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Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
What happens when you get everything you ever thought you always wanted? If it's in the Whedonverse then it comes with a price. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was surprising, to say the least. I wasn't sure what I expected, but what I got definitely wasn't it. Once I got over the surprise, of characters bursting in to song and a villain who blogs the details of his world domination plans, I rather enjoyed it. It was just cheesy and tongue-in-cheek enough to get away with the over-the-top presentation. It never took itself too seriously, except for the end when it almost kinda did. But then there was a horse at the head of the Evil League of Evil and so, it really didn't Indeed, that was the point, I think.
In a world where everything is inverted, the hero is really the villain and vice versa, identified by their gloves (notice how Dr. Horrible wears white gloves even though he's supposed to be a black hat and Captain Hammer wears black gloves, and how in the end after Dr. Horrible really does become a villain he switches to black gloves, as well), we are introduced to a complex, morally gray villain, his not such a good guy arch-nemesis and the sweet, placid and too-good-to-be-real dream girl.
Although, initially rather fluffy and funny (albeit with social and political commentary thrown in for added depth) it takes a very dark turn when Dr. Horrible finally commits to doing what's necessary to finally be accepted into the Evil League of Evil. Up until now, he's been foiled repeatedly by the shallow, douche bag superhero, Captain Hammer. When Captain Hammer steals the woman of his dreams and brags about it, Dr. Horrible decides to kill him. Because this is Joss Whedon's brain child, things go terribly, terribly wrong.
Dr. Horrible wants to save the world from itself, his ends justify the means approach aren't exactly successful. He's an inconsistent, rather haphazard villain. He's that guy who's road to Hell is paved with good intentions, or would be if he could ever really get anything achieved. Penny would be his perfect match except she's trying to achieve the same ends via the "righteous" path. She's handing out flyers and collecting signatures. Captain Hammer is a hero, probably because it gets him the girls. Because heroes are the good guys, Penny falls for the Captain after he seemingly saves her life.
Of course, you're rooting for Dr. Horrible from the moment you meet Captain Hammer, possibly even before, as you realize how inept Horrible is at villainy. I was rooting for him to stop at the last minute, just shy of killing Hammer. I was totally unprepared for the gun to backfire, although we should have expected it given his track record with the Freeze Ray. Penny's death was a shock. Her continued belief in Captain Hammer was as tragic as it was expected. She's not a character who recognizes shades of grey. It took her awhile to realize how awful Captain Hammer really was. And in the end it was literally too late.
In the end, Dr. Horrible getting everything that he ever wanted didn't seem to solve any of the world's problems and definitely didn't do him any good as he succumbed totally to being evil. In the end, he realized that it wasn't so much the world that he wanted to save, as it was the girl he wanted to win. With Penny dead, what was the point of saving anything.
The singing was adequate, Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day (YAY for Vi) were pretty okay. Nathan Fillion, bless his sweet self, was barely passable and obviously out of his comfort zone. But Captain Hammer would be a character who would belt out songs without actually being a very good singer. His confidence is super and he's self-centered enough not to consider anyone else's opinions valid.
Kinda dark and kinda random, Dr. Horrible makes for an interesting creative effort. However, it also kinda reminds you why Cop Rock got cancelled.
ETA: Corrections made, it's a Freeze Ray, not an Ice Ray. Details matter, yo!
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deird1 has an excellent post about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Joss's way with villains. GO Read it.
What happens when you get everything you ever thought you always wanted? If it's in the Whedonverse then it comes with a price. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was surprising, to say the least. I wasn't sure what I expected, but what I got definitely wasn't it. Once I got over the surprise, of characters bursting in to song and a villain who blogs the details of his world domination plans, I rather enjoyed it. It was just cheesy and tongue-in-cheek enough to get away with the over-the-top presentation. It never took itself too seriously, except for the end when it almost kinda did. But then there was a horse at the head of the Evil League of Evil and so, it really didn't Indeed, that was the point, I think.
In a world where everything is inverted, the hero is really the villain and vice versa, identified by their gloves (notice how Dr. Horrible wears white gloves even though he's supposed to be a black hat and Captain Hammer wears black gloves, and how in the end after Dr. Horrible really does become a villain he switches to black gloves, as well), we are introduced to a complex, morally gray villain, his not such a good guy arch-nemesis and the sweet, placid and too-good-to-be-real dream girl.
Although, initially rather fluffy and funny (albeit with social and political commentary thrown in for added depth) it takes a very dark turn when Dr. Horrible finally commits to doing what's necessary to finally be accepted into the Evil League of Evil. Up until now, he's been foiled repeatedly by the shallow, douche bag superhero, Captain Hammer. When Captain Hammer steals the woman of his dreams and brags about it, Dr. Horrible decides to kill him. Because this is Joss Whedon's brain child, things go terribly, terribly wrong.
Dr. Horrible wants to save the world from itself, his ends justify the means approach aren't exactly successful. He's an inconsistent, rather haphazard villain. He's that guy who's road to Hell is paved with good intentions, or would be if he could ever really get anything achieved. Penny would be his perfect match except she's trying to achieve the same ends via the "righteous" path. She's handing out flyers and collecting signatures. Captain Hammer is a hero, probably because it gets him the girls. Because heroes are the good guys, Penny falls for the Captain after he seemingly saves her life.
Of course, you're rooting for Dr. Horrible from the moment you meet Captain Hammer, possibly even before, as you realize how inept Horrible is at villainy. I was rooting for him to stop at the last minute, just shy of killing Hammer. I was totally unprepared for the gun to backfire, although we should have expected it given his track record with the Freeze Ray. Penny's death was a shock. Her continued belief in Captain Hammer was as tragic as it was expected. She's not a character who recognizes shades of grey. It took her awhile to realize how awful Captain Hammer really was. And in the end it was literally too late.
In the end, Dr. Horrible getting everything that he ever wanted didn't seem to solve any of the world's problems and definitely didn't do him any good as he succumbed totally to being evil. In the end, he realized that it wasn't so much the world that he wanted to save, as it was the girl he wanted to win. With Penny dead, what was the point of saving anything.
The singing was adequate, Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day (YAY for Vi) were pretty okay. Nathan Fillion, bless his sweet self, was barely passable and obviously out of his comfort zone. But Captain Hammer would be a character who would belt out songs without actually being a very good singer. His confidence is super and he's self-centered enough not to consider anyone else's opinions valid.
Kinda dark and kinda random, Dr. Horrible makes for an interesting creative effort. However, it also kinda reminds you why Cop Rock got cancelled.
ETA: Corrections made, it's a Freeze Ray, not an Ice Ray. Details matter, yo!
deird1 has an excellent post about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Joss's way with villains. GO Read it.
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Date: 2008-08-28 12:03 am (UTC)From: