Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) User Reviews

Quirky, fun, but with a bit of Whedon insight and pathos thrown in for good measure.

[rgeo · 9/10 · 21 July 2008]

If you are a Whedon fan, you'll enjoy this little gem. If you don't know who Joss Whedon is, you need to get out more.

This short, internet film was made on a very limited budget-namely, Joss Whedon's own money-using friends and family to help him complete it. It was written and largely produced during the WGA strike. Why? Well, a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do.

The vid is fun and funny, yes. It also has wonderfully appropriate, cleverly written songs. So, singing, jokes, and fun. Well, yes, and then again, Mr. Whedon can't leave anything as simply fun. It also contains tragedy combined with sufficient pathos and a touch of probing insight into the human condition. This qualifies "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog a bit more than a simple, goofball musical comedy exercise.

Of course, it works just fine on that level, too. Be sure you watch it more than once.

More musical 'fun with a message' from Joss Whedon

[dubyah1 · 8/10 · 20 July 2008]

For 'Buffy' fans, "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" is similar to the famous 'Once More With Feeling' musical episode, exploring familiar Whedon territory with some favourite Whedon stars: Nathon Fillion from 'Firefly', Felicia Day also from the last series of 'Buffy', plus Neil Patrick Harris and cameos galore: is the good guy good, is the hero the heroine with a day-job, and does the bad guy *want* to be horrible? Lots of fun, with some good music and clever, thoughtful lyrics and some surprising performances; you start believing! I lol'd at the groupies and the baddies, and stay around for the credits.

Available on I-tunes for purchase.

And yes, I know what a hammer is.

A quirky, inventive musical that does a lot with so little

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 7/10 · 19 July 2008]

When I first heard that science-fiction mastermind Joss Whedon was putting together an internet-launched serial that involved singing, low-budget superheroes, and Neil Patrick Harris, I was immediately intrigued at the strange prospect. As preposterous as it sounds, this thing actually works and I wouldn't be shocked at all to hear that Whedon's little experiment yields a profit on DVD revenues.

"Dr. Horrible" is about a man with that very name played by NPH who considers himself a villain and is only waiting to receive his official acceptance into a league of villains, though to do that he must succeed at an evil plan or most specifically, kill someone, neither of which he has been able to do. He also has a thing for Penny (Felicia Day), the girl at the laundromat he can never seem to talk to. It's a strange situation for a guy who considers himself evil to be in, but that's part of "Dr. Horrible's" uniqueness. In classic fashion, it is over-cocky hero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion who worked with Whedon on "Firefly") who seems to always interfere with both of Dr. Horrible's objectives: being evil and Penny.

The music in this serial was probably the most surprising thing about it. The many Whedons that worked on this score really impressed me. I would consider owning a CD or downloading (legally of course) the songs. Though instrumentation was done entirely on electronic instruments, it's a good fit. While the songs and the plot don't always work seamlessly, there's a charm about the songs that makes them good anyway. They're modern songs in a sense, but they also are very structured like musical songs are.

NPH and Fillion are great talents in these roles. Fillion is hysterical in his first go around at a real comedic role (that I can recall). I've always been fond of him and he earns the most laughs I would say. NPH gets the quirkiness but the sincerity of a very strange character who is definitely difficult to believe, at least on pure premise.

This serial has a very interesting sense of humor too. It goes for a lot of subtlety jokes with people saying things that are absurd but that the other characters generally play dumb to. It's the right kind of humor for this kind of project though because the goal of the project is clearly to be unique.

I wouldn't say "Dr. Horrible" is genius and ground-breaking, but I would say it's really quite good for being something that clearly was intended to have a low-budget look and feel. I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next each time a new segment was posted, which is a credit to the writing. While I wouldn't run and tell all my friends about "Dr. Horrible," I would definitely recommend it to the right people who have an appreciation for projects that play small ball and look to do something different. ~Steven C

Visit my site at http://moviemusereviews.blogspot.com/

Thank God for the Writer's Strike

[cyoungjohnson · 10/10 · 20 July 2008]

I read Joss Whedon and his brother's were bored during the Writer's Strike last season and came up with the idea for Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. All I can say is at least one phenomenal thing came out of that strike! This three part comedy/drama with music is the most entertaining thing I've seen all summer. Neil Patrick Harris is absolutely inspired as the not so horrible, Dr. Horrible. Nathan Fillion is as adorable as ever as Captain Hammer, but he gets to reach in and find some shallowness too. This is fifty minutes, when you put all three parts together, of silliness, twists and turns, all with a soundtrack. It's only free online until July 20th, then you have to buy it. But the season pass at iTunes is only $3.99 and it is well worth the money. I highly recommend this for anyone who loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode, who loves Joss Whedon or Neil Patrick Harris.

The Shape of "TV" to Come

[gormanme · 10/10 · 21 July 2008]

Exceptional dialog, music, humor, pathos...yes, one of those again! Whedon and crew are reshaping "television" into the 21st Century and hopefully will carry the "industry" along with them in their wake (I know...I'm mixing metaphors but what the hell!). I can't wait for the next episode (I pray one will follow)!

Each of the main actors brings with them a unique "graphic novel" ambiance to the three-part episode. Nathan Fillion delivers just the right balance of likability and swarminess. Neil Patrick Harris brings an exquisite mix of illusion and reality - enough that we can touch his human side (and connect with it), while still laughing along with his illusory attempts at superhero-ness. And Felecia Day provides a perfect target of the two male leads' affections. The songwriting is catchy and endearing and the songs delivered with clarity and feeling.

For the past three days I have found myself unintentionally singing lines from the show as I drive, shop for groceries, shower, walk the dogs, cook dinner . . . you name it! They are that catchy!

You won't regret downloading and sitting through the 40 minutes of exceptional film-making!

perfect... just Perfect entertainment

[wozcom · 10/10 · 11 November 2008]

If you simply enjoy being entertained, this enchantingly short trio of episodes sheer is perfection itself.

Congratulations to Joss Wheedon for giving his planet such a very sweet little gift.

i'm not much of a fan of musicals as a rule, but this one plays so cheekily on all things geeky it's hard to resist.

Too often these days, performances rarely reveal that the cast absolutely enjoyed their rolls so much. Knowing that these people all performed for free and for friendship makes this one all the more enjoyable to watch.

So many Directors with so much money & talent at their disposal really do miss the point, and the point is to put your heart into it.

So obviously made with love, and the help of friends, Dr Horrible will make you smile over & over!

Just plain awesome

[booth-is-my-angel · 10/10 · 11 December 2008]

I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into when I first sat down at my computer to watch this. I had heard that Joss Whedon had created it, and I was a fan of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, but I didn't know what it was about or anything.

Forty Five minutes later, I was completely blown away. The songs, writing, and acting are just amazing. It made me laugh, and nearly cry. It's so creative, and has superheroes in it, which I love.

If you're someone who isn't sure about it, just watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog anyway. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Dr. Horrible has a P.h.D. in horribleness, and awesomeness.

possibly the single funniest thing I've seen from Whedon...

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 27 September 2008]

... I say this though as a quasi-Whedon ignorant; I've only seen about two seasons worth of Buffy, no Angel, and all of Firefly and Serenity. Joss Whedon's sense of humor is playful, crude, warped, and everything one might love from a skewering of superheroes. Hancock, take note, this is how it's done with consistency! The premise of Dr. Horrible can be summed up in one sentence: Boy (Dr. Horrible) with nerdy powers finds and wants girl, boy loses girl to arch nemesis boy Captain Hammer, boy plots revenge, boy finds things end on a pretty bitter and sad note. Or, to put it another way, it's about the nerdy guy wanting the girl and the beefy upstart with an ego the size of a blimp is hogging her for himself.

That's the gist of it, anyway, but to say this is all Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is about is to do a total disservice to Whedon and his large fan-base. This is a musical not quite unlike the Buffy classic "Once More, with Feeling" only without that pesky 'you have to know a and b and c are going on in the series and season' logic. One is thrust into that sharp, laconic, and joyously obvious sense of humor that reveals Whedon as someone who is a kind of curious master of musical comedy with those appropriate doses of barbed satire.

At the same time, as one who may have watched their share of Buffy and even Firefly knows, Whedon is also a hopeless romantic (hopeless in that he can't seem to put people together without *something* going wrong, which is the point of all drama one supposes), and his tale of Dr. Horrible, done through songs that reveal the characters' souls, heartfelt and adorable and totally meat-headed (the Captain's final song at the podium with his award is next to Godliness), and at the same time a cheap joke (random cowboys singing along from the sides of the frame) or a catchy number (the "Man's gotta do" song is far more wondrous than about 99.9% of stuff on the radio now) isn't sacrificed for the sake of what little plot there is.

And lest not forget the acting, or at least the awesome musical prowess. Neal Patrick Harris and Nathan Filion are just about perfect in their roles, as is the woman who plays Penny (the red-headed girl Dr. Horrible meets at the Coin Mart), with Filion especially juicy in a somewhat campy turn where he takes all those heroic qualities of his Firefly character and reveals the dark side ("And yes, we had sex"). Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog is about as close to romantic-comedy-musical-satire amazement as one could hope for, or maybe not expect, from Whedon, particularly as a free web-series running just about the length of a full short film (or an extremely short feature).

I thought for sure I would hate it- "Psych, I love it!"

[tracker09 · 10/10 · 5 June 2009]

A friend of mine who sat next to me in computer class quoted Dr. Horrible left and right for nearly a week after watching it. Lo and behold, he told me that I too must watch this web creation. My friend is an avid Joss Whedon fan. I had never heard of the guy until that moment. He liked musicals, I was pretty impartial to them. After being bugged for long enough, I finally decided to watch it, merely to calm him down.

I certainly judged this too soon. I was captivated right from the evil laugh "you know... coming along". It was very interesting the way Whedon made the protagonist the villain, and the antagonist the hero. The songs are very addicting and humorous, as well as portrayed with talent. I enjoyed the subtle humor. The ending was sad, but well thought out. I almost hope for a sequel, but I also worry that it might lessen the effect this movie had.

What's left to say? You were right and I was wrong, Tyler.

A far from horrible doctor.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 30 August 2010]

Something that I have always felt,that has made all of Whedons classic TV shows stand out,is how they all break out of any of the so-called rules of the genre,by having "The dumb blonde" be smart & sassy (Buffy),a vampire who takes on a bunch of lawyers (Angel),a John Ford western set in space (firefly),and giving a personality to a very empty character (Dollhouse).When I was hearing about this short film,I went looking round like crazy to find it in a DVD shop near me.Sadly,I discovered that the DVD has not come out in the UK,which made me decide that I would try to import the disc in a few weeks.Luckaly for me,a friend of my dads surprisingly passed me the DVD,to keep!Whilst it does not reach the (almost) unreachable heights of Whedons stunning shows,I found it to be a fun short film.

The Plot:

Dr Horrible is a wannabe super-villain,who is desperate to become a member of the Evil League of Evil.To become a member,he makes a decision that he should build a death Rey to kill the local,macho egotistical super-hero Captain Hammer.Shockingly for Horrible,as he is gathering all the parts to the Rey gun,the girl from the laundrette (who he has had a big crush on for along time)seems to be getting very keen on hum...

View on the film:

Due to this film having inevitable problem of being compared to the incredible Once More with Feeling episode of Buffy.I feel that Whedon (who also co-wrote the film with his three brothers and Maurissa Tancharoen)dose a great attempt at equalling that episode,with an interesting use of electronic music mixed into the piano-led songs.Joss has also,very pleasingly,put his great funny dialogue into the script (the part where it is revealed why the super-hero is called Captain Hammer is very hard to forget!)The only parts that I think could have been a bit improved upon,would have been to give the laundrette girl a few more scenes,and for the ending to have been slightly longer,and not so rushed.

Final view on the film:

An entraining short film,with likable songs and a very good enjoyable script with some great Whedon dialogue.

Great. Thats it!!

[igotcrunk · 10/10 · 15 January 2009]

I am not a fan of musicals, nor a fan of Joss Whedon's earlier work. I never watch Firefly, Buffy, or anything. In fact, the only reason I watched this was Neil Patrick Harris' involvement. Thank God I did! It is truly a one of a kind, and there isn't anything I could suggest to watch otherwise. It really is just fantastic, in terms of originality, writing, acting, the whole shebang. I do hate one thing about this thought. I hate having stupid friends, so I cannot just let them watch it on their own. I must watch it, then explain it's awesomeness, then force them to watch it again. So, if your friends aren't as retarded as mine are, please share this gem.

Wow.

[magnus101175 · 23 August 2011]

My family has been recommending this for a while, but I thought it sounded stupid. Well, when I finally decided to watch it, I regretted putting it off for as long as I did. At one point I actually contemplated hitting myself with a bat, although I did not due to the fact that it would be stupid.

This is genius in its purest form. I honestly was left speechless at the ending where you could actually feel the complex combination of pain and accomplishment that Dr. horrible felt.

Every actor played their part flawlessly. I see absolutely no reason not to welcome it into my top 5 list. In short: Watch it, you'll see what I mean soon enough.

Despicable Neil

[Horst_In_Translation · 7/10 · 4 September 2013]

What all blogs should be like. Neil Patrick Harris is hit or miss for me. I think he's always at his best when his performances have certain musical aspects, so I'm quite satisfied with his efforts in this fine little miniseries.

The first act starts strongly with Dr. Horrible being his non-famous self having a crush on a girl he sees at the laundromat, but being too shy to talk to her. No worries though, he's just a few weeks away from real audible connection. At the end of it, we get to know Horrible's opponent Captain Hammer, as testosterone-filled as unlikable, who puts in a nice duet with Penny, Horrible's crush. On a side-note, Simon Helberg plays the friend to a guy crushing on a girl named Penny. I've heard that one before.

Second act was the highlight of the whole thing. It starts right away with a beautiful (non-)duet of Horrible and Penny and resembles a lot Whedon's spectacular Buffy episode "Once more with Feeling". Thumbs up also for "I ordered one frozen yogurt and they gave me 2" Penny grows closer to both guys and NPH ends the act with a powerful "Brand new day".

Unfortunately the level sinks a bit in the last act. As goofy as the whole song was, the chorus from "Everyone's a Hero in their own way" really stays in your head. Also, this act is the first time where Dr. Horrible really seems like a villain. Admittedly the first two acts he seemed more like a comic-con nerd. With this change in character, also the ending was completely not what you expected.

Nonetheless, I'd recommend it. I really hope Neil Patrick Harris can score a role à la Jackman's Valjean in the next years. He really has it all to give one of the most impressive musical performances of the 21st century.

Meh

[daisukereds · 3/10 · 20 January 2020]

There is one good song, I guess. Felicia is cute, even in this dirty looking everything (scenarios, design, clothing, etc). There is a nicely shot scene at the beginning of the park location during the good song, but it immediately changes to poor lighting and awful colors. Everything else is awful looking. There is not enough substance, good lines or character moments to make this memorable. And the songs given to Filion (the people's hero) are terrible.

I'm surprised this was written by 4 people!

The story and delivery are worth seeing on a free streaming platform (like YouTube).. Paying for it? Not so much.

Everything He Ever Wanted... Only Cost a Penny

[dlinderman-55448 · 10/10 · 28 August 2022]

This is one of the best put together things I've seen in ages. It's comedic, it's tragic, it has catchy songs and a great cast. It's fantastically produced on such a quick timeframe and low budget, never feeling half assed.

I love that it's total run time sits around 40 minutes - it's not too long, it's not too short. It tells a story without a bunch of fluff around it. And it's a story that will make you sort of sit back and think about good and bad, right and wrong, and how there's always shades of gray in between.

I love the main cast, I love the songs, and I love the story. I don't know what else to say other than give it a watch.

Good subtle humor+fun musical numbers+low budget feel=Horribly entertaining

[vagabondjonson · 10/10 · 13 August 2008]

This little musical by Joss Whedon is clever and well written yet could be easily financed by a college freshman. The music is catchy, the lyrics are entertaining and fuel the story, the characters are memorable and quirky and the ending will disappoint people who want a schmoopy lovey-dovey ending. Those of us who are fans of Firefly will watch because we love Whedon's writing and Nathan Fillion's acting. Fillion's "Captain Hammer" is the shallow superhero nemesis of Neil Patrick Harris's Dr. Horrible, the latest in a long line of villains who have somehow had time to get their doctorate. While the video only adds up to just under 45 minutes, there are several story lines within the story that are very entertaining. The singing is by no means operatic, but is always pleasant and enjoyable.

Neil Patrick Harris is great in this. Felicia Day is beautiful and Nathan Fillion is memorably ridiculous.

This is a fun little sweet from Joss Whedon's bag of candy.

Absolutely brilliant.

[lilag-80710 · 10/10 · 10 May 2021]

Yes, it is. Absolutely brilliant. And phenomenal. And horrible, but in a good way.

Just dang ol' good time

[lentitramccall · 9/10 · 12 August 2021]

Neil Patrick Harris is so charismatic, it's hard to look away from this admittedly low budget superhero musical masterpiece.

Fun, Hilarious and Awesome 3-Part Series

[Scars_Remain · 10/10 · 27 July 2008]

My sister has been telling me to watch this and I didn't have much interest but I finally caved today and watch all three episodes. I loved this show a lot. It's one of the funniest things I've seen in a while and I am glad that I finally decided to sit down and enjoy it. It was truly hilarious and you gots to check it out!

I thought Neil Patrick Harris' performance in the Harold and Kumar films was epic, but his performance in this is either just as good or better. I loved the story and all the acting and singing, and of course, the internet and nerd jokes. It's definitely worth seeing. Give it a chance!

Excellent

[timurmaksilo · 9/10 · 25 August 2021]

Dr horrible's sing along blog is a 44 minute low budget musical That made me care about the characters more then some 100 episode long tv shows. I won't spoil anything but it's one of best musicals I've ever seen with a really powerful ending. Watch it pls.

A quirky musical

[tinytots2 · 7/10 · 14 December 2021]

Now I don't much like musicals and did not expect much from a web-series as short as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. But despite the simplicity of the plot and the cheesiness of the characters, I enjoyed it greatly. The plot made for a poignant parody, the acting was splendid, the musical numbers were charming, the humour was both subtle and overt and often dark, and the sci-fi elements were the icing on the cake. These qualities more than adequately recompensed for the low-budget production quality.

If you enjoy a swift light-hearted musical dive, you'd enjoy this creative recounting of the tale of Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer and Penny (with a Moist cameo).

Top tier entertainment

[gabeskywalker · 10/10 · 11 June 2022]

I was told about this by a friend and I had no idea what I had gotten into. I had mentioned that I love Neil Patrick Harris' work and I have always done something with music throughout my life. I am glad I actually sat down and watched this. The choice of Nathan Fillion as the cocky and self important hero of the movie fit perfectly with the plot.

dr horribles review

[dwagner2239 · 6/10 · 15 November 2012]

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is comprised of three acts, lasting around 14 minutes each. In the first act Dr. Horrible is trying to become a super villain and get recognized into the Evil League of Evil, which is led by Bad Horse. He is also in love with Penny, who he met in the Laundromat. And being as shy as he is, he hasn't gotten the courage up to talk to her yet. In order to be a part of the Evil League of Evil, Dr. Horrible has to pull off a major evil act or he will not be voted in. With his luck, as he is trying to steal the Wonderflonium that is needed for his Freeze Ray, he runs into Penny as she is trying to solicit people on the street to open a homeless people shelter. Just when Dr. Horrible thinks the robbery is completed, his nemesis, Captain Hammer, shows up and begins taking credit because he thought he stopped him in the van with his bare hands. Shortly after this, Hammer and Penny start singing to each other.

In the next act, Dr. Horrible is watching them while they are on their dates. The scene goes back to Horrible and Penny talking in the Laundromat and she tells him she is going to go out with Hammer again. This is completely upsetting Horrible. So, Horrible is now back to his blog telling how he is now going to be a part of the Evil League of Evil because he has the Freeze Ray and Wonderflonium. Then he finds out that the LAPD and Hammer are watching his blog and knew ahead of time he was going to do evil and stopped him from succeeding. Now, Bad Horse calls Dr. Horrible and says the only way he can become a part of the Evil League of Evil is to assassinate someone. The story goes on to show Penny and Horrible talking again int he Laundromat when Hammer comes in and tells him his plans with Penny to make him mad and jealous.

In the final act, Captain Hammer speaks at the opening of a homeless shelter where they are going to reveal the statue of him. He is bragging about himself and Penny tries slipping out from embarrassment. While he is still singing, Dr. Horrible blasts Hammer with his Freeze Ray and freezes him as the audience sits in shock. Horrible then taunts the audience and announces that they can't recognize that Hammer's cover is being blown and then he exposes a more deadly gun, the Death Ray. Horrible then aims it at Hammer, but the machine died and at that moment Hammer became unfroze and knocked Dr. Horrible to the ground. Hammer shoots Horrible with the Death Ray and it knocks him back and some of the shrapnel flies into Penny and she ends up dying. In essence, Dr. Horrible has committed the assassination needed to be voted into the Evil League of Evil. The story ends with Horrible wearing his new red coat and going into the room to sit with the other Evil league members, who he is now a part of.

The writers were on strike from this one too

[josie-03235 · 1/10 · 26 September 2020]

Apparently this was independently made by writers on strike, and let's just say, maybe they should have gone on strike from this project as well

Why'd it Take Me So Long to Find This?!

[dlinderman-55448 · 10/10 · 9 May 2022]

I can't believe it took me 4 years to come across this. This was such a fun ride. Catchy songs, great humor, a compact but compelling story. This is just great.