Week 36: Repo: The Genetic Opera

Dear Avid Reader,

Weather is nuts. You just can't control it.

It's serious biz-nazzz.

I'll Keep Those Vultures Guessing

I'm sure most folks would pick substance over style. I guess by choosing substance one feels superior to style choosers. Deeper. Smarter.

Well they are wrong. Style is better.

I Look Like A Crime Scene, Dad

After watching Repo: The Genetic, one is left with the sense that they just watched a terrible movie. They are in fact right. Repo is truly a terrible movie. But I think that description is incomplete.

In order to appreciate Repo, one must have had more than a passing brush with "geek-ish" culture during the past decade. During the first decade of the new millennium, nerds saw their favorite films, music, games, and books shoot right to the front of the line. Culture makers new that if they could make stuff for these hard-core consumers, the sky was the limit in terms of profit. No fan would by more of their project-related crap than this group of people that put their consumption up as a mare of honor. And lo how the dorks were exploited.

Chase The Morning, Yield For Nothing

Exhibit A in the trail of this exploitation is Repo. It basically goes down the list of things that these folks want. Brooding/tortured hero, and an innocent heroine. Hugely popular but insanely corrupt villain. Violence. Dystopian future. Black lipstick. Buffy's musical episode. And of course, snappy dialogue. Well...snappy-ish.

Of course there is one thing missing from the recipe. A story.

Here's what I mean about a missing story: when you have to pause the action and explain to the audience what is going on, you have failed at making a story. You failed so bad Repo. So bad.

Blame Not My Cheeks

Now I see no reason in critiquing the movie beyond that. I leave it to others to describe the two-dimensionality of the characters and the like. I am more interested in how Repo succeeds. Because it totally gets all the other things right.

Just look at the Graverobber character. He's shadowy and opportunistic. He's got great lines. He is who every nerd dreams of becoming when the big one hits. He's this movie's Han Solo. And the whole idea of capitalism gone so extreme as to repossess body parts is truly inspired. You have to completely turn everything off in your mind and just look around the movie and see the sights. Who wants to see the cranks and levers when they can just ride Space Mountain? In other words enjoy the scenery as the cast chews it.

A Mighty Small Drop In A Mighty Dark Plot

But the substance choosers will show up and demand an easily understood story and characters that make sense. They are the people who tell you how much fat is in the cake you are about to eat. They are the ones who think everything can be controlled. But they are wrong again.

Ultimately it comes down to what we think we want. Do we want substance? Do we want vegetables? Do we seatbelts? Do we want TV with a v-chip? Heck no. We want style, cake, convertibles, and American Gladiators.

Some would say that we may want the "bad" stuff but we need the good "stuff". But they'd be wrong about that too.

Until Next I Blog,

James