Conceived as a show-string budget, free-to-view-online mini-series during the Writers Strike, this Joss Whedon production struck Internet gold. It’s been available via iTunes since, but the DVD came out in time for Christmas … and on Amazon, it’s currently #3 in Movies & TV, #1 in Musicals & Performing Arts, #1 in Science Fiction comedy, and #2 in Superheroes. Yow!
Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
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Story: Can an up-and-coming super-villain achieve infamy and fortune … and work up the nerve to talk to the girl he has a crush on? In three episodes we get comedy, tragedy, and highly witty (and poignant)music …
Now in 42 minutes total run time you’re not going to get Shakespeare. Or are you? In many ways, the tale of Doctor Horrible — complete with diabolical laughter, death rays, laundromats romances, and the most obnoxious arch-nemesis super-hero on record, not to mention an Evil League of Evil — is as nuanced and layered (and well-written) as, if not the Bard, then 99% of most TV show episodes or full-length movies out there. You can watch it for yocks (at least for a while), but there are plot currents of conflicted ambition, tangled priorities, unanticipated consequences, hero-worship, anger management, media manipulation, the nature of evil, the choices we make (implicit and explicit), and the paths taken, rejected, or simply overlooked.
In other words, you could write some pretty academic-sounding papers out of this piece of apparent fluff. But you could also just watch it for its sometimes-uncomfortable entertainment value. Or both!
I’m not a huge fan of the musical form (with a few exceptions), but the tunes here do exactly what a good musical should do — advance the plot, explore the characters singing them, and be cleverly and richly structured in and of themselves. The only flaws in the tunes, in fact, is that they often cut off abruptly as the action requires, making them (marginally) less whistleable afterwards.
The tale was written by Joss Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Zack Whedon, and the music was by Joss and Jed with lyrics by Maurissa. Most of them played roles, too (as did many of the crew).
Acting: Neil Patrick Harris nails Dr. Horrible, in all his ironic, awkward, angry, tongue-tied, victimized-and-victmizer glory. Nathan Fillion similarly excels with the cheesy lines and leather gauntlets of self-centered Captain Hammer. Felicia Day’s Penny — the romantic point of contention between Horrible and Hammer — is done well, but the role is not up to either the other two.
They all, surprisingly, sing pretty well, too. (Well, Harris has sung on Broadway, but he’s not usually known for his singing.)
Production: It was conceived on a shoestring (“low six figures,” funded by Joss himself), and the production expenditures show. None of it is detractingly cheap, but it’s all clearly low-budget. But the need for elaborate SFX in a super-villain musical is actually less than you’d think, and the camera work and direction make up for the B-movie lack elsewhere.
Features: Some good material here — one commentary track puts most of the cast and crew into “Commentary: The Musical” (which is often LOL funny, but also more than a bit self-indulgent). The normal commentary track has most of the players there, but is only fair at actually adding much to the tale. The “Making Of” featurettes are standard and informative. The fan-provided application for the Evil League of Evil are sometimes amusing, more often lame. Lacking, sadly, are the (oft-commented) out-takes.
Overall: If you enjoyed the original, the DVD makes for fine at-will viewing, complete with a chance to spot some interesting stuff going on in the background and see it all on the big screen. If you haven’t — well, the DVD is cheap, and the fun is anything but horrible. Not for kids, but good stuff for everyone else who’s looking for a witty, iconoclastic, occasionally jarring musical that you can watch in 42 minutes.
Other links:
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” (2008) – IMDB
Dr. Horrible – Official site