Joss Whedon's "
Dr. Horrible" is just what the doctor ordered.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 40-minute, 3-part musical comedy produced for the Internet, telling the story of a low-rent supervillain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to. The movie was written by writer/director
Joss Whedon; his brothers
Zack Whedon (a television writer) and
Jed Whedon (a composer), and Jed's fiancée, actress
Maurissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the
WGA Writer's Strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike.
The first act - 15 minutes long - introduces
Neil Patrick Harris' Dr. Horrible; his roommate
Mr. Moist (a villain with the dubiously useful power of being able to make things... moist);
Penny, the pretty girl at the laundromat; and
Captain Hammer, the doctor's arch-nemesis. Captain Hammer makes a great foil for Dr. Horrible, who is a twitchy, nervous sort of anti-hero. Dr. Horrible's efforts to get into the
Evil League of Evil and win the heart of Penny don't start off too well, but I'm sure that the hero - or villain?? - will triumph in the end.
"I'm just trying to change the world, okay?" he whines into the camera, rejecting yet another offer for a villain-on-villain duel. "I don't have the time for a grudge match with every poser in a parka."
The second acts opens with Dr. Horrible stalking Penny and Captain Hammer, watching them dating at the
Caring Hands Homeless Shelter and having fun in the park. Later, Captain Hammer taunts Dr. Horrible, telling him he plans to show Penny his command center, give her the "night of her life," and seduce her by morning. Driven over the brink by Captain Hammer's psychological torture, Dr. Horrible resolves to kill him.
The third act has Los Angeles abuzz with Captain Hammer's crusade to help the homeless, while Dr. Horrible finishes his death ray. Captain Hammer makes a speech at the homeless shelter and inadvertently embarrasses Penny, before Dr. Horrible freezes him with the Freeze Ray and prepares to kill him. But Dr. Horrible hesitates, and the Freeze Ray powers down before he can shoot Captain Hammer. Captain Hammer grabs the death ray, intending to kill Dr. Horrible, but the death ray explodes. Captain Hammer is hit and feels pain for the first time; he runs out of the room, crying. Penny is impaled by debris from the exploding Death Ray. Dr. Horrible rushes to her side.
Afterwards, Horrible rapidly rises to power as a supervillain, while Captain Hammer is seen in therapy. Having accomplished his goals, Horrible is inducted into the Evil League of Evil, complete with new costume... but his alter-ego spends his days sitting in his basement, uncostumed and alone.
I thought this was extremely quirky and hilarious at the same time. Neil Patrick Harris has great comedic timing - and he can actually sing. Though this is definitely not the same caliber as
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog is worth watching and sharing with friends.
Hulu is taking over our lives - well, not really, just a little portion. This weekend, my hubby has become obsessed with Doogie Howser, M. D. starring a very young Neil Patrick Harris. This television series about a genius teenager who becomes a doctor and was on the air from 1989 until 1993.
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