Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Joss Whedon is a name that is both whispered in hushed tones of honor and shouted with enthusiasm from the rooftops by geeks from across the nerd spectrum. Whether it’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or possibly even Dollhouse, his fans are vocal in their support and love of his work. That support may reach a fevered pitch in the next few years as he begins preparing and filming the upcoming Avengers movie as its director.

But before we get there, you can now check out one of his quirkier (which is saying something, given that this is Whedon we’re talking about) and funnier takes on the superhero/super villain genre. Or I guess I should say, you can now check it out on Blu-Ray. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog first premiered online, created essentially as a loophole project during the writers’ strike in Hollywood in 2008. Rather than broadcasting it on TV or in theatres, it premiered in three acts on the Internet. Reuniting Whedon with Nathan Fillon (Firefly/Serenity) and Felicia Day (Buffy) and featuring Neil Patrick Harris in the hilarious lead role, it focuses on Harris’ Dr. Horrible as he attempts to up his villainy game in order to join the esteemed Evil League of Evil. He falls for a girl (Day) who he meets while washing his clothes at a local laundromat. When he finally musters up the courage to talk to her, his efforts are thwarted by the self-centered hero Captain Hammer. It’s funny, poignant, witty and of course, there’s plenty of original music to help tell the story.

QUALITY:
Don’t be fooled by the Internet origins of this little film: the picture quality here is fantastic. The sound is also terrific, as you might expect from a modern-day musical. It’s obvious at a couple of points that this was done on a shoestring budget (no one from the cast or crew got paid until after it started selling on iTunes), yet the overall look and feel is fantastic.

BONUS FEATURES:
Can you name a musical that also features a second musical as the commentary to the primary musical? No? WRONG. Now you can…it’s called Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and that commentary is called “Commentary: The Musical.” Seriously. This might be the only musical in existence that features a meta-musical that functions as commentary on the main feature. Did you get all that? Okay good. Beyond that, there are making-of featurettes, “normal” commentary from cast and crew, and Evil League of Evil application videos from fans. All in all, a great set of bonuses.

In summation, this is a terrific release. While it’s already been out for purchase in other formats, if you haven’t gotten it yet, this is the one to spring for. And if you have and you count yourself as a Whedonite, who are you fooling? You know you want to get this version too.