Blu-ray Movie Reviews

In the not-so-distant future, a worldwide epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GENECO, a biotech company that offers organ transplants…for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession…and hunted by the REPO man!

What a bizarre a twisted film. When I saw “Genetic Opera” I didn’t think that meant literally but this film is indeed a musical with all of the dialogue delivered in prose or song. Because of the themes it was really difficult to take seriously and to say the singing talent (and words) weren’t a bit silly would be an understatement. There is plenty of gore here though and while I wouldn’t categorize it as a horror (just wasn’t even remotely scary), its bizarre themes and twisted imagery would probably appeal to the gore hounds out there.

The film was shot with HD cameras and the resultant look is what we’ve come to expect from that level of production. The image is impeccably clean with outstanding dimension and depth but the subtle softness of the HD camera scrubs out the finest detail. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of definition here, but it does have a slight video look to it. Contrast is strong and colors are vivid. The blending of CG with the live action actually holds up quite well and the bizarre production design gives you plenty of eye candy. Overall this is a very strong video presentation from Lionsgate.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack has strong dynamic range and great low end extension but the soundstage is a bit front heavy overall. Since most of the film is done in song it was hard to balance the dialogue with the rest of the track as it was obviously dubbed. The front soundstage is wide with nice sidewall extension but the sound design came off slightly gimmicky at times. I wasn’t a big fan of the music of the film but fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show will probably feel right at home.

Extras include a pair of audio commentaries along with a feature on bringing this stage production to the big screen. If you liked the songs there is a sing-along feature for your late night karaoke. Deleted scenes and the trailer are also included.

Bizarre is not the word for this one. It is in the same vein as The Rocky Horror Picture Show but far more gruesome. The songs aren’t quite as good either. Lionsgate has done a great job with the presentation though making it an easy recommendation as a rental for the curious.