Netflix Instant Pick of the Week: Repo! The Genetic Opera

Aug 2, 2011 by Kelly    3 Comments    Posted under: Netflix Instant Pick of the Week

Aside from the fact that “Mad Men” has come to instant, a great show that I unfortunately had to wait for on Neflix DVD when I first watched it (sigh), I was also thrilled to see “Repo! The Genetic Opera” (2008) on there, starring Anthony Stewart Head from “Buffy.” 

So let me first provide a disclaimer: This rock opera is actually directed by Darren Lynn Bousman—that’s right, the guy who did the “Saw” movies, which I have no interest in seeing ever. Sure the movies sound interesting, as I’ve discovered from reading all the plot summaries on Wikipedia, but I can’t stand to watch that much gore, especially if it doesn’t even involve musical numbers! But for some reason the fact that ”Repo” is a musical makes me more tolerant of a plot that revolves around people buying organs (to avoid organ failure) that get repossessed by force if they can’t pay their bills. I actually didn’t know what this was about when I first Netflixed it, and the first time Anthony Stewart cut someone open (while singing, of course) to pull out a pile of very realistic looking organs, I just happened to be eating spaghetti—a bad choice.

This is also the plot of the non-musical movie “Repo Men” (2010) starring Jude Law, but why anyone would want to watch that kind of plot without singing is beyond me. 

The music is extremely catchy. Anthony Stewart is a phenomenal singer and Alexa Vega, from “Spy Kids” of all things, and Paris Hilton actually all do a great job. I still have one of the songs Paris Hilton sings stuck in my head to this day.

So I think it’s worth a watch if you have interest, but again, be aware, there is a little gore. For instance, there is a scene where an opera singer removes her own eyes so no one else can repossess them from her. Ick.

Got anything to say? Go ahead and leave a comment!