Dr Horrible

   Okay, So this is a musical....   I normally hate musicals....   All those pointless segues into song and weird asides.  Yeah, there was some interesting music in Moulin Rouge, but I credit that to Fatboy Slim, and yeah, HAIR was awesome, and perhaps you could include Sweeney Todd, but that also had a great production design, and who knew that Sasha Baron Cohen could sing?

  But then, thru my admiration of Firefly and Serenity (Which are in the top ten of any science fiction list that I might make.) I was introduced to this little 45 minute mini movie marketed thru the internet and word of mouth.
  To be honest, I was dubious, but Joss Whedon's writing has always impressed me.   (Okay, Buffy was one of those things I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to watch, and amazingly I was addicted by the end of the first season.   Seriously, the writing is that good.)


  So without further ado....

  Dr Horrible's Sing along Blog is a tragic comedy musical set in three acts.  
  Among the multiple awards it has won, including the Peoples Choice Award, The Hugo for best short presentation, and a creative arts Emmy, it became somewhat of an underground sensation and for the most part went undetected in mainstream film.

 
  In Act I we are introduced by maniacal laughter to our Dr,  played with absolute perfection by Neil Patrick Harris, who is telling us his progress on several nefarious plans he has for ascending to something akin to an evil mastermind, with notions of ruling the world.
  It's both charming and novel in the format of the video blog.
 
  But here's the moment, I dreaded, the segue into a musical number.

    

   To be honest, I was impressed, the music was catchy, and not at all what I expected, instead of some obvious ode to mad scientists, we get this awkward devotion to a girl who barely knows he exists...

  Just as I was getting into the song we are interrupted by Moist, his err henchman.  Simon Helberg plays him with a resigned goofiness that is kinda funny, but in a dry (okay, couldn't help it) humor.
  He has the particular "superpower" of simply making people uncomfortable by sweating profusely.
 

 
  He has brought the mail an they talk about a less than eventful double date before Dr Horrible finds a letter from The Evil League of Evil.   It's written by the leader of the organization, a character known as Bad Horse.
  OF COURSE being a musical, here's how the letter was read.

  So with plans for stealing a component for his freeze ray (It's not a death ray, it's a freeze ray.) he embarks on a elaborate heist using a remote control a widget and after a moment where he runs into the object of his affection Penny, and they finally speak, only to have him snub her rudely as he is of course on a mission.
  A mission which get's foiled by Captain Hammer, played with full on caricature of all macho heroes by Nathan Fillion, who seems to attack his character with amazing smarmy conceited delight.
  In short, he's a heel, who both pummels Dr Horrible....

  And save's (Sorta, Dr Horrible did manage to stop the van he had controlled before it would have hit Penny) Penny by chucking her into a garbage pile, of which she rises to fall for Captain Hammer.

   As Dr Horrible so eloquently put it....  Balls.

  Let's face if folks, I'm hooked at this point, and simply enjoying the ride.

  The second Act starts in with Dr Horrible spending time spying on the budding relationship between Penny and Captain hammer.

  Dr Horrible actually succeeded in stealing his parts and is now able to assemble his Freeze Ray, but the Evil League of Evil sent him another singing letter to tell him, that they are disappointed in him, and nothing short of destroying Captain Hammer will get him into the League now.

  Dr Horrible, of course, tells about the successful completion of the Freeze Ray and plans to use it the next day.

  Turns out that Captain Hammer also watches his video blog, and foils his plan which he relates to us in his next blog in a subdued but rather hilarious fashion.
  Dr Horrible isn't ready to go that final step for the League just yet,  also not willing to commit murder to  achieve his place within the League just yet.
  The next day, Dr Horrible is meeting with Penny at the laundromat when she tells him that Captain Hammer is planning on stopping by........

  Now we enter Act III; and Dr Horrible puts his plan to thwart Captain Hammer once and for all, and to somehow win Penny to his side.
  Things go wrong, and by wrong, I mean the film takes a turn for the tragic in a way that catches you off guard and hits you like a punch in the gut.

  I have got to say, the last few minutes are touched with brief snippets of humor, but laced throughout with the kind of ending that only Joss Whedon can do.

  His grasp of the character, and the simple comic book plotline, lull you into a moment when you just stare for a few moments as the screen fades to black and your left with the feeling that you've just been manipulated by a master.

  Go out and get this little musical, even if you hate musicals.

  It's simply that good.