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Maegwyn -> Issue 39 - A Horrible Review; Dr. Horrible that is (Genoclysm) (2/8/2009 12:27:15)
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A Horrible Review; Dr. Horrible that is
By Genoclysm
It has only recently occurred to me that the Zardian as a whole has failed miserably to produce a review for one of the greatest musicals in recent history. To the team responsible for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I offer my humblest apologies. I am ashamed.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is wonderful comedic musical with more than a touch of satire. Those who have seen it might add another genre to its classification, but I'd hate to spoil the larger moments. It has plenty of humorous moments and silliness to keep viewers laughing throughout. It's musical numbers are as varied in purpose as they are in feel, and all the ones that are of any length are enjoyable to listen to. Sing ANY of them in public and you may get people joining in if they are familiar with it, but more often* you will wind up being stared at like you are mad. Satiric irony saturates the whole musical, and the protagonist happens to be the villain while the hero is the one viewers tend to wind up rooting against.
The story centers around three people at the climax of their various quests in life. Dr. Horrible himself, Billy when trying to blend in with society, is trying to join the Evil League of Evil so that he may further his plans to take over the world and reform it. He has noble motivation but admittedly evil methods... at least when those methods actually succeed. Penny, a girl Dr. Horrible has a crush on, is trying to help the homeless, currently by providing a shelter for them in their city. Captain Hammer, the hero everyone is enamored with, is just looking for fame and women, though he never seems to have trouble gaining either. Dr. Horrible is really a big softy that cares about people whether he admits it or not, while Captain Hammer is a self-righteous pig who loves to outright bully Dr. Horrible. Yes, that is right, bully. It goes beyond the simple saving the day routine to the point where this so-called hero takes pleasure in causing Dr. Horrible multiple varieties of pain. The story really begins on a day when Penny starts interacting with both of them, to Dr. Horrible's dismay.
The whole musical is just over 42 minutes long. It is a charming story with its own special brand of humor. It breaks molds and challenges stereotypes in multiple ways. The largest mold it broke, however, is not a plot-related one. It is the mold in which quality entertainment is expensive to make and relatively expensive to view. The makers of Dr. Horrible have strove to produce quality entertainment that is immediately available and/or affordable by anyone. It is available to view on the internet with two short commercial breaks being the only strings attached. The soundtrack (whether CD or MP3 files) and the DVD itself are both on sale for around ten dollars each, the DVD being just over. My recommendation? Visit the Dr. Horrible official website and view it there before deciding on getting the soundtrack and/or DVD, and then support them if you find the musical even half as enjoyable as I have. The humor only gets crude around three times, and while parents might have to explain a little bit or hastily change the subject when a couple words come up**, the rest of the musical remains clean.
* Tragically it is not quite as widespread as it could be.
** Appropriately, it is the simple-minded Captain Hammer that is the source of 60% of what little potential vulgarity the musical contains.
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