Repo! The Genetic Opera poster & wallpaper

Anthony Head, Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega

In the not-so-distant future, a worldwide epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants...for a price...( read more  read more... ). Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by the villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic Opera.

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75% liked it

4,474 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

52 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Release Date: January 20, 2008

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DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009

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Repo logo TZ official film still official film still official film still official film still Repo official film still official film still REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA Luigi in Repo! The Genetic Opera Repo! The Genetic Opera Repo! The Genetic Opera REPO! POSTER official film still official film still official film still Addicted to surgery...?
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Flixster Reviews (2,148)

  • stopitgoaway
    October 27, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    A breath of fresh air in these formula times. While everyone else cashes in on old titles, brands and superheros, the film is surprisingly unique. Totally new age and ultra hip, it makes u feel you hang somewhere between the future and the past. A totally non-earthy feel, yet hum...( read more)an storyline and characters makes for a strangely 'happy' movie.The is story is marvelously set by the comic strips in the introduction, on to which the whole family/love drama is pasted on. The musics great, especially 'Zydrate Anatomy' and throughout the movie the story and dialoges are brilliantly delivered in songs, and even if your are not a fan of musicals, this will make you want more. BRILLIANT!!, although the ending could have been more ... dramatic
  • madmac17
    July 12, 2009
    madmac17
    How do I detest thee? Let me count the ways. I admit I was intrigued by the whole idea of a company that sells human organs on installment to people in need, and then repossesses them if the payments are not met. It's a concept that's definitely rife with possibilities, absolutel...( read more)y none of which are realized in this dismal film. There were some nice visuals, especially the Repo Man in full regalia, but otherwise this was a complete waste of 98 minutes. None of the characters are anywhere close to being likeable or even sympathetic. If the Repo Man had paid a visit to each and every character (including himself), and ripped the hearts from their chests, It would've made me so very, very happy. The music is a horrible metallic drone with something that slightly resembles singing being yowled over it. The acting is a joke, which is not that surprising in a cast that includes Paris Hilton. But how the hell did a good actor like Paul Sorvino get roped in to playing the part of Rotti Largo, the head of GeneCo? I suppose he needed the job, and he does his best with what he's given to work with. Too bad what he's given to work with is garbage. If I'd had any sense, I would have pressed the STOP button after the first 15 minutes, but I forced myself to watch the whole bloody thing, like the good Flixsterite I am. It really makes me doubt my faith in Flixster, when being a member leads to such catastrophic consequences. But, just knowing there are people out there like evillincoln gives me the strength to carry on. In closing, I would like to quote his concise and wonderfully scathing review: "this movie made very little sense and most of the songs were annoying, but it was nice to see Paris Hilton's face fall off."
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 6, 2009
    YosemiteSamFan
    I couldn't get into the music; none of the songs were catchy or likeable. The subject of organ donation also made me squeamish.
  • FangsFirst
    June 1, 2009
    FangsFirst
    My interest in this film fluctuated wildly as I heard mixed reviews (I think, perhaps, the most mixed reviews I've ever heard--utter loathing and absolute love, but that's probably just the fault of my memory) and saw the cast and watched the trailer. Some faces and names were in...( read more)teresting (Anthony Stewart Head, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, Ogre, I mean, Kevin, I mean Nivek....from Skinny Puppy) and some were not, or were even cause to think about maybe NOT seeing the film (Paris Hilton, Sarah Brightman...).. The concept intrigued me, but I wasn't sure about the musical option--which could be either fantastically engaging or intensely obnoxious and uncomfortable.

    Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega) is the daughter of Nathan (Head), confined to her room by a blood disease, and thus almost unaware of the world around her. It's the distant future, and massive organ failure has led to the rise of GeneCo, a company that leases organs to people. By appropriately swinging their growing influence, the company manages to push through a bill that legalizes the repossession of organs on which loans have defaulted. GeneCo employes "Repo Men" for this purpose, and the most prominent one is Nathan. This is not a simple matter of employment, though, as there is a twisted and tragic story behind Nathan, his daughter, her mother and the current owner of GeneCo, Rotti Largo (Sorvino). Rotti and Nathan loved the same woman, the mother of Shilo. Rotti holds Nathan to an oath over her to keep him in his employ, while trying to contend with his selfish children Pavi (Ogre), Luigi (Moseley) and Heather Sweet (Hilton). Wandering around outside the endless tragedy of these lives, but affecting them, are the Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich, who co-created and wrote the film) and Blind Mag (Brightman), who is GeneCo's face and spokesperson for her beautiful voice.

    This is a musical, in case that somehow has not yet reached you. It's also a movie interested in gore (using the name of director Darren Lynn Bousman to market it, because he produced some of the Saw films) and horror and science fiction ideas. It's filled with ideas, really, some of which are rather Grand Guignol--especially the idea of a man who repossesses organs from living defaulters. Drugs marketed specifically to take advantage of their addictive nature but bootlegged by the Graverobber from corpses, addiction to surgery (the phrase alone has tinges of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Pungent Stench and a more clumsy Carcass) and the melodramatic enhanced clichés that make up the Lotti children--Sweet being the surgery addict, Pavi wearing other faces over his scarred one and womanizing constantly. It's all incredibly over-the-top, and one had better know that going into this. It's absurd and ridiculous and there's no way around it. The music is not designed to be like pop songs with clearly rhyming lyrics, though it often has something rather like a chorus.

    The sanely critical reviews I read said that the film overreaches itself, has too much for its budget, and this isn't an unfair take on it. It is reaching further than its budget would allow, and it does show, but it does very well with what it has, actually. The world is pretty fully realized (though it often shows that it's indoors, in truth, when it seems like it oughtn't) and interesting visually, all lit in bizarre and garish colours, with costuming and sets all very impressive and unusual. The story is solid and engaging, twisty enough to hold your interest without needing to be as ridiculous as the setting and effects are, which they are supposed to be as well. A lot of the music has a nice tinge of catchiness, with very appropriate lyrics.

    However, there are definitely some flaws here. Many of the lyrics are, frankly, juvenile in their angst and melodrama. Some of the music is a little simplistic, too, and that's definitely the biggest failing. It's occasionally a little awkward, though it's all earnest enough in its performance that it usually works just fine anyway. Of course, it's also somewhat humourous (deliberately, naturally) so that can often offset this (with the distinct exception of "17," which is an awful and ridiculous and stupid song), and also offset the other problem: Bill Moseley and Ogre are not opera singers. Really, no one in the cast is except Brightman, and possibly Sorvino--who at least seems to know the style well enough to fake it if he hasn't, and it shows. It's not offensive, but it has the same awkwardness as the occasionally deficient lyrics.

    Interestingly, the most exciting roles, at least vocally, were from Sorvino and Zdunich. Brightman and Head have great voices for different reasons, and possibly the most engaging songs as a result, but Zdunich and Sorvino manage to bring character to their voices instead of either performance or trying to push character into the voice (which is what Moseley does--which is actually probably the best approach for a man who strikes me as a non-singer, to be fair to him). Sorvino's menacingly tortured and torturous Lotti Largo comes out in his dark laughter and his well-paced singing, that is close to spoken word in a sense until it comes to appropriate crescendos. Zdunich, of course, is devoted to the role because he originated it, and it shows. He smirks and smiles in perfect ways for his extremely "goth" look, which works very well for both him and the character. His songs make his character very well-defined, and he uses his body and his face to enhance the songs and his singing. Hilton, for the record, is neither offensive nor problematic (and the cast and crew said she was actually fun to work with, even!).

    It's a film that trips itself ups a number of times, but it's still a fun experience if you are willing to forgive its limitations and appreciate the insane aesthetic and gory interests behind it.
  • evillincoln
    May 21, 2009
    evillincoln
    this movie made very little sense and most of the songs were annoying, but it was nice to see Paris Hilton's face fall off.
  • chaoschick44
    October 30, 2009
    chaoschick44
    Loved the music. And that Paris Hilton's face falls off..
  • klopez8
    October 26, 2009
    klopez8
    LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    GRAVEROBBER IS MY NEW OBSESSION. I'M IN LOVE!
  • BillyRevenge
    October 24, 2009
    BillyRevenge
    I randomly came across Repo! when I was DVD browsing one day, just by looking at the cover I knew I had to see it. And when I did see it I was instantly hooked. The next day I showed it to a friend and she also loved it. I loved it even more the second time. We couldn't stop sing...( read more)ing the songs, and another friend got interested. So I keep screening it to my friends and a strange Repo cult seems to be forming! I do think it's one of those 'love it or hate it' kind of films, I've read many mixed reviews, but this is one film that will undoubtedly become a major cult film in years to come. I would strongly reccomend this to anyone who likes horror and musicals and something a bit out of the ordinary. It views like a stage play crossed with a music video, the music is great, the characters endearing (most of them anyway!). Easily my favourite film of 2008.
  • LordRetro
    October 20, 2009
    LordRetro
    It was awesome, and then i noticed that Paris Hilton was in it
  • beckers86
    October 17, 2009
    beckers86
    This was very interesting, I'll say that. Good story. I guess the way it was told made it a much more interesting story...

View All Repo! The Genetic Opera Reviews

Critic Reviews

November 7, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The smudgy pall cast over everything by director Darren Lynn Bousman might work for a five-minute music video, but it quickly becomes as tiresome as the general air of bombastitude. full review

November 7, 2008
Kurt Loder, MTV

A movie in search of a cult. Good luck. full review

November 6, 2008
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

This goth rock opera features buckets of gore, a campy score and melodrama galore in a calculated effort to become a 21st-century Rocky Horror Picture Show. Its creative juices, however, are strictly ... full review

November 6, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Repo! might have been an SNL or MADtv skit, but as a movie, it should be repossessed by its financiers. full review

November 6, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Talented actors are involved, and I will spare them by not citing their names. full review

November 5, 2008
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Rips off heavy metal and horror aesthetics to absolutely dismal effect. full review

View more Repo! The Genetic Opera reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • piterdevries
    June 2, 2009
    piterdevries
    Testify!
  • mrbicklethepickle
    March 26, 2009
    mrbicklethepickle
    Looks really interesting, the only thing I may be a little skeptic about is Paris Hilton...LOL.
  • restlessdr3ams
    March 13, 2009
    restlessdr3ams
    LUV IT! O_O Original, haunting, wonderful goth atmosphere, good OST, great actings, ...<3
  • XxBeckyVengeancexX
    February 5, 2009
    XxBeckyVengeancexX
    Oh. My. God. This is one of my new favorite movies. :DDD
    The movie was kickass, and I got the soundtrack too.
  • natesummers
    October 6, 2008
    natesummers
    rockyradioonline.com is giving away some free repo! swag!!!
  • rootbeerlover94
    September 30, 2008
    rootbeerlover94
    THE SOUNDTRACK CAME OUT TODAY i WANTS IT!
  • grininrat
    June 18, 2008
    grininrat
    oh. my. god.

    Must see this movie
  • AmyRawr08
    April 22, 2008
    AmyRawr08
    To the other "comment"...

    This is neither emo nor goth.

    Just appreciate it as a movie not just something else you can label.
  • dogznwaves94
    January 11, 2008
    dogznwaves94
    This movie is really goth and emo. not for me! but anthony stewart head and sarah brightman and alexa vega are acting in it. so i MIGHT watch it. maybe, maybe not. But sounds cool to me!
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Repo! The Genetic Opera Trivia

  • Described as a 'rock opera', which film by Darren Lynn Bousman hit limited release in November 2008?   Answer »
  • What year is Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) set in?  Answer »
  • How many songs does Repo! The genetic opera (2008) have in it?  Answer »
  • Paris Hilton was nominated for an OSCAR for her work in Repo: The Genetic Opera.  Answer »
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