Originally posted on my AFF blog
Ok, I've been fully obsessed with this show, or webisode is guess is the term, for weeks. I can't believe I haven't written about it yet. And no, the subject line is no joke. The real name of this masterpiece is, in fact, Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long blog.
If you like Joss Whedon's work (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, etc...); you will LOVE this too. Trust me. And even if you're not already a fan, you'll probably find it funny and a hell of a lot of fun. It's only 30 minutes long. It was basically Joss' idea of a project to do, during the strike; something to keep him busy without crossing picket lines. Neil Patrick Harris is, to put it simply, incredible. He plays the Dr. himself, and you quickly realize that he has belonged in the Whedonverse for a long time. Just like with Kevin Smith and Aaron Sorkin's writing, there are some actors who are uniquely talented at being the voice for Joss' words. NPH is definitely such an individual. And the character is fantastic.
This poor sweet guy, really does just want to make the world a better place, and give it to the woman he loves on a silver platter (it'd be gold but he accidentally melted that). This is in direct opposition to Captain Hammer, who is a hero only because he likes everyone to think of him as heroic. He's arrogant, condescending and a creep, and really doesn't care as much about the world as Dr. Horrible. And who can play a hammy hero better than anyone? Nathan Fillion baby! No one could've done it better. And it's just not fair this multi-talented man can also sing. Keep surprising me Captain Tightpants.
The girl in the middle is Penny, played by another Whedonverse member, Felicia Day. If you don't know Felicia's name by now, you'll know her face. She's done guest roles on tons of shows and a lot of commercials. In fact, she was the formerly-blind patient in this week’s House. She's lovely in this; a sweet compassionate woman who really does see how much better Billy (Dr. Horrible's alter ego) is than Hammer. But she wants so badly to make the world a better place too, and since it seems Hammer has the same motivation, she is confused by the difference between his outsides and his insides.
And yes folks, the Sing-A-Long part of the title is not just for effect. This is a musical. It's much in the style of Joss' tour-de-force, Once More With Feeling. And Joss' musical writing has only improved since that first attempt. The songs are full of heart, joy and yearning. It's amazing how he can fuse his normal conversational writing style, with fun and melodic music, to create an entirely new concept. I have already downloaded the entire soundtrack (and will be buying shortly).
In addition to the wonderful leads, there are some other fun faces in here. Simon Helberg, of Big Bang Theory and Sorkin's own amazing Studio 60, makes a fun appearance as Moist, Dr. Horrible's odd sidekick, who's only talent is making things damp without effort. Joss' brothers make a brief cameo, as do former Buffy writers/producers Marti Noxon and David Fury (who we already learned can sing from OMWF).
Seriously everyone, go to http://drhorrible.com and check this out. It's only 30 minutes long, but it'll leave you begging for more. And there's rumors that Joss is writing more for Dr. Horrible to sing about. One can only hope.
An additional note to my original assessment; the DVD is fabulous! There are actually two commentaries, a standard one and... Commentary The Musical! I’m not kidding, an actual musical commentary is included. It’s hilarious. There’s also some great interviews and behind the scenes stuff. You need to get this DVD! Seriously, go out now, Wal-Mart is always open. :)
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