which is a shame because of how strong it is visually and how much thought went into its inception. The grimmest part of this dystopia is that nothing sensible happens.

[milktoaste]

So I ask the question, should I pay $5.99 to watch this on On Demand, or keep watching some random classics?

[Roderick Usher]

random classics - wait for this one to hit HBO

[urgeok2]

So I ask the question, should I pay $5.99 to watch this on On Demand, or keep watching some random classics?


i bought it - because i want to see it for myself

[newb]

I'll admit it......I'm not a huge musical fan. I really have to be sold and won over for a movie to work as a musical. I watched Sweeny Todd with much trepidation....but the story and music finally won me over. I've seen Jesus Christ Superstar on stage a number of times...once with the original Jesus & Judas.....one time the dude from Styx playing Pilate....or Herrod...one of those...one time in a small club in Boston with Gary Cherone [ EXTREME ] playing Jesus......the wife dragged me to a Phantom of the Opera play [ I didn't make that whole show....ended up at the bar with one of my friends ].

So I guess what I'm trying to say is.....don't go on my word...but I watched this movie for 5 minutes and turned it off after the first song.

[ChronoGrl]

I'm with you. I dig musicals. I've been in musicals.

I'm also a gorehound and fan of dystopian future scifi stories, so this one had me primed from the get-go. But this film just fell flat for me.

The songs were really bad. Painfully, laughably bad. And the story? Ugh.

Everyone who gets gutted (and the gore is spectacular!!!) is a character who just appeard on screen at that moment to be killed. We never have a chance to feel any hint of fear because we don't care about the people being killed.

AND... it's a movie about a Repo Man who rips organs out of people and there isn't a single lead character with an organ in danger of being reposessed!:confused: :confused: :confused:

That's just bad story-telling

You should ALWAYS have your antagonist in direct conflict with your protagonist.

And every bit of connect-the-dots exposition was handled with TEXT on screen in those comic-book panels. TEXT ON SCREEN? You can't be more creative than that? That's lazy writing.

I really wanted to love this, but it was so poorly concieved that I ended up hating it.

Agreed. Of course, Mags' organs were up for repossession, but, quite frankly, they should have developed her character more and her relationship to Nathan and Shiloh. I thought that her character was interesting, but needed some SERIOUS fleshing out.

And you're right - There was DEFINITELY not enough conflict with the Repo Man.

And you're right about the songs; they WERE laughably bad. And the music too. I felt as though this was written for a seventeen-year-old, BY a seventeen-year-old. Seriously. The writing was so incredibly amateurish I could have done better in middle school (the song "Seventeen" in which Shiloh rebels was just... pedestrian).

I needed to sympathize with Shiloh, but I found her pathetic when she was supposed to be interesting and unbelievable when she was supposed to be rebelling. I would have either severely cut down her roll or pay attention to the rewrite.

And what's REALLY shocking is that the movie should - SHOULD have focused on our antagonists - The Rotti children. They should FASCINATE the audience. But instead their musical numbers were frenetic, short, and poorly-written.


My boyfriend brought up a good point, too - This play took itself too seriously - I would have been FINE with the over-the-top operatic drama if there was some tongue-in-cheek esoteric theatrical nods to it.

[milktoaste]

So I guess what I'm trying to say is.....don't go on my word...but I watched this movie for 5 minutes and turned it off after the first song.

Thanks guys, it sounds to me like I'd do the same thing as Newb.

[jenna26]

I'm actually in the minority here, I really liked it. Not because it was just great, because it really wasn't....it had all kinds of problems (many that have been mentioned here, I agree the music and writing both were often very weak, I also REALLY didn't like some of the casting). But I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had an absolutely great time. For me, very flawed, but unique and fun despite it all.

[phillu]

I saw it yesterday.
Man this could've been a cult movie if they just had gotten some memorable songs in there. Just like Sweeny Todd.
The rest I really liked.

[Hilti88NYC]

I thought it was great fun. Bought it on bluray.

You people need to ease up.Its a musical horror and meant to be fun,so why dont you tight asses loosen up and enjoy it for what it is.

People are just never pleased.

[Papillon Noir]

First off, it's an opera and not a musical. There's a difference. A musical is a theatrical narrative with some singing and dancing. An opera is an art form where singers and musicians perform a dramatic work. Even the ending culminates in a traditional opera house to remind you of what you are experiencing, an-opera-within-an-opera. Repo has recitative sections for plot and aria sections to show emotion, and it even has a Greek Chorus (Graverobber). It also has both tragic and comedic elements similar to the style started in the Baroque period.

I know not all of the songs are perfect, but I don't think they are terrible. They are really all different as each one is it's own little art scene. They don't really transcend into one another the way a musical would. The storyboarding connects it together and I think updates the opera, otherwise you'd be looking at 3 hours instead of an 1 1/2hr like a traditional opera to get all that backstory. Also, the characters are as fleshed out as they needed be. This is not a regular narrative and they rules are just different.

Now, I know not everyone will like Repo, just because the subject and ambience of the film seem to give it an automatic cult status. It really applies to a very specific audience. You will either hate or love this movie, there really is no middle ground. I was lucky enough to see this in the theatre and it's a whole different experience. You really feel like you're in a opera house, much different than my tiny TV at home. I also really liked the cast, I thought they all did an amazing job.