I’m in a similar boat- the members of my polycule have been raving about it for a long time ad we finally watched it last month (both the movie and a live production).
The plot is almost non-existent. Like, not a whole lot really happens in the story. It could easily be condensed into an 11-minute cartoon runtime.
The music is… Bad. Just generic, theatrical, musical rock 'n roll. The songs aren’t really memorable or catchy. Tim Curry gives a great acting performance, and he has given great singing performances in other things, but all of the songs are written as more musical conversations than standalone songs. I’ve never even seen Frozen but I still get Let It Go stuck in my head sometimes. I hated Rent but I still get the stupid “525,600 minutes” song stuck in my head. From Rocky, I only remember funny moments like when he goes “antici… Pation”.
It’s dropping with elements of sexuality but never really uses them to say anything. Frank N Furter spends most of the time in a corset and garter, and a good chunk of the cast gets out in similar outfits too, but it’s more funny than sexy. There’s no message being sent about trans people. There’s very little even said about sexuality- maybe a soft message that Brad and Janet need to loosen up a bit, but at the same time Furter’s promiscuity is kind of condemned.
I do see a couple of strengths in it though. Most of the film/play is characterization. There’s tons of dialogue that doesn’t really explain what is going on but does give insight into the personalities of the characters. The long, drawn out, repetitive songs give plenty of time for the actors to dance around and interact with each other and the sets.
The other part is just… Fan service, I suppose. Especially for people who like muscles- even in the live production I saw both Frank and Rocky were impressively jacked. Colombia and Magenta show plenty of leg and cleavage. And I think you’re really on to something about there just not being a whole lot of queer media at the time.
I’m in a similar boat- the members of my polycule have been raving about it for a long time ad we finally watched it last month (both the movie and a live production).
The plot is almost non-existent. Like, not a whole lot really happens in the story. It could easily be condensed into an 11-minute cartoon runtime.
The music is… Bad. Just generic, theatrical, musical rock 'n roll. The songs aren’t really memorable or catchy. Tim Curry gives a great acting performance, and he has given great singing performances in other things, but all of the songs are written as more musical conversations than standalone songs. I’ve never even seen Frozen but I still get Let It Go stuck in my head sometimes. I hated Rent but I still get the stupid “525,600 minutes” song stuck in my head. From Rocky, I only remember funny moments like when he goes “antici… Pation”.
It’s dropping with elements of sexuality but never really uses them to say anything. Frank N Furter spends most of the time in a corset and garter, and a good chunk of the cast gets out in similar outfits too, but it’s more funny than sexy. There’s no message being sent about trans people. There’s very little even said about sexuality- maybe a soft message that Brad and Janet need to loosen up a bit, but at the same time Furter’s promiscuity is kind of condemned.
I do see a couple of strengths in it though. Most of the film/play is characterization. There’s tons of dialogue that doesn’t really explain what is going on but does give insight into the personalities of the characters. The long, drawn out, repetitive songs give plenty of time for the actors to dance around and interact with each other and the sets.
The other part is just… Fan service, I suppose. Especially for people who like muscles- even in the live production I saw both Frank and Rocky were impressively jacked. Colombia and Magenta show plenty of leg and cleavage. And I think you’re really on to something about there just not being a whole lot of queer media at the time.