Review: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008)

There is nothing to do during the summer. No, ignore my recent surge of movie reviews, my amusing quips, and the concept of the outdoors. Really, the only solace one may find in this depressing, lonely, stuff-to-do-free world, we only have one place to turn: viral videos.

So, if asked, what would you claim to be the single most entertaining viral video of all time? Is it Charlie the Unicorn? Is it Shoes? Is it that Japanese penguin that takes his penguin backpack and goes to buy fish from the market? No.

It’s that musical with Doogie Howser as a criminal not-so-mastermind.

Now, don’t let this tawdry description (nor it’s fairly literal title) fool you. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a surprising masterpiece. Then again, considering that it comes from the mind of Joss Whedon (*angelic music*), as well as his entire family, the notion isn’t quite so surprising.

Conceived by the Whedon crew during the boredom of this year’s Writers Guild of America strike, Joss sought to prove that something amazing could be created with minimal budget and no vulture-like production company looming overhead. He completely succeeded. Here’s how:

1. The Cast. Neil Patrick Harris is a god amongst mortals. Were it not for his amazing character Barney on How I Met Your Mother (which, by the way, may be the only worthy sitcom left on this planet), I would want him to get his fingers into as many projects as physically possible, plus three more. His voice, his timing, and his looks (score one for the men out there), are all well above par (or, rather, below par. Whichever is better. I don’t know golf). Then we come to Felicia Day as Penny. Her vulnerability makes you want to let her cry on your shoulder, until you realize that you are in fact crying on her shoulder. It is a far cry from her role on Buffy, which mainly just made me want to tear her little pink hat off (sorry, Vi fans). Nathan Fillion is of course amazing as Dr. Horrible’s arch nemesis, Captain Hammer, who is really the way I imagine most superheroes to be (f**king Superman and his rock allergies).

2. The Music. Those who remember the immortal Buffy episode “Once More With Feeling” will be happy to know that this score (penned jointly by Joss and his brother Jed Whedon), surpasses the quality of its predecessor by a large degree. The driving feel of each piece, particularly such hits as “Laundry Day”, “On The Rise”, and “So They Say” (mind you, we have no idea what the track titles are yet, so this is merely speculation), give the whole 42 minute story an insanely addictive energy.

3. The Joss. More than anything else, the Mutant Enemy stamp on this video is what makes it work. Cameos by David Fury and Marti Noxon (both Buffy writers, but otherwise known as the Mustard Man and the Parking Ticket Lady) are just some of the jewels that any fans of his original work would see. I believe that Dr. Horrible, more than anything else, makes me simply giddy over Joss’ TV return in Dollhouse.

I really haven’t done this story justice with this short review, but I don’t wish to spoil a thing. I will recommend nothing more highly for this summer. Try to catch it this week while it’s still free. After that, you can still buy it on iTunes or, if you’re like me, wait for the DVD, which will include a musical commentary by the cast and crew. Yep, that’s right. A separate musical, just for the commentary track. Salivation time commencing.

…Salivation time completing. I don’t want your computer sparking.