Doctor Horrible DVD Review

Like Santa with a sack of toys, I carried my shiny new Doctor Horrible DVD with me wherever I went this past holiday weekend to spread the awesomeness to those who have never seen it.   And since I posted about preordering the DVD back on December 8th, I thought I would update with my impressions now that I have received it.

From the first minute I popped in the DVD, I was in love.  I actually thought when I saw the FBI Warning, “Oh man…even for some internet musical series they have to put up this crap?”  And then it dissolved into a warning from the Evil League of Evil.  And I was happy.

The DVD is great because Doctor Horrible is great.  I loved the story, the music, and the acting.  For those who disagree with the direction of the third act…try “writing” it another way that would have the same power, that would be as memorable.  I can’t come up with something that works as well and I love it the way it is.  I also can’t imagine any other actors doing as great a job as the cast did.  The music is tremendous and only gets better the more you hear it.

I was a little concerned that since this was a low-budget, independent internet series, it might not look good on a big screen.  But I think it looks fantastic on a large TV.  I’ve even noticed brilliant little facial expressions and other details I missed on the smaller screen.  And, like I noted above, the DVD is easy to transport to introduce to people who have never witnessed the Doctor Horrible phenomenon.  So I would be happy paying the ten bucks just for that.  But of course, there is more.

More info (and some easter egg spoilers at the very end) after the jump…

Obviously, the big draw of the DVD is Commentary: The Musical.  It’s a bunch of brand new awesome songs for the full length of the original feature (around 42 minutes). That’s 14 freaking songs!  I wouldn’t really say it’s direct commentary on what you are seeing on the screen (occasionally it is), but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.  The songs are witty, hilarious and well-sung.  There are some definite genius lines in there and I will be listening to the whole thing again and again for quite some time.  In browsing around the forums, I noted that almost everyone has different favorite songs from Commentary: The Musical, and I take that as a very good sign.  Zack’s rap and “Better than Neil” are my current favorites (”my three parts of Gaul-ness” just totally cracks me up for some strange reason).  There are definitely a lot of in-jokes, but let’s face it…if you are watching a musical commentary on a DVD of a musical internet series that is probably okay with you.  I go to Broadway shows from time to time and I wish they were as smart and funny as this.  

Oh, if you’re curious about Ninja Rope and you don’t have an iPhone, try this link.  And if you want to see Felicia being “Bad Horsed” check this one.

Alright, let’s see what else.  You have the “regular” commentary which is well-done, humorous and interesting.  I guess what shocked me the most was that the Doctor Horrible “lair” set was actually some dude’s house (and he appears in Act III).  Crazy.  There are three features on the making of Doctor Horrible: The Movie, The Music and What Just Happened.  They were all great and I appreciated the different perspectives and additional information.  It was wild to see Doctor Horrible actually being “released” onto the net and it was cool to see the various stars in the recording studio.  You also really get a feel for the fun spirit that seemed to carry the whole project.

Then we have the enjoyment of seeing the fan-made Evil League of Evil applications.  They are pretty entertaining…some really impressed me.  They are also from all over the world which is pretty cool and many include original musical numbers.  I would have to say that Tur-Mohel is my current favorite, but that may change on repeated viewings.  Bravo to all the applicants!

Okay, some negatives…let’s see.  The packaging is nothing special.  It’s solid enough but looks a bit home-made.  I would have liked some deleted scenes or blooper reels (there are some outtakes in the easter eggs - more on those below).  I would like to be able to read the lyrics for Commentary: The Musical.  That’s all I got.

This was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  For ten bucks, I’ve already had a ton of fun with the Doctor Horrible DVD and I know I’ll continue to enjoy it for years to come.  It’s not too late, head over to Amazon and grab this sucker at once.  The official fansite notes that (for a time at least) it was in Amazon’s top 3 DVD’s and that’s great to hear.

Alright, so the Easter Eggs.  I’ve seen three pretty cool ones and at least one (ELE) is definitely worth finding.  But these are no piece of cake to discover.  If you want the complete info on the easter eggs, with spoilers, check this thread or this one.  But if you just want some hints to point you in the right direction, I’ll give you three below.

1.  Check the languages menu.  It should be obvious which to select.

2.  Don’t forget to watch the credits of the Making Of features.

3.  Look through the Scene Selection screens for each act.