Being a cult classic and me being the slightly offbeat girl I am, I was eventually going to watch this, especially being addicted to the soundtrack.
Repo! The Genetic Opera is a story set in the not-too-distant future where an epidemic of organ failures (kind of curious how medically sound that is...) causes a near extinction of the human race. In the middle of the tragedy, a company named GeneCo emerges and offers organ transplants for "low" prices. If people cannot make their monthly payments, mercenaries known as repo men are sent out to repossess the organs. No anesthesia, no explanations, and no matter which organ is repossessed, the victim is always killed. Shiloh is our heroine, infected with a mysterious blood disease that includes fainting if she doesn't get her constant meds. She's locked up in her room by her overprotective father, who is a repo man himself.
There are two keys if you're going to make it through this movie; you must not mind people bursting into song constantly and you must have a strong stomach. I love musicals myself, but when there are four songs back to back, it gets a little excessive. The music is a blend of several genres, mostly punk, rock, emo, indie, and classical. I honestly couldn't watch the movie in one sitting because of my weak stomach towards gore; spines are ripped out as well as anything in the abdominal cavity. Heavily sexual and bodies everywhere, it well deserves its "R" rating.
The premise itself is very interesting, but the movie tries to explore too many topics to delve into any one very well. Greed, jealousy, addiction to perfection, how low humanity can sink, sheltering, loss, etc, are covered, but it's hard to focus on one theme with so many attempts. Plot holes are rampant and can get confusing if one can't understand the lyrics. The vast majority of the characters are likeable, and I was disappointed that Graverobber didn't get more screentime somehow. Shiloh is a run-of-the-mill whiny Mary Sue character, but it's understandable frustration.
One of the more interesting points of the film is its casting. Alexa Vega, best known for her main role in "Spy Kids", is cast as Shiloh and after hearing "Infected", it seems like she's matured quite a bit. Rotti's surgery-addicted daughter Amber Sweet is played by Paris Hilton, who actually isn't that bad in the role. Some of the scenes are over-the-top (the crack moment known as "Seventeen" is one of them), but overall it's got an intriguing setting and good camera shots.
I'd give it an overall 3 1/2 out of 5, mostly because of the effort put in. One last piece of advice; don't get attached to any of the characters.
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