Repo! The Genetic Opera (Lionsgate Blu-ray &
DVD)
Picture:
B+/B Sound: B+/B Extras: B- Film:
C+
Repo! The Genetic Opera is without a doubt one of the
stranger entries of late. In fact, it
wants to be many things and succeeds at very few of them. My initial impression is that it’s a film
desperately attempting to be a cult film, the only problem is that true cult
films never intend to be just that, instead they become cult films because of
nothing more than mere accident. Trying
to be a cult film is only defeating the exact purpose all along, this is
precisely this films main downfall. That
of course is not its only problem though.
Most of the film feels like what would happen if you crossed the Saw franchise (they are the producers
here) with The Rocky Horror Picture Show
and while I always appreciate a film that is trying to mix things up a bit,
this one falls flat on it’s face as it never fully accomplishes any of it’s
ideas fully.
On paper
the concept of this film feels very promising as we are taken into the year
2056 where organ failures begin to wreak havoc on the entire planet. Because of this a corporation called GeneCo
emerges as an organ transplant program where people can get the necessary
organs, but that comes with a valuable price.
If you miss your payment then you are scheduled for repossession and are
hunted by a group called Repo Men, who just like taking your car away from you
will remove your organ, even if it costs your life. Instead of taking more of an intelligent direction
like Blade Runner or THX-1138, we instead get a silly film
that becomes too over-the-top at times, too campy at others, and too gross
overall to really ever be taken serious enough, then again it’s an opera after all…right?
For this
review we have both the DVD and the Blu-ray editions of the film, both are
technically sound, but the Blu-ray wins out again. I should also mention that the film features
Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, and even Paris Hilton, you can only imagine why
this won’t win any Oscars right?
For
Blu-ray Lionsgate has issued the film with a beautiful 1.78 X 1 framed transfer
at 1080p High Definition, which has a very campy, almost overly lush transfer
that reminds me of some of the work that Dario Argento was doing back in the
1970’s. Warm reds, cold blues and deep
saturation give the film an overtly fake appearance that the Blu-ray does help
make work; the DVD on the other hand is far too soft with weak black levels to
really give the film its desired look.
The Blu-ray is far more detailed and resolution is far superior and do
help give the production it’s intended look and feel.
Similarly
the audio has been pumped up to a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel mix that
clearly runs circles around the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD. The DTS-HD 7.1 mix is highly playful with
loads of activity and helps energize the film as it’s a very musical film as
well, the lossy mix on the DVD never quite brings the life to the mix as it’s
far too forward in nature and does not have near the resolution to give the
film its life-like quality.
Despite
the films shortcomings, Lionsgate puts the energy into this release with tons
of extras including a stage-to-screen featurette, audio commentary with
director Darren Lynn and cast, another audio track with the creators and Lynn,
video sing-alongs, webisode featurettes, deleted scenes with optional
commentary, plus some of the segments have Paris Hilton involved as well, which
is nothing to write home about necessarily.
The films theatrical trailer is also included.
- Nate Goss
