If you haven’t already seen it, you should take a few moments to watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. The film is initially being distributed on the internet, and can be viewed as streaming video for free through July 20. It’s also available for download from the iTunes store, and will eventually be available on DVD. Dr. Horrible has become a tremendous success in a very short period of time, illustrating a uniquely potent distribution model that is causing many to rethink traditional Hollywood practices. It’s this summer’s “Blair Witch Project,” but way cooler, and a lot catchier.
Dr. Horrible is masterfully played by Neal Patrick Harris (who rose to fame for his portrayal of “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” and more recently, as the character Barney in “How I Met Your Mother”). I won’t give away the plot, but I will say that it grows on you. I almost tuned out after the first minute of Part 1, which starts with a leisurely pace that seems painfully slow at times. But the tentative tempo is a clever way of setting the scene for the bittersweet love story that is both disarmingly cute and decidedly strange. And to top it off, it’s a musical, a genre that apparently still has a lot of life left in it.