Emmy Award Winner
Winner People s Choice Award
Favorite Online Sensation
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) stars as Billy, A.K.A. Dr. Horrible, a budding supervillain whose plans for world domination continually go awry. His two goals: getting accepted into the Evil League of Evil, and working up the guts to speak to his laundromat crush Penny, played by Felicia Day (The Guild). The only thing standing in his way is Captain Hammer, Billy s superhero archnemesis played by Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle). With one big score, Billy could get into the E.L.E. and earn the respect of Penny, but only if he can keep her away from the dashing Captain Hammer…Conceived as an “online miniseries event” during the 2008 writers’ strike, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a 42-minute musical romp that bears the distinctive stamp of Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) plays the title character, who video-blogs about his twin goals to join the Evil League of Evil and to woo the fair Penny (Felicia Day, of Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Web series The Guild), a woman he met at the local laundromat. Dr. Horrible is foiled on both fronts, however, by his arch-nemesis, the self-absorbed superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, Whedon’s Firefly).
Dr. Horrible was written by Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and Jed’s fiancee Maurissa Tancharoen, and the songs were written by Joss and Jed (who also produced, orchestrated, played, etc.) with some lyrics by Tancharoen. (Jed and Tancharoen have backup singing roles.) The offbeat, off-the-cuff humor is laugh-out-loud funny, and just like Dr. Horrible wants to take over the world, the songs will take over your head: they’re engaging (“My Freeze Ray”), stirring (“My Eyes”), and sweet (“Penny’s Song”). “So They Say” is particularly evocative of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, but as with Joss Whedon’s musical episode of Buffy, “Once More with Feeling,” the influences are diverse. It’s hard to imagine a better cast. Harris, who’s sung Sondheim on Broadway, is a great lead and clearly the best singer, Day is completely charming, and who better than Captain Tightpants to play the pompous superhero? One could argue about the ending, and the independent budget shows, but Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a complete hoot for people who enjoy musicals with quirky humor. Plan on watching it multiple times. –David Horiuchi
On the Blu-ray disc
Even if you’ve already watched or downloaded Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a number of bonus features might entice you. There are two commentary tracks: Harris, the three Whedons, Tancharoen, Day, and Fillion recorded a spirited track discussing the movie, and there’s also “Commentary! The Musical” in which they ignore the movie and sing about the writers’ strike and each other (e.g., Fillion sings “I’m Better than Neil”)–the songs aren’t as good as the Horrible songs, but it’s good silly fun. A 20-minute making-of discusses the cast, the recording sessions, and how the movie became a phenomenon, and 10 videos (a half-hour total) were recorded by fans who want to join the Evil League of Evil. And when’s the last time you wanted to pause the FBI warning? –David Horiuchi
Rating: 
(out of 499 reviews)
List Price: $ 19.95
Price: $ 10.99
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May 28, 2010
#1
Review by A. P. Murrell
Rating:
So it’s nothing short of a miracle that I ran into this webcast musical. I’d never dipped in the pond of Whedon’s work and at the time I wasn’t a fan of any of the actors, but boy did that change.
I first heard about Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog from a couple weekly podcasts that I listened to and everyone loved it, so I gave it a try. I came out of the experience singing the catchy songs for weeks, seeking out the actors’ works, and wanting to be a bigger Whedon fan.
The acting is spectacular. Neil Patrick Harris is one of the best actors of his generation and he shows real and refined talent by both singing and acting as Dr. Horrible himself. It’s a shame that Nathan Fillion, Captain Hammer, is not an exploding star. Felica Day, too, exhibits fine acting and singing skills and it’s hard not to fall in love with her character, Penny.
The Whedon team (+ Mo) do an amazing job of weaving together fine acting, extremely catchy and well-written songs, and witty, yet thought-provoking dialogue in the tragicomedy that is Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog and I, for one, cannot wait for more.
May 28, 2010
#2
Review by M. Carter
Rating:
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” tells an incredible story of an aspiring villain… who blogs and sings. In this backwards world, the villain is the hero, and the hero is the villain. But which one will get the girl? If you’re a fan of “Sweeney Todd,” you’ll love this movie. The acting is impeccable, and the music is flawless. Not a scene, not a song, not a word is out of place. This is a story you won’t want to miss.
The fact that this DVD has two commentaries — a typical filmmaker’s commentary and, appropriately so, a musical commentary — is unique in and of itself. The fact that it’s the same stellar crew that put together the Sing-Along blog itself guarantees brilliance. The other special features, such as the “making of” videos, are horribly satisfying. I fell in love with the project all over again.
May 28, 2010
#3
Review by M. Morgen
Rating:
This is an amazing piece of work, and was one of the first “created for the web” creations to really succeed, both artistically and virally. Neil Patrick and the whole cast are perfect, and the entire production is highly original in content, format, and artistry. The songs are great (you’ll be singing them for days, if not weeks) and bottom line, it’s just really, really good, and worth watching or buying or whatever!
May 28, 2010
#4
Review by airistoxic
Rating:
First let me say that the content on the disc itself is great, but Amazon is not being completely honest with it’s product descriptions.
On the top of the page, it says that the disc format is DVD, but if you buy it, there is a possibility that they will send you a burned DVD-R instead of a pressed DVD disc. This can be an issue because DVD-Rs are not as durable over time and some DVD players cannot read them.
You can tell if you received a DVD-R if it is a purple backed DVD-R disc. I didn’t even realize this was a possibility until I opened the package and saw it since the product description doesn’t even mention it except for in small print at the bottom of the page. I’m disappointed that Amazon couldn’t shell out for a release of consistent quality.
UPDATE: Amazon recently changed the DVD logo on the top of the product page to DVD-R making the product description more accurate.
May 28, 2010
#5
Review by Tonya Jarrett
Rating:
I just ordered my DVD but my original thoughts were blogged on July 18, and they still stand; well, of course:
Whether you are or aren’t an acolyte of Joss Whedon, do yourself a favor and view this 45-minute serial TV show made for the Internet (and now on DVD).
This was an experiment devised by Whedon, two of his brothers, a writer friend of theirs, and countless others who contributed, during the fairly recent (now months ago) WGA strike. The artists on this project basically worked for free, with Joss Whedon and a few others ponying up the funds.
Dr. Horrible is the tale of a mad scientist (Neil Patrick Harris), would-be villain who wants with his entire being to be part of the Evil League of Evil, run by an Uber-Villain Overlord named Bad Horse. Why? He’s in love with a girl named Penny, who he’s afraid to talk to but wants to rule the world with. She in turn falls for a big lug with half a brain called Captain Hammer. Hammer and Dr. H have a hate-hate relationship, mostly because Hammer keeps giving him beatings and messing up his plans for world domination.
Did I mention it’s a musical? The whole thing is brilliantly devised; archetypes of villains and heroes turned on their head, a sweet young thing who is their innocent catalyst for change, and a tuneful score which harks to musical theatre influences … some Bernstein, some Schwartz, with emphasis on Sondheim. Whedon and his co-writers obviously love language and know how to use it to warp the woof of an oft-told tale; good vs. evil. But just who is good and who is evil? And for whom will you weep when the story is through?
Write and tell me. I’d like to know what you thought.
On the surface, looking at photos, reading synopses here and there, you might be fooled that this is just a trifle, a silly confection. Those unfamiliar with Whedon’s previous artistic outings are in for a surprise. The ending is being hotly debated even as I write this. There’s a lot for everyone here; musical enthusiasts to comic-book fans, to dramaturgs.
Watch how well the tone shifts from Act to Act, with the music supporting all the action. Act I is the honeymoon, Act II the divorce, and Act III “the great black pit” in more ways than one.
Neil Patrick Harris is a star – if that wasn’t already clear. His singing and acting runs the gamut from sweetly hopeful, to sarcastic, to morose, to black outrage and despair. If Act III doesn’t prove that you can become hollowed out through your own mistaken desires, nothing will.
Nathan Fillion plays the “Hero,” Captain Hammer. I don’t want to give too much away if you haven’t seen it yet, but let’s just say his performance is the perfect capital P for pompous. I’m not surprised he delivers on the singing – a very talented man who is not afraid to spoof his own image as someone who is adored, but in a totally obnoxious way. He’s equal parts lecherous Judge Turpin from Sweeney Todd and Judd Frye from Oklahoma. Not easy to pull off.
Felicia Day (who has her own show The Guild on the Internet Highway) plays Penny, the innocent ingenue who tries to stay positive in a wicked, bad world. Tries to make a difference despite indifference. Day is competent, sweet and smart in a role that doesn’t give her much to do. It felt as though she really had to pull back her own personality to make it fit within the confines of a role that doesn’t change or grow. But she is there for a definite purpose.
How we could be taken on this journey in such a short series. I’m a believer that all things are possible. Especially when there’s Whedons involved.