Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008/New Video DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: B Feature: A
What’s
that you ask? What are some of the
greatest things in the world? Well gee,
just off the top of my head I’d have to say super villains, the internet, Joss
Whedon, aaaaand I’ll throw Nathan Fillion and Neal Patrick Harris in there for
good measure. What’s that you say? All those things are included in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and it’s
also a musical? Well then yes, I would
have to agree that that does sound like the greatest thing to hit DVD since
Jude Law and Rosario Dawson released their sex tape as directed by Michael Bay
in which not only are they having sex but also simultaneously playing awesome
guitar solos while buildings explode in the background. Wait, that last one never happened? Well then I guess it’s official, Dr. Horrible is the greatest thing to
ever be released on DVD.
Neal
Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
stars as Billy, who moonlights as the evil
genius Dr. Horrible (he holds a Ph.D. in horrible-ness) and dreams of earning
membership in the Evil League of Evil.
Problem is, Billy is also a really nice guy, and when in the course of one
of his dastardly plots he accidentally introduces his secret crush Penny (Felicia
Day of The Guild) to his arch
nemesis Captain Hammer (played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly and now Castle),
Billy is faced with some difficult
decisions.
Created
by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Firefly, Dollhouse) and apparently also his entire family, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was
produced in response to the writer’s strike last year as a new mode of
production and distribution outside of the restrictive studio system. The goal was to create a professional piece
of entertainment for cheap, then release it for free on the internet, and yet
still make money on it. The result has
been a tremendous success. Dr. Horrible was initially released
online in three webisodes, which then got put up on the website Hulu where you
can still watch it for free. But even
though you don’t have to pay to enjoy it, Dr.
Horrible has already proven to be a financial triumph through the
astounding success of merchandising, iTunes downloads of the feature and the
soundtrack, and now the DVD is available as well.
So if you
can watch it for free, why would you buy the DVD? Well, two reasons. The first is the tremendous list of extra
features. The disc boasts two commentary
tracks including Commentary! The Musical
featuring all new music. There are also
three making-of featurettes and fan submitted Evil League of Evil application
videos. The other reason you would pay
for the DVD is to help support what Whedon and crew are trying to accomplish
and prove that this new internet-based mode of production and distribution is a
viable alternative to the outdated Hollywood monopoly.
The
picture quality on the disc is fine, though the 1.78:1 widescreen image is
perhaps not as sharp as it could be. The
sound, in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, is better with crisp well-recorded audio
during the song sequences. The rest of
the dialogue, recorded on-site has a bit of echo here and there but overall is
also impressive.
Really
all I can say is go watch Dr. Horrible
on Hulu. Then, after you’ve thoroughly
fallen in love with it, I guarantee that you will gladly pay the $10 for the
privilege of displaying this DVD on your shelf.
Go forth, dear reader, and become part of something bigger than
yourself. Kool-Aid is on the house.
- Matthew Carrick
