| A could-be cult classic Repo! The Genetic Opera isn't as monumental as, say, Phantom of the Paradise, but it's entertaining nonetheless
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| REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
May 29 & 30, 11 p.m., Cinematheque
Vying for a coveted spot as a cult classic, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV)'s futuristic musical concerns a society plagued with disease and a capitalist corporation's attempts to repossess harvested organs from the customers who can't pay. It's a wall-to-wall cacophony of twisted tunes, with words and music by newcomers Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich from their limited-run stage play.
Alexa Vega (Spy Kids) stars as the ingenue struck with a mysterious illness kept under close watch by her father (Anthony Head), a doctor who moonlights as an organ reaper. Tired of being sheltered, Alexa sneaks out into the real world, only to become entangled with the corrupt head of GeneCorp (Paul Sorvino) and his sinister children, played by Paris Hilton, Bill Mosely (The Devil's Rejects), and Nivek Ogre.
The story is labyrinthine and eschews traditional narrative, often using animated sequences to fill in the backstories of characters. It's successful for the most part, but when a musical is as ambitious as Repo!, a basic framework would have better served the outré songs that deal with grave robbing, necrophilia and murder.
Stunt casting is often frowned upon, but Hilton as a plastic surgery-addicted socialite and real operatic diva Sarah Brightman as a blind songstress are a boon to this outlandish production. Head is the only actor to bring any sort of gravity to his role, proudly showing off the crooning chops he displayed in the musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. As the conflicted parent of a child he himself doomed, the final showdown between the evil conglomerate and the doctor brings the film to an appropriate dismal conclusion.
It's only fitting that the film is being revived in Winnipeg, the city that resurrected Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise against all odds. While Repo! is not as monumental as that rhapsodic rock opera, Bousman and company do manage to make it an eccentric, boldly invigorating 100 minutes.
— Aaron Graham |
Uptown
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