CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Focused Film Discussion › REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA Post Release
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA Post Release

post #1 of 30
10/24/08 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
I am really torn on this film. It's not that good, but it's not that bad. If it was worse, it would be a hoot. If it wasn't so ambitious I'd have an easier time just ignoring it. It's a movie that, with a better soundtrack, could have been really great. And maybe if it had more humor - it's surprisingly self-serious.
Reply
post #2 of 30
10/24/08 at 6:02pm
Well it is from the guy that directed three SAW films, so it being surprisingly self-serious isn't that much of a surprise to me.
Reply
post #3 of 30
10/24/08 at 6:18pm
I know you don't do a lot of Q&A, but I'm curious about the level of gore.
Reply
post #4 of 30
10/24/08 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
It's really gory. And Sarah Brightman looks like the hottest ever Edward Gorey picture.

Anyway, it has a scene where Paul Sorvino, Giles from BUFFY, the girl from SPY KIDS, Paris Hilton and Ogre from Skinny Puppy share a stage and all sing, so I think it might be worth the price of admission for that weirdness.
Reply
post #5 of 30
10/24/08 at 8:18pm
Info I gathered in a previous thread for the curious that need to get caught up:

I'm disappointed at the less-than-ringing endorsement. I was hoping for a new cult classic atleast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf View Post
It's really gory. And Sarah Brightman looks like the hottest ever Edward Gorey picture.

Anyway, it has a scene where Paul Sorvino, Giles from BUFFY, the girl from SPY KIDS, Paris Hilton and Ogre from Skinny Puppy share a stage and all sing, so I think it might be worth the price of admission for that weirdness.
These comments alone, as well as the released material so far, are enough for me to still want to see it.
Reply
post #6 of 30
10/25/08 at 7:47am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xETgG...eature=related

Holy shit!
Reply
post #7 of 30
10/25/08 at 11:58am
After finally seeing the trailer for this last night, I'm oddly intrigued, but it's weird that it's more serious than it looked. The trailer really came off as a tongue-in-cheek affair.

Also, Sarah Brightman.
Reply
post #8 of 30
10/25/08 at 2:46pm
After seeing the trailer, this instantly became must-see for me. Looks nuttier than a pecan log.
Reply
post #9 of 30
10/25/08 at 10:59pm
I also saw the trailer. I can most certainly see this at any industrial club being shown to strains of powernoize or Nitzer Ebb. All the goth/industrial kids will eat this up.

Oh and I love the Commie-eqsue slanted texts. I just enjoy looking at that sort of thing.
Reply
post #10 of 30
11/4/08 at 1:18am
I had fun, I was entertained, I admired its madcap creativity. If only the music was any good (it does the job, but isn't the least bit memorable), then it'd really be something to see.
Reply
post #11 of 30
11/7/08 at 6:42am
I loved it: fun, gory, funny. I really don't see how a movie where a guy cuts someone open, reaches in, and operates his mouth like a puppet while singing is being "self-serious."
Reply
post #12 of 30
11/8/08 at 2:40am
I really liked this film. I don't see many horror films and have never seen any of the Saw films--but this one delivered for me. I'm thinking about buying the soundtrack too. The blood and gore didn't seem to bother me. A friend said it was "super gory", it didn't seem like it to me. It's possible that I am building up a tolerance for these types of film.
Reply
post #13 of 30
11/8/08 at 5:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabidCow View Post
I loved it: fun, gory, funny. I really don't see how a movie where a guy cuts someone open, reaches in, and operates his mouth like a puppet while singing is being "self-serious."
It took all this stupid family 'drama' seriously. And all the lame scifi elements as well. It's not fully campy, yet it's pure camp.
Reply
post #14 of 30
11/9/08 at 12:49am
I'm surprised more people aren't complaining about the music. It's dull and completely forgettable. This is a major problem since its an Opera.



Then again i just saw Dear Zachary right before that which was overwhelming so naturally this paled a bit.
Reply
post #15 of 30
11/19/08 at 4:02am
Spectacularly bad. Just wrong-headed in concept and execution. Very much "neither fish nor fowl" with it being too campy and gross for opera fans and too earnest and melodramatic for gore fans. Alexa Vega is pretty awful as the lead.

I'll give it points for trying, but it just doesn't deliver at all.
Reply
post #16 of 30
1/16/09 at 3:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf View Post
It's a movie that, with a better soundtrack, could have been really great.
This really sums it up. There were only a few decent songs in the whole thing (Legal Assassin, which is actually pretty great, and Zydrate Anatomy spring to mind), and the sing-talk between full blown songs was pretty awful. The overwrought seriousness could have been easier to swallow if we were too busy singing along with memorable tunes.. but alas

I was pretty impressed with Anthony Stewart Head though, thought he pulled off the (spoiler? please) dual personality thing pretty well and enjoyed his singing while in Repo man mode. And something about him in Repo mode reminded me of John Lithgow, which kept me entertained as well. Also - Alexa Vega has grown into some nice eye candy, if her singing wasn't always up to par (that Seventeen song was unbearable, not all her fault). Most the other players are virtual non-entities save for Sarah Brightman

I went into this really open to the whole NiN Goth Opera angle, but when you're watching an hour and a half of songs that nearly all leave your mind the second they end, well.. it's hard to recommend. Like everyone has said, it's not good enough to love on its own merits, but "so bad it's good" either.

Mediocrity! The Genetic Flop-rah.
Reply
post #17 of 30
1/16/09 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf View Post
...with a better soundtrack, could have been really great.
That's too bad. I'm hoping for a lot, with Ogre in the cast. His last solo album was incredible.

Heh, I bought the album that Bill Moseley did with Buckethead from him at ComicCon. It's basically Buckethead wanking on guitar while Bill Moseley rants in "chop-top" character. It's one of the most wonderfully abysmal pieces of shit that I own.
Reply
post #18 of 30
1/16/09 at 5:30pm
Bad.


It's kind of like a Max Fischer production. If Max Fischer listened to KMFDM.
Reply
post #19 of 30
1/27/09 at 11:22pm
I had fun with this, warts and all.

I was watching it mostly for Anthony Stewart Head (how many people actually own his album? It's not bad.) and he's easily the best part of it. He's the best voice and probably the only one that delivers something close to a good performance. Paul Sorvino also sang well. Outside of that I thought the acting was pretty much a wash. Bill Moseley was downright awful.

I give the movie big points in the visuals department though. I didn't think it looked cheap at all. It's got a really great energy too which helped carry it through some of the less memorable songs (That number about being seventeen that Alexa Vega sings to Head was god awful but was really the only part where I noticed problems while watching).
Reply
post #20 of 30
1/28/09 at 12:00am
I watched this recently at a 24-hour movie marathon that my friends and I do a couple times a year.

I hate musicals and anything remotely like this, but it was fun as shit to watch with 20 of my friends.

Minus the atrocious dialogue-in-song shit, it wasn't too bad. This thing is essentially porn for angsty 14-year-old goth kids.
Reply
post #21 of 30
1/28/09 at 9:16am
Anthony Head as Dr. Frank-N-Furter (skip to 3:20)
Reply
post #22 of 30
1/28/09 at 10:44am
Agree this wasn't good or bad enough to succeed. But I'm glad i saw it. If only so I could laugh at the ridiculous narrator who looks like he's auditioning for a The Damned cover band.
Reply
post #23 of 30
1/28/09 at 1:48pm
The first time I watched it, I thought it was kind-of meh. I think I was trying too hard to like it.

Then a couple of days later I put it on again. I think this is one of those movies that's going to continue to grow on me. I liked it a lot more the second time.

Devin is correct, the weakest part of the film is, unfortunately, the music. Still, there was so much effort and love put into this movie that it's hard to hate it.
Reply
post #24 of 30
1/28/09 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_tyson View Post
Minus the atrocious dialogue-in-song shit, it wasn't too bad. This thing is essentially porn for angsty 14-year-old goth kids.
Bingo.
Reply
post #25 of 30
1/29/09 at 4:47pm
Yeah, pretty much in line with the majority. It's ultimately a failure, but a weirdly entertaining, almost noble failure, one I can actually see myself watching a few more times down the road should someone bring it up. But the major missteps--most of the music, the lack of self-awareness, the loose plot/idea threads, Alexa Vega--just sorta render it sterile.

All that said....Anthony Stewart Head is so fucking great in this. As in, why isn't he playing Sweeney Todd on Broadway right the fuck now?
Reply
post #26 of 30
1/29/09 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
All that said....Anthony Stewart Head is so fucking great in this. As in, why isn't he playing Sweeney Todd on Broadway right the fuck now?
I've tried convincing people that he should've had a bigger role in the Sweeney Todd movie and would've actually been a good choice for Todd in general and nobody buys it. Even Buffy fans are like "Well maybe but probably not."

He was originally in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" opening with Christopher Lee that they cut and just thinking about Stewart Head for Sweeney and Christopher Lee as Judge Turpin makes me want to see that right now. I'm sure I'm not alone on that.
Reply
post #27 of 30
2/2/10 at 9:45pm
I just saw this. Damn, it's frustrating. It could have been so much better, but I thought Anthony Stewart Head was the only one in this with the singing chops to pull it off (well, Sarah Brightman as well). And I'll be happy if I never see Paris Hilton in another movie. I'm glad I watched it, but the only song I'm interested in listening to again is Legal Assassin. The music was really bland.
Reply
post #28 of 30
2/2/10 at 11:57pm
I saw this recently and agree with the general consensus. The effort is there and I found myself often trying to like it more than I did. I couldn't get into the music and it's not really my scene. I think I should watch this again with some friends who are into that whole goth/industrial/metal scene... The only band of that type I like is Within Temptation and it's not really the same thing.

Sarah Brightman was great. Her big finale is probably the most effective number in the film.

Yeah... Maybe I'll give it another chance.
Reply
post #29 of 30
2/3/10 at 8:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan View Post
I've tried convincing people that he should've had a bigger role in the Sweeney Todd movie and would've actually been a good choice for Todd in general and nobody buys it. Even Buffy fans are like "Well maybe but probably not."

He was originally in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" opening with Christopher Lee that they cut and just thinking about Stewart Head for Sweeney and Christopher Lee as Judge Turpin makes me want to see that right now. I'm sure I'm not alone on that.
Maybe. But as it happens, I saw Head in "The Pirates of Penzance" in London a few years back; granted a very different role, but he was dire (and I say that as a huge fan that keeps dreaming of that long-promised "Ripper" series).
Reply
post #30 of 30
2/4/10 at 11:15am
I love this movie, and it's good to see it getting a few grudgingly positive comments for once It's a very weird, messy film and the casting is seriously insane. But I love everything about it, including the bits that don't work quite right. You can really feel that everyone involved really wanted it to be perfect and were passionate about it. Say what you want about Paris Hilton - but she had to fight to be allowed to audition and she donated a lot of her own clothes for the costumes, she really took it seriously.
It seems to be the kind of film that doesn't work for everyone though, almost impossible to predict who'll like it. My 60 year old mother is a big fan (despite hating horror), but a lot of people I've shown it to who seemed exactly like the right type couldn't enjoy it at all.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Focused Film Discussion
CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Focused Film Discussion › REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA Post Release