Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Sci-fi/fantasy writer-director Joss Whedon (Serenity, Dollhouse) took advantage of the 2008 writers' strike to unleash Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on the Internet, where it became a viral sensation. Veteran Broadway performer and Tony Awards host Neil Patrick Harris stars as aspiring bad guy Billy, who longs to join the Evil League of Evil (ELE) and win “the girl of his dreams”—auburn-haired homeless advocate Penny (Felicia Day, from Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer). In this three-act musical web-aired series, Billy video blogs his thoughts, narrating events from his life through song. Unfortunately, many of Billy's blog followers think he's no match for Captain Hammer (Serenity's Nathan Fillion), who enters the scene singing, “A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!” If the musical numbers—written by Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and actress Maurissa Tancharoen—are sillier than your average show tune standards, that just fits the irreverent tone of the whole affair. Although Billy writes the smarmy superhero off as “a corporate tool,” Penny finds the two-faced Hammer “totally sweet.” Still, with the ever-damp Moist (Simon Helberg) by his side, Billy might just expose his arch-nemesis as a vainglorious coward. Or not. DVD extras include two audio commentaries (a regular cast and crew track, and the song-filled “Commentary! The Musical” version), three “making-of” featurettes, and several viewer-submitted ELE application videos. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)[Blu-ray Review—May 25, 2010—New Video, 92 min., not rated, $19.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2008's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog sports a good transfer and a 5.1 surround soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are almost identical to the previous DVD release, including two audio commentaries (a cast and crew track, and the song-filled “Commentary! The Musical” version), viewer-submitted “Evil League of Evil Application Videos” (31 min.), three “making-of” featurettes (21 min.), an “Evil League of Evil” interview (3 min.), outtakes (2 min.), a brief behind-the-scenes clip, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut of a web-aired hit.]