Repo! The Genetic Opera
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 96 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 96
  3. Negative: 12 out of 96

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  1. MarkK
    Apr 14, 2009
    2
    Don't believe your friends. This is not the next Rocky Horror. It's not even the next Shock Treatment. It's a glossy, fast-edited version of a completely forgettable musical. Ultimately, the music -- combined with inane lyrics -- does discredit to people like Sarah Brightman and Ogre, who have stamped their names onto this mess. It's an brave attempt, perhaps, but ultimately the music sucks. Visually, the film is striking at points but clearly derivative, riffing off of the videogame BioShock and Blade Runner... but the visuals are weakened by jerky "Saw"-like jumpcuts, and the general lack of ambiance, both with the music, and with the somewhat substandard background atmospherics, drowned out by the craptacular soundtrack. There will be those who watch this a half-dozen times with their friends who start to appreciate the musical suckitude and learning some of the lyrics... but these are probably the same people who enjoy watching two girls, one cup. There is actual talent involved in this project... but unfortunately, the project just wasn't a good one. And no, it's not that I don't appreciate other things in this genre. Instead, we see goo musicians defer to some L.A. hipster's music... someone with no real experience for writing notable music... and it shows! What a complete misuse of Ogre and Sarah Brightman! (What is it about L.A. that it tends to take musical influences from everywhere else in the world and turns it into boring, generic lame metally dreck?!) At this point, the majority of 54 people rating this on Metacritic have said good things about this movie... but that's a sign of little more than a L.A. cult of personality. Not a Rocky... not a Hedwig... not a Dr. Horrible. Not even a Shock Treatment. Some of the Hot Topic crowd will get excited about this commercially prepackaged angst, but really, let's hope they off themselves soon and put the rest of us out of their misery.… Expand
  2. RyanQ
    Aug 30, 2009
    0
    Wow... it's really bad... really, really bad. just turned it off after about 45 min. couldn't take it anymore. bad music, poorly shot + acted + directed. the only thing worse that all that? the pathetic lyrics/ dialog. simply embarrassing. don't wast your time!!!
  3. Nona
    Jan 11, 2009
    0
    This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen. It's like sitting through a two hour evanescence/rammstein/marilyn manson music video except that some of their videos have credible artistic merit. I guess there is bound to be an audience for this kind of thing, but do not watch this film expecting a real cult classic. Being a fan of cult films of all kinds myself, I went in expecting some entertaining gems, but instead I got whiny songs about how much better it is to be 17 than 16 (lets be honest, there is no difference), an unacceptable lack of gore (especially when you consider the director is responsible for the Saw series), and disappointing performances on behalf of every actor in the film (congratulations Paris Hilton, you managed to a find a film in which you might not have given the worst performance in the whole cast). This film has not a single redeeming quality. I can honestly say, as much as I tried to find a light in the darkness, I have nothing good to say about this film.… Expand
  4. EricK
    Jan 19, 2009
    2
    The camera work is poor, and at time nauseating if you suffer from any degree of motion sickness. This film attempts to become a Rocky Horror to the current generation, but misses the boat entirely. Popular enthusiasm comes from a generation of instant gratification that want's its own "cult classic" without trying to give it the time to develop.
  5. Kevin
    Jan 24, 2009
    1
    I enjoy bizarre movies, so the concept of a horror musical appealed to me, but honestly, the idea was not well-executed. The acting, music, lyrics were all below average. Great idea: bad film.
  6. NielsW
    Jan 9, 2009
    3
    This film could be seen as a breath of fresh air. But that accounts for originality only, as the air itself smells quite foul in this case. To me it feels like the movie is trying too hard. The story itself is fairly interesting and the performances themselves are quite good. But to me everything is lost when a beautifully crafted setting is interspersed with comic-book like flashbacks and a quite out of touch scene where one of the main characters has a rebellious teenage fit and the woeful gothic elements are suddenly replaced with a punk rock scene. And the camera work isn't helping much either. The visual effects are quite nice, but with shots bouncing around from vantage point to vantage point it feels more effort was put into creating one long music video rather than capturing the actors' performances as best as possible. At least it ends in a similar manner as every good opera does and the makers certainly deserve credit for trying to bring this sort of entertainment to the big screen. But it's trying to appeal to too many different audiences at the same time. There are much, much better operas out there.… Expand
  7. Adrienne
    Aug 12, 2009
    1
    So bad, It's awful. I believe this movie exists solely so Paris Hilton's face can fall off on film. The singing is bad, (exception: Sarah Brightman) the music is bad, the characterization was non-existent. Is there even conflict in this plot? It's just a series of minor subplots that end arbitrarily and go nowhere. The comparisons to the Rocky Horror Picture Show are unfounded. TRHPS had a cast of uncommon talent (Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon) AND managed to make a relevant statement about the sexual revolution. Repo! tired hard and failed miserably. It seems to want to say something about megacorporations, our growing addiction to plastic surgery and our self-centered and useless youth ... but what are they trying to say exactly? In short: a load of sparkly *Goffick* BS for the Hot topic crowd. One point for: -Dancing stuffed animals in "seventeen" -Vega getting smacked for singing that at all -DJ Granny.… Expand
  8. ChrisK
    Feb 19, 2009
    4
    Only goth losers would think this is at good as grease. Take A Shower.
  9. DanielM.
    Dec 11, 2008
    4
    A geek show. It's not an artless film, and it contains interesting social commentary, but it's so buried under viscera and noise that it effectively defeats its own purpose.
  10. Captain_Kirk
    Aug 14, 2012
    2
    How is the user score at 8.2? Am I missing something here? The film is quite terrible. The songs aren't memorable, the story feels non-existent with nothing to really pull it forward except songs that aren't worth tapping your foot to, and the whole thing is just boring. It's sad when Paul Sorvino is better at singing than anyone else in this piece of dung.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
32 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 7 out of 15
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    20
    So over-the-top it's purple. At the same time, it's not too many lengths of intestine beyond some mainstream movies, "Sweeney Todd" being the most obvious comparison.
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  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    10
    The grim finality of the ensuing pietà suggests the last act of Hamlet or, rather, Hamlet 2--so embarrassing that, for the first time, I wanted to avert my eyes from the screen, although that might have also been because Repo! appears to have been shot with a cell phone.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Sean Howe
    33
    If steampunk bloodbaths aren't for you, it's a long wait for the fat lady to sing.
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