Review of Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) by Luis V — 25 Nov 2011

A musical macabre! The makers of Saw made here, sort of what is called a rock opera, a combination of musicals with rock instruments. Shilo is a girl that is hidden by the world she lives because she is sick to the poisoning of her mother. His father is actually a Repo Man, a man that takes away your organs or any part of your body that you have transferred to Genco, the world?s top organization in giving you organs. Largo is the leader of the company and is in a dying state, but doesn?t want any of his children to get to the throne, so he uses Shilo against his father to put the city in the right hands.

The film is really complex. Nathan Wallace is a doomed character, the anti-hero, trying to protect her daughter from the awful truth. One thing that I seriously enjoyed from this movie was the acting. All actors in this movie really gave it their best in this movie. There are some good songs in this movie like Legal Assassin. The art direction of this movie was pretty neat which is sort of like a cross-over between a comic-book movie and a horror movie. This film is not as gory and bloody as the Saw franchise, so to let you know that is not so disgusting as the franchise. I actually enjoy the movie more than the Saw Franchise because in this movie we have characters, a plot, something to see, even do I don?t consider it original. I like that they talk about surgery, the consequences about surgery, and how many people put some masks on to be popular and then they get killed because these people don?t have their own personality, unlike the protagonist which is independent, secure and strong around the society she lives in. The make-up and costume design look cool and extravagant, especially the Repo costume.

Now what lacks this film is originality and substance. Most of these characters, we barely get to meet them. I would have to say there were just too many unnecessary cameos made into this movie. Also, so many songs that don?t serve a purpose in the story. For example there is a graverobber that sings to the girl about a little glass vile which is the cure for her disease, does that little glass vile is used in any way in the movie? No! There is sometimes some topics talk about the movie that doesn?t add up to the main story. In one scene they talk about the girl, and then they talk about sex, prostitution, drugs and you are like what does this have anything to do with the protagonist? She?s a 17 year old girl trapped in her house. Maybe it represents that no one is really free. The love triangle of the father, the mother, and the leader of Genco is a complete rip-off of the film Metropolis. There are many plot elements stolen from this film and it is used badly. Now as a rock opera, I don?t think is good because most of the songs were not enjoyable. Maybe is me but these people, at least in this movie, don?t sing well. They have the expression, but they don?t have the voice to sing.

The film was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whom has directed Saw 2 to Saw 4, Mother?s Day, and 11-11-11. Now I think this is his best film because it has something unique in it, even do I don?t consider it a good film.

Well, let me see. If you like the Saw Franchise, then you will love this movie. But if you hate the Saw Franchise, then skip this movie, even if you are a fan of opera, then skip it because it is not worth it. Is not a film to find something memorable because there is nothing thought-provoking as it should have been. If you are a horror fan, I think you will like it.