Repo! The Genetic Opera - 2008 - P.F.F.

This film is a guilty pleasure movie. It is a musical and a horror movie all rolled into one. The same depraved minds that gave you “The Devil’s Carnival”, gave you this wonderful little gem. I will admit I was curious about this film from the moment that I saw the trailer. Between the look of the film, the fact it was a musical, and some of the people on the cast, I was hooked far before this film was even released. Once I was able to see this movie, it was instantly a favorite and had to become part of my collection. The cast is amazing and play well off each other. There are some very well recognized names in this cast like Bill Moseley and Paul Sorvino as well as some new names and faces to the film world like Sarah Brightman and “ohGr” from “Skinny Puppy” fame. As well as names like Paris Hilton, Alexa Vega, and Anthony Head, all familiar names and faces..

There are actually a few storylines all melded into one. Shilo and her father, Rotti Largo and his children, and then the overlying story of the organ repossessions. By the mid-2000s, organ failure has become epidemic and people are dying by the hundreds, and the company GeneCo was able to make organ replacements easy and affordable by financing them. So, organ replacements have become commonplace and fashionable. There is one catch to all of this, should you not be able to afford the organs or you miss payments, GeneCo sends out their “repo men” to retrieve the organs from your body without regard for pain or your life..

This film has an interesting look but that is what makes it beautiful. It has its own look and feel. Very dark, there is no sunlight, everything is neon. No matter the time of day it is always dark and the skies are never visible. Even the people had a “no sunlight” look to them. Everyone is pale and almost powdered down in their appearance. The most evident being Shilo and the Graverobber. The atmosphere is very “Blade Runner” in its appearance.

Aside from a beautiful film, the music makes this film what it is. As with “Devil’s Carnival”, the songs are catchy but also pull the story along. There are around 58 different songs as well as instrumentals in this movie. Some are funny, others dark, while there are a few that will tug at the heartstrings. One thing all the songs have in common is that they are what moves the story along as there is very little spoken dialogue. In that, it is very similar to “Rocky Horror”, though that is, sort of, a few other similarities. There is nudity in this film, as there is with “Rocky Horror”, though there is significantly more blood and violence. The first blood is drawn in the first ten minutes of the film. Though there is blood, it is not tasteless and over the top. It adds to the story and does not take away from what you are seeing.

The cast is amazing, as I have stated before. With amazing actors like Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, and Alexa Pena-Vega, as well as more newcomers to film like Paris Hilton, Sarah Brightman, and Terrance Zdunich. They play well off each other and the chemistry is obvious. Let’s discuss the cast right now, shall we?

Our first cast member is the beautiful Shilo played by the beautiful and super talented Alexa PenaVega. Most people will recognize her as Carmen in the “Spy Kids” series of films. But, her career actually started in the early ’90s with films like “Little Giants” (1994) and “Nine Months’ (1995). She also had recurring roles in such series as “Evening Shade (1993-1994) and “Life’s Work” (1996-1997). In this film, she plays Shilo Wallace the 17-year-old daughter of Nathan and his deceased wife. Shiloh is independent, outspoken, but vulnerable. This is one of the first times that we get to hear her beautiful singing voice. Her range is amazing and she can go from having a light, airy and innocent voice to strong, and fierce. Shiloh is also a conflicted character which is a character type that I have always loved. Most recently you can see Alexa in “The Murder Pact” (2015) and ‘Ms. Matched (2016). She also appeared with her husband Carlos on the hit reality series “Dancing with the Stars” and recently gave birth to the couple’s first child Ocean King PenaVega on December 7, 2016.

Our next cast member is a personal favorite of mine and though might not be recognizable to many in the film world, anyone familiar with Broadway will recognize her name. That is the Legendary Sarah Brightman. She plays Blind Mag in this film. But is more recognized at Christine Daae from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony award-winning stage play “Phantom of the Opera”. She has been on the soundtrack to many famous films, like “Ronin” (1998), and “Blades of Glory” (2007).

In this film, she plays Blind Mag, a woman with an angelic voice now is the “Voice of GeneCo”. She is not just their spokesperson, she is also someone that was a client at one point. She was blind and with the help of GeneCo, she was given the eyes that gave her the ability to see. Sarah pulls off the character amazingly and even though she does not have many movies on her resume, you can tell she is a professional in all that she does. Sarah has the distinction of being the first artist to be asked to sing at two separate Olympic Games, the first being in Barcelona in 1992 and then again in Beijing in 2008. She has won more than 180 gold and platinum awards in 40 different countries and has performed for millions of fans all over the world.

Alright, so we have spoken about the ladies of Repo!. Now I think it is time to talk about the men of Repo!.

The first character that comes to mind is Nathan Wallace, Played by Anthony Stewart Head. He is most recognized for his role as Giles in the hit 90’s series “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” (1996-2003). He was also in the TV series “Merlin” (2008-2012) and the popular movie ‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (2013). In this film, he plays Nathan Wallace, Shiloh’s widower father. A man with many secrets and a tortured past. He tries very hard to keep Shiloh safe. Not to mention being a doctor and caring for her condition. He is a loving father and still mourns the loss of his wife in childbirth 17 years before. I will admit, I had no idea that the man could sing, so that was a wonderful surprise. As well as the actual depth and complexities of this character. I have always been a fan of his work. He had an uncredited part in the film “Sweeney Todd’, he greets Todd after the competition in the square. Recently, he has been in the TV series “Dominion’ (2014-2015), “Guilt” (2015), and the film “A Street Cat Named Bob” (2016).

Our next cast member is a true legend and that, of course, is Paul Sorvino, playing the role of Rotti Largo, owner of GeneCo. Paul’s film career started in the early ’70s with films like “A Panic in Needle Park’ (1971), “A Touch of Class’ (1973), and “Lost and Found’ (1979).

Sorvino is well known on the big screen, small screen, and the stage. With a full resume spanning the last 40 years, the amazing actor is not slowing down at all with seven films in post-production or in a completed state. He has been in films like “Dick Tracy” (1990) with Madonna and Warren Beatty, “Goodfellas” (1990) with Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, and Joe Pesci, “Romeo+Juliet” (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Not to mention playing “God’ in the “Devil’s Carnival” series of movies. In this film, he plays Rotti Largo, head of GeneCo, the company responsible for making organ transplants easy and fashionable. He is the father of three adult children, Luigi, Pavi, and Amber, each a disappointment in their own way. He is a bit of an imposing figure, with his distinctive voice and the way he carries himself. He is by far probably one of my favorite characters in the film.

This film is a great Saturday afternoon binge film. Add it to your list if you are watching “Rocky Horror”, Devil’s Carnival’ and “Stage Fright’. It is one of those films that you will find yourself singing along with the songs and even singing them when the film is long over. This is completely a Panda Friendly Film and a great one to share with anyone that might not like horror movies but can tolerate musicals.