Review: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

[dalmatianjaws]

by Ben Helms

The (Joss) Whedon family collaborates in this straight-to-internet phenomenon that pulls three actors in from very different genres, and plunges them into the hilarious independent musical/comedy Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.


Felicia Day, Neil Patrick Harris, and Nathan Fillion at the Dr. Horrible panel, Comic-Con 2008

Sitcom great, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), stars as the evil Dr. Horrible, who is constantly trying to defeat the ever-present superhero, Captain Hammer, played by Whedon-regular Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity). But soon Felicia Day (The Guild) makes her appearance as the object of both of their affection, as both havoc and hilarity ensue for over forty minutes of well-timed, well-thought-out musical numbers.

And I know exactly what you’re thinking: Joss Whedon writing a musical? Well, unless you’ve followed Mr. Whedon for years (since the famed Buffy episode Once More, With Feeling aired in 2001), the thought of Joss Whedon writing and directing a comedic musical definitely brings doubts to the mind of even the most hardcore Whedonesque.com fans.

Nevertheless, Joss and his brother Jed Whedon compose very song in the 45-minute film, and they’re dynamic, catchy, clever, and actually tie into the story extremely well. While a little cheesy throughout, they remain both hilarious and poignant at times, as you get closer and closer with easy to love characters.

At the same time, there are definitely instances when it’s easy to tell Dr. Horrible is an independent flick. If you’ve ever taken a trip on Universal Studio’s backlot tour, then you’ll easily identify just about every exterior shot in the film. Also, there are really only 3 ½ actors in the whole movie. While this isn’t a huge shortcoming, it definitely speaks of their lack of studio backing and therefore giving them a rather small budget to work with.

However, their independent production and distribution also make it so the Whedons (and co-writer Maurissa Tancharoen) all have 100% complete creative control over the film…not to mention the fact that it can never ever be cancelled…ever. Which is always nice, and a welcome change for Joss.

The show has a superb cast, a wonderful story, and some great musical numbers. It definitely keeps your attention, entertains, makes you laugh, and draws emotion out of even the most critical of viewers. And even though it may be a bit hokey at parts, the Whedon’s Dr. Horrible is anything but trite.

For More Info: www.drhorrible.com

[The Movie Whore]

I laughed my ass off all the way through this one. I loved NPH and Nathan Fillion. Fillion never ceases to show he has no fear of making an ass of himself and doing it brilliantly.