Repo! The Genetic Opera
Release date: November 7, 2008
Cast:
Alexa PenaVega as Shilo Wallace
Paul Sorvino as Rotti Largo
Anthony Head as Nathan/Repo Man
Sarah Brightman as Blind Mag
Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet
Bill Moseley as Luigi Largo
Orge as Pavi Largo
Terrance Zdunich as Graverobber
Written by Darren Smith & Terrance Zdunich
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Plot:
It’s 2056 and after a pandemic left the world with organ failures, GenCo has risen to control the masses with organ replacements…at a very high price. If you fail to keep up the payments, the Repo Man will come to repossess the organ. And those who become addicted to surrey have also become addicted to a painkiller called Zydrate.
Richard’s Thoughts:
I haven’t seen this since about 2009, so a solid 15 years has passed. I honestly remembered very little about it other than the song “Zydrate Anatomy”, which I’ve heard numerous times over the years. Terrance Zdunich does a great job of slinking his way across the screen and making a drug pusher seem engaging. Paris Hilton’s performance in that song isn’t too bad but Alexa PenaVega is a glaring weak link. Unfortunately, her solo songs and acting performance in the film aren’t any better.
I do remember liking this film a lot more than I did upon this revisit. Paul Sorvino comes across as bored and the stylized artistic visuals haven’t really aged well. Sarah Brightman, who has an incredibly beautiful voice, is wasted here with sub-par music. I really wanted to enjoy this one more than I did but I found myself becoming impatient for the end. Looks like I’ll keep listening to the Zydrate song and skip the movie going forward.
Trivia:
Despite the obvious similarities, Repo Men, released in 2010, was based on a novel by Eric Garcia that originated as an unpublished story dating back to 1997.
Availability:
Repo! The Genetic Opera is available on Blu-ray.
Monster Movie Kid 