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Credit crisis of the future: having your organs repo'd in a sing-a-long
With gore of "Saw," "Repo!" takes opera into a quirky, new generation.
By: Ben Johnson
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: News
Few cinematic experiences are quite as satisfying as finding a unique piece of work. So often these days our theaters and home box offices are filled with mediocrity; movies that are as unoriginal as they are often unentertaining. To find truly unique and innovative films these days, it is often necessary to frequent the fringes of artistic movements and genres. Here one can find a piece such as "Repo! The Genetic Opera."
"Repo!" was originally released to six theaters nationwide in November 2008. On Jan. 20, the film was released on DVD and BluRay and advertised along with Twisted Pictures most recent mainstream piece, "Saw V." "Repo!" is an apocalyptic tale set in the near future. The concept is simple, yet intriguing: a mass organ failure epidemic has swept the globe. Rising from the remnants of humanity, a corporate savior known as GeneCo offers people the opportunity to cheat death. Supplying individuals with vital organs, GeneCo allows people to finance their own organs through various payment plans. But if you are late on a payment, GeneCo sends out the Repo Man to collect the organs you have not yet paid off. As if the overall concept is not bizarre enough, the film is not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi horror flick; it's an opera.
Told entirely in song, "Repo!" is not your parent's opera. Make no mistake; "Repo!" is not a musical. Featuring only a handful of spoken dialogue, the movie is an hour and a half-long foray into various subgenres of rock, metal, techno and symphonic music. It's also an extremely gory tale. Not nearly as disturbing as the "Saw" films, "Repo!" is nonetheless produced by the same studio and is easily recognized as such. Intestines, still-beating hearts, spinal columns and a host of other organs are all displayed during and after being ripped out of their human hosts.
What makes "Repo!" an interesting watch is not the guts, however. The world of the future, according to this morbid tale, is one in which surgery is a status symbol as well as an indication of wealth. Much of the subtext of "Repo!" is a biting commentary on our society as well. Beyond being subtle and clever, the film has some very thought provoking statements to make about our modern society and where we place our values.
"Repo!" was originally released to six theaters nationwide in November 2008. On Jan. 20, the film was released on DVD and BluRay and advertised along with Twisted Pictures most recent mainstream piece, "Saw V." "Repo!" is an apocalyptic tale set in the near future. The concept is simple, yet intriguing: a mass organ failure epidemic has swept the globe. Rising from the remnants of humanity, a corporate savior known as GeneCo offers people the opportunity to cheat death. Supplying individuals with vital organs, GeneCo allows people to finance their own organs through various payment plans. But if you are late on a payment, GeneCo sends out the Repo Man to collect the organs you have not yet paid off. As if the overall concept is not bizarre enough, the film is not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi horror flick; it's an opera.
Told entirely in song, "Repo!" is not your parent's opera. Make no mistake; "Repo!" is not a musical. Featuring only a handful of spoken dialogue, the movie is an hour and a half-long foray into various subgenres of rock, metal, techno and symphonic music. It's also an extremely gory tale. Not nearly as disturbing as the "Saw" films, "Repo!" is nonetheless produced by the same studio and is easily recognized as such. Intestines, still-beating hearts, spinal columns and a host of other organs are all displayed during and after being ripped out of their human hosts.
What makes "Repo!" an interesting watch is not the guts, however. The world of the future, according to this morbid tale, is one in which surgery is a status symbol as well as an indication of wealth. Much of the subtext of "Repo!" is a biting commentary on our society as well. Beyond being subtle and clever, the film has some very thought provoking statements to make about our modern society and where we place our values.
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