Genetically Charged Horror Musical

[rating:7.5/10]

Directed by the mind behind Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV (Darren Lynn Bousmann), this horror musical is Little Shop of Horrors for the 21st century. Set in a semi-post-apocalyptic world where people can get new organs on loan, it takes the question of what someone is willing to do for love to new, creepy levels.

In the year 2056, after an epidemic nearly wipes out humanity, a company rises to the challenge, harvesting new organs to saves those in need. The problem is that many end up unable to pay their debts to this company. A law is passed allowing the company to repossess the organs once the debtor is giving what is considered ample time to repay their debt. Meanwhile, Zydrate, an extremely powerful and addictive painkiller, takes hold of society and creates an epidemic of its own.

Shilo Wallace (Spy Kids star Alexa Vega), emerges as the beautiful young protagonist, locked in her own home due to illness (or, so she thinks). Her father’s love is her prison and, as horrible as this world is, she longs to be part of it. Blood, guts, songs, dance numbers, and a narrating grave robbing drug dealer come together to tell her story and the story of the Repo Man.

Like Little Shop (1986 version) and Rocky Horror before it, Repo! The Genetic Opera uses the elements of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Musical genres to create an intriguing look into love and the madness that surrounds it. In Little Shop, Seymour kills people and feeds them to his giant man-eating plant to help Mr. Mushnik and impress the girl of his dreams. He does what he does for the love of his boss and Audrey. In Rocky Horror, the themes of love and madness are very blatant. Frankenfurter is in a constant struggle to find the perfect love in order to fill a void inside of him. Love is disguised as sex, sex is disguised as love, and this madness of love leads to murder, devastation, and pure insanity.

Repo! is no different in this respect. It is about love and madness, notably the horrible lengths that people will go to because of love. Two of the central characters commit heinous acts due to their Othello-like madness of love. Rotti Largo (Romeo and Juliet’s Paul Sorvino), the founder and owner of GeneCo (the company that harvests, sells, and repossesses organs), kills the woman he loves and frames her lover in order to blackmail him into servitude. Nathan Wallace (TV’s Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’s Anthony Stewart Head), enslaves his own daughter, using quite drastic measures, due to his fear of losing her to the evils of the world. Both of these seemingly wicked men commit these crimes out of love.

Overall, an extremely interesting and powerful movie, an instant cult classic. Paris Hilton’s face falls off, a woman stabs her own eyes out, and all the while you find yourself singing along. Love, apparently, knows no bounds.

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~ by thepaintedman on May 19, 2009.