July 21, 2008 was the day that I saw The Dark Knight, in a sold-out IMAX theater in Providence, R.I., which to this date is one of the greatest movie-going experiences of my life. But later that same day, I opened my laptop and watched the third and final episode of Joss Whedonâs pioneering web series Dr. Horribleâs Sing-Along Blog.
I didnât realize at the time how significant either was â to the future of movies/TV and to the oncoming onslaught of superhero-related content; to me, Dr. Horrible was just a really, really fun musical-comedy experiment.
12 years later, it almost all holds up. The miniseries, written during the
film and TV writersâ strike of 2007-08, attracted a perfect cast of suddenly not-busy actors:
Neil Patrick Harris as the titular evil doctor,
Felicia Day as his love interest Penny, and
Nathan Fillion as his nemesis Captain Hammer, a broad parody of the superheroes whose powers are âbe handsome and punch good.â
Harris carries the best songs, including âMy Freeze Rayâ and âMy Eyes,â with a sincerity that evolves from innocent to insane, and Fillion is one of the few actors who can sell Captain Hammerâs cocktail of cheesiness and cluelessness. Viewed today on a big-screen TV, the low budget of the production is easily visible, but back in my day, we watched internet videos in tiny boxes and ⌠oh, whatever.
Also: The archetypal âgeeky loner man who acts out because one woman is not into himâ has not aged suuuuper well, but compared to Harrisâ more famous role, Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible is basically a saint.