Repo! The Genetic Opera
In a dystopian future, humanity falls prey to widepread organ failure, and an enterprising mogul named Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) sees an opportunity to make himself rich by selling organ transplants to those in need. Eventually, elective surgery becomes all the rage, and more and more people find themselves signing contracts with Largo’s GeneCo, becoming increasingly addicted to both surgery and pain killers as a result. In time, the population falls deep into debt, and Largo uses his influence to pass an organ repossession bill through the government, enabling his company to employ repo men to forcefully re-acquire the organs that were transplanted, even at the expense of the patient’s life. One of these men is Nathan Wallace (Anthony Stewart Head), a doctor with a sickly daughter, Shilo (Alexa Vega), whom he keeps locked away from the dangers that the disease-ridden world holds for her.
Repo! The Genetic Opera has strengths, most notably in casting. Anthony Stewart Head and Paul Sorvino have great musical talents, and their performances are strong and committed. Head is both sympathetic and menacing in his roles of caretaker to his daughter and murderous man for hire. Sorvino is strong as an aging mogul who realizes that his unstable children are not worthy of his empire. Alexa Vega is vulnerable and impressionable as the young Shilo, but her character, who technically is the protagonist of the piece, doesn’t do much more than watch the proceedings, despite the fact that she has the most screen time.
Of the supporting cast, Sarah Brightman adds great backup as Blind Mag, a singer who owes her eyes to GeneCo. Unfortunately, she is underused, and we are treated instead to the trio of shallow, demented children of Rotti Largo, played by Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre, and Paris Hilton. They are each effective in what they have to do, but the characters are so nihilistic and brattish that they may become as much of a nuisance to the viewer as they are to their father. Furthermore, their vocals lack the strength of the others’ musical abilities. The Grave Robber, played by Terrance Zdunich (creator and co-writer of Repo!), is well played, and sets the mood for the movie, but he also is ill-used. He is both omniscient narrator and an actor in the story who pops in every now and then to randomly reveal secrets to Shilo. His role as a pseudo-narrator would have been more interesting if it had been reduced to commentator (like Che in Evita), since the comic book panels (also drawn by Zdunich) that frame each chapter of the story already fullfill the task of narration. While his role as narrator should have been reduced, his role as actor in the story should have been expanded. His relationship with Shilo happens for no reason and doesn’t lead anywhere, so it serves no purpose other than exposition.
Visually, the movie is heavily stylized as a comic book, a horror movie and a rock opera. The aforementioned comic book panels work well as a means of flashing back to the past of the characters in the story. It is also to the film’s credit that it doesn’t shy away from what the Repo Man’s job entails. The repossession scenes are graphic, and true to the operatic horror that the filmmakers were aiming for. The great thing about Nathan Wallace isn’t that he’s tragically forced to kill where he was once a healer. The great thing is that he loathes himself because there’s a part of him that enjoys hurting and killing others.
Unfortunately, while the film is faithful to the comic book and horror parts of the blend that it is aiming for, its weakest element is its music. It is sung through, but the music is bland and lacks melody. There are about three decent, fully-realized songs in the whole film, and this is a serious liability for a film that presents itself first and foremost as a musical piece. As stated above, the cast members have the requisite musical abilities, but these are wasted on a soundtrack that is mostly spoken-song. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are several musical genres at play, and the transitions between them are awkward at some points and abrupt in others. The chorus, comprised of scantily clad nurses, is more obtrusive than a chorus should be, and it quickly becomes distracting rather than stylish.
When dealing with a musical, no amount of good work can overcome bad music. It’s been endlessly stated in the past that a musical lives or dies on its music. With Repo! The Genetic Opera, we have a flawed piece of cinema that could have overcome most of its problems with a great soundtrack. Since the music doesn’t deliver, the flaws in the work stand out that much more. There are great moments that hint at what the film could have been, like the Danse Macabre between Nathan and one of his victims, or Blind Mag’s meeting with Shilo in the Wallace household. It should also be noted that as a film aiming to carve out a unique identity for itself, it does stand out as fiercely different. Most of the film, however, falls short of its potential and the noble efforts made by the cast and crew.
Repo! The Genetic Opera is currently playing at the Angelika in NYC and in selected cities throughout the country.
-Artemis
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