Parents' Guide to

Repo! The Genetic Opera

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Gory, goofy musical is bloody and bombastic.

Movie R 2008 92 minutes
Repo! The Genetic Opera Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 18 parent reviews

CommieInTheCloset1
CommieInTheCloset1 Adult
October 27, 2020
age 15+

Very Disturbing, But Very Good

This movie is one of my favorites, but I have a very strong stomach, and if your kid wants to watch this, have them watch the Godfather first and see how disturbed they are after that.

This title has:

Too much violence
Heather M.
Heather M. Parent
July 9, 2019
age 17+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 18 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In a near-future mega-city, the population has been ravaged by a series of plagues that induce massive organ failure. The GeneCo Corporation has amassed a fortune (and political power) by giving people the replacement organs they need to live -- at a price. When GeneCo clients fall behind in their payments, GeneCo dispatches the Repo Man (Anthony Head), a doctor/thug who removes the organs in question in fatal ways. The Repo Man keeps his work a secret from his ailing daughter Shilo (Alexa Vega), but Shilo's being approached by the head of GeneCo, the ailing Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), who has a plan for her to take the reins of the company instead of his squabbling children.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (18 ):
Kids say (33 ):

REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA began as a stage play musical; the screen version is bigger, bolder -- and bloodier. The plot combines elements of The Little Mermaid (Shilo, confined to home by illness and a protective father, longs to see the world outside) and King Lear (the dying Largo tries to find a suitable heir for his corporate kingdom), along with a subplot revolving around drug and surgical addiction and an opera singer (Sarah Brightman) who owes her very sight to Largo's corporation and goodwill. But the songs aren't particularly memorable, and while Repo! The Genetic Opera is trying to put a 21st-century spin on the goofy, giddy operatic style of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this movie is gory and grisly where its inspiration is campy and clever.

But many of the performers are game, especially in their musical performances; Head, for one, has a reedy tenor that sounds not unlike David Bowie, and the operatically trained Sorvino has a rippling, rich baritone that makes his musical numbers pulse with power. Director Darren Lynn Bousman wrings every possible penny of production value out of his budget -- the Blade Runner-inspired future mega-city is an eye-popper -- but the comic-book style graphic interludes that set up the story and show viewers establishing flashbacks are so static and long that they become a bore. Bousman also doesn't do much to shape the material or the performances in a clear way, choosing instead to let the hammering, droning songs propel the film from one moment of special-effects gore to the next. The people behind Repo! The Genetic Opera unquestionably have plenty of passion; regrettably, they could have used a bit less passion and a little more thought and judicious editing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about who this film is meant to appeal to. Horror movie fans? Musical fans? Do many people like both genres? How does a movie become a "cult classic"? Families can also discuss the film's messages. Is it meant to be taken seriously? Do you think healthcare corporations put profit before patients? What happens when people can't pay for life-saving medical treatments? Is there a danger of too much financial and political power being in the hands of one corporation?

Movie Details

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