Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I am not a fan of musicals, nor a fan of Joss Whedon's earlier work. I never watch Firefly, Buffy, or anything. In fact, the only reason I watched this was Neil Patrick Harris' involvement. Thank God I did! It is truly a one of a kind, and there isn't anything I could suggest to watch otherwise. It really is just fantastic, in terms of originality, writing, acting, the whole shebang. I do hate one thing about this thought. I hate having stupid friends, so I cannot just let them watch it on their own. I must watch it, then explain it's awesomeness, then force them to watch it again. So, if your friends aren't as retarded as mine are, please share this gem.

Exceptional dialog, music, humor, pathos...yes, one of those again! Whedon and crew are reshaping "television" into the 21st Century and hopefully will carry the "industry" along with them in their wake (I know...I'm mixing metaphors but what the hell!). I can't wait for the next episode (I pray one will follow)!

Each of the main actors brings with them a unique "graphic novel" ambiance to the three-part episode. Nathan Fillion delivers just the right balance of likability and swarminess. Neil Patrick Harris brings an exquisite mix of illusion and reality - enough that we can touch his human side (and connect with it), while still laughing along with his illusory attempts at superhero-ness. And Felecia Day provides a perfect target of the two male leads' affections. The songwriting is catchy and endearing and the songs delivered with clarity and feeling.

For the past three days I have found myself unintentionally singing lines from the show as I drive, shop for groceries, shower, walk the dogs, cook dinner . . . you name it! They are that catchy!

You won't regret downloading and sitting through the 40 minutes of exceptional film-making!

For 'Buffy' fans, "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" is similar to the famous 'Once More With Feeling' musical episode, exploring familiar Whedon territory with some favourite Whedon stars: Nathon Fillion from 'Firefly', Felicia Day also from the last series of 'Buffy', plus Neil Patrick Harris and cameos galore: is the good guy good, is the hero the heroine with a day-job, and does the bad guy *want* to be horrible? Lots of fun, with some good music and clever, thoughtful lyrics and some surprising performances; you start believing! I lol'd at the groupies and the baddies, and stay around for the credits.

Available on I-tunes for purchase.

And yes, I know what a hammer is.

If you are a Whedon fan, you'll enjoy this little gem. If you don't know who Joss Whedon is, you need to get out more.

This short, internet film was made on a very limited budget-namely, Joss Whedon's own money-using friends and family to help him complete it. It was written and largely produced during the WGA strike. Why? Well, a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do.

The vid is fun and funny, yes. It also has wonderfully appropriate, cleverly written songs. So, singing, jokes, and fun. Well, yes, and then again, Mr. Whedon can't leave anything as simply fun. It also contains tragedy combined with sufficient pathos and a touch of probing insight into the human condition. This qualifies "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog a bit more than a simple, goofball musical comedy exercise.

Of course, it works just fine on that level, too. Be sure you watch it more than once.

When I first heard that science-fiction mastermind Joss Whedon was putting together an internet-launched serial that involved singing, low-budget superheroes, and Neil Patrick Harris, I was immediately intrigued at the strange prospect. As preposterous as it sounds, this thing actually works and I wouldn't be shocked at all to hear that Whedon's little experiment yields a profit on DVD revenues.

"Dr. Horrible" is about a man with that very name played by NPH who considers himself a villain and is only waiting to receive his official acceptance into a league of villains, though to do that he must succeed at an evil plan or most specifically, kill someone, neither of which he has been able to do. He also has a thing for Penny (Felicia Day), the girl at the laundromat he can never seem to talk to. It's a strange situation for a guy who considers himself evil to be in, but that's part of "Dr. Horrible's" uniqueness. In classic fashion, it is over-cocky hero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion who worked with Whedon on "Firefly") who seems to always interfere with both of Dr. Horrible's objectives: being evil and Penny.

The music in this serial was probably the most surprising thing about it. The many Whedons that worked on this score really impressed me. I would consider owning a CD or downloading (legally of course) the songs. Though instrumentation was done entirely on electronic instruments, it's a good fit. While the songs and the plot don't always work seamlessly, there's a charm about the songs that makes them good anyway. They're modern songs in a sense, but they also are very structured like musical songs are.

NPH and Fillion are great talents in these roles. Fillion is hysterical in his first go around at a real comedic role (that I can recall). I've always been fond of him and he earns the most laughs I would say. NPH gets the quirkiness but the sincerity of a very strange character who is definitely difficult to believe, at least on pure premise.

This serial has a very interesting sense of humor too. It goes for a lot of subtlety jokes with people saying things that are absurd but that the other characters generally play dumb to. It's the right kind of humor for this kind of project though because the goal of the project is clearly to be unique.

I wouldn't say "Dr. Horrible" is genius and ground-breaking, but I would say it's really quite good for being something that clearly was intended to have a low-budget look and feel. I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next each time a new segment was posted, which is a credit to the writing. While I wouldn't run and tell all my friends about "Dr. Horrible," I would definitely recommend it to the right people who have an appreciation for projects that play small ball and look to do something different. ~Steven C

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