Repo! The Genetic Opera

I realize this entry is almost a week in the making, and my apologies for running so behind on the updates.

I went to see Repo! The Genetic Opera on Friday, and was not greatly surprised to see the line stretched around the block. I was, however, astonished to see that the line curved around the block in BOTH directions. TWO. Count ’em.

One line was for people holding guaranteed seats (aka will call), and the other was for people hoping to get in after the will call people got in. I don’t even really need to state it, but the show was definitely a sell-out, as predicted. People started lining up for the show starting at 7 pm, from what the theater staff tells me, and it was slated to start at 10 pm.

It was pure luck that I even managed to get in (despite the fact that, hey, I WORK here!). I imagine half the people waiting to get in after will call were turned away because we were at capacity. Almost the entire staff was outside, doing crowd control. I definitely appreciated the effort they had taken. Dealing with a crowd that large with that much efficiency is no easy task!

The show was delayed by about 45 minutes. The staff wanted to ensure that every seat had a behind in it, and the director (Darren Lynn Bousman of Saw II fame) and screenwriter (Terrance Zdunich, who also played Graverobber in the movie) were present. They gave a speech beforehand, which definitely had the crowd engaged.

I have to admit that a few weeks ago when I started researching this movie, I had a moment of horror when I was sent a link to reviews from GreenCine, most of which stated how absolutely terrible the movie was. When I received the link, I opted to find more neutral and/or positive reviews of the movie so that I could promote it effectively. However, after having seen Darren Lynn Bousman get up on his proverbial soapbox and praise the negative criticism as well as the positive reviews, I couldn’t help myself: I joined in the with the crowd in having a “let’s stick it to the man!” moment.

I actually took a video of the speech beforehand, but as it’s not exactly kid-friendly, I’d need to check with my bosses before actually posting it here. Of course, I’ll be glad to send it to anyone interested. As Bousman and Zdunich said, anyone talking at all helps the movie out promotion-wise.

And as if being present weren’t enough….the terrible two stayed until after 2 am to talk with everyone who wanted to ask questions/get things autographed. Check me out in all my blogging glory!

L to R: Bousman, blogging enthusiast, Zdunich

Comparison-wise, it really was like my first night at Rocky Horror Picture Show. I had seen RHPS on late-night cable once upon a time, and was wondering to myself how the hell it was as popular as it was. Realization came the night I stepped into a theater with people in full costume and became part of the interactive show…it’s about the audience experience. And I have to say, Repo! is much the same. It was definitely all about the audience experience. There was a goth fabulous mood to the theater Friday night, complete with people who had traveled 14 hours, people in costume, roller derby girls, and a plethora of goth-chic girls in corsets and 6-inch heels.

Now, I’m completely anti-gore. Ask anyone that knows me. I cringe as if I were the one being hurt. There were definitely points in the movie where my hands flew to cover my eyes so fast that I wound up nearly punching myself out…yet, I was drawn to watch. The story itself was fascinating and reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedy meets Greek tragedy (hopefully I didn’t give TOO much away with that analysis) with random comedic points (and an even more random cameo by Joan Jett). I really enjoyed the graphics and visuals used in the movie. I was also astonished to see a GOOD performance by Paris Hilton (she played a spoiled brat…imagine that!), and that the singing was spectacular. As far as the rest of the movie goes, it’s definitely something I’d see again (with an audience) so that I can pick up on the nuances I missed last time around.

I have to say that I’m in agreement with Bousman about the movie being something different from what you’re used to seeing, which is what they struggled to bring to the table…something different from typical Hollywood fare; something that would be appealing to movie-goers who are hungry for variety. I enjoyed it, but it definitely seems to have a polarizing effect. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?