Dr Horrible Act III

POSTED BY: BayBreeze1
UPDATED: Saturday, July 26, 2008 04:36
VIEWED: 14702
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SIMONWHO

Saturday, July 19, 2008 4:15 PM

It's strange but even though I enjoyed the first two acts, it didn't feel very "Joss".

What happened at the end of the third act, that was very Joss. Very Joss indeed. Of course, it's very Shakespeare too - create a character, make the audience love them then kill them off brutally and needlessly.

Loved the red Dr Horrible outfit - if I was going to a convention, that's what I'd wear.

SCATHAC

Saturday, July 19, 2008 5:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:

Loved the red Dr Horrible outfit - if I was going to a convention, that's what I'd wear.

Me too - I was wondering if red was possible even before episode III. I wonder where we could get one...

I was surprised because I honestly expected Dr. Horrible himself to be killed off - he was too good hearted to be evil, and too in love with the power of evil to be good. He couldn't accomplish anything riding the fence like that, he wasn't fully realizing either potential with in himself. So I assumed he would sacrifice himself for Penny or the world or peace or something at the last minute. Instead, Penny's death becomes the catalyst for the burning away of the good in Dr. Horrible's character, allowing him to fully wallow in the dark side. Wow. Very mythic.

TUJIAOZUO

Saturday, July 19, 2008 8:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Scathac:
Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:

Loved the red Dr Horrible outfit - if I was going to a convention, that's what I'd wear.

Me too - I was wondering if red was possible even before episode III. I wonder where we could get one...

I can see a bunch of people going to a con dressed as Dr. Horrible, or Captain Hammer, either way they would look great.

So my full review of the three parter-

I thought all the acts were solid as were most of the songs. In Act I, I wasn't too keen on Hammer's 'A Man's Gotta Do' song, but Nathan just sells the character flawlessly, and the funniest moment of that act is when he grabs Dr. Horrible by the throat, mentions gently wafting curtains, an proceeds to bash Dr. H into the hood of the van while Penny sings, keeping rythym with her song. Further brilliance goes into how completely incompatable he is for Penny. Loved how he was in the Act II duet (the best song out of the whole thing) not really caring for the homeless, or yogurt, or ducks. He saw a pretty girl and did things she like to do to get another notch on his belt as well as in the end torment Horrible. It seems not alot of people cared for his last song, but I thought it was solid, he was trying hard to say something memorable, but in the end it further showed his colors.

Felicia Day was the perfect sweet, innocent, gentle spirit for a love interest. She is a selfless person that puts others first and wants to make the world a better place, a brilliant contrast against both Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer. One wants to destroy the status quo and have people fear him, while the other is self centered and mearly playing superhero for the glory and attention. She was everything neither were, she truly was good.

And NPH was the perfect actor for Dr. Horrible. The more Horrible allowed to show his layers, the more it seemed he was just the smart guy in school that was a scrawny and picked on by the jocks, which in turn made him take up ideals that he just didn't suit (and then found as a villian there was another buff jerk that he was going to have to face, this one didn't play sports, he threw cars). And we all knew from the first act it wasn't going to end well. Dr. Horrible loved someone who was purely good, but wanted to bring about evil, there was no way he was going to get both. Penny wouldn't have gone out with a super villian (she probably wouldn't have squished a fly), and the super villian circut wouldn't have room for a moral and sweet girlfriend. But in the end due to Captian Hammer's streak of mean, him taking Penny gave him the drive and vengeance he needed to accomplish what he needed to reach his super villian status. It however came at a tragic cost which was a brilliant twist, I thought Dr. H would have realized the consequences of his actions and sacrificed himself for Penny. Instead with her death what good was left in him died away and he finally got what he wanted.

Yes it would have been great they could have lived happily ever after, but it wasn't about living Happily Ever After, it's about what you lose to achieve something that big. There are always sacrifices, however some may be more than you bargained for. Dr. Horrible didn't see that, and what was sacrificed for his dream was something that he couldn't cope with. In the last shot, underneath all of the fame he gets from being a super villian, deep down he can't feel anything. Bittersweet, but brilliant.

Your Indian Pirate Lord,
Ash

EARTHGIRL

Saturday, July 19, 2008 8:38 PM

okay, I feel like a total clueless twit here, but I was a little confused (or really a lot confused) by the very last seconds of act 3

we see billy in front of the computer as if watching a blog-- billy, not dr horrible. that's the first time we see him on the blog like that.

are we to think that he imagined the whole thing while sitting at the computer or that he gave up being dr horrible or...something else.

somebody please clear that up for me!!

and from what I'm reading, I guess I was the only one who saw the "shocking surprise" coming. I wasn't caught off guard by it at all. just thought it was funny the way it was handled- being a repeat of what happened to other characters in other joss projects (was I vague enough not to be spoilery?)

Shiny stuff for not a lot o coin:
www.cafepress.com/FireflyCargoBay
ans www.FireflyCargoBay.com

EMBERS

Saturday, July 19, 2008 9:21 PM

earthgirl... I took it to mean that although Doctor Evil embraced his horribleness, and joined the Evil League of Evil, underneath he is still Billy...
and more lost and alone than he ever was before.
Of course that was just me, the way I interpreted it.

I seriously loved this, but I was expecting a light musical romantic comedy with some kind of happy ending...
so I was surprised, and crushed (not quite 'Wash dying' me sobbing crushed, but still upset).

Neil Patrick Harris really owned this thing, he was amazing,
Nathan was hysterically funny... I loved his 'Superman' who never before had experienced any pain....

And Felicity was so sweet... have you guys all seen her online show 'The Guild'? It is a comedy about online gamers... and it is a riot!
http://www.watchtheguild.com/

New Firefly fans should check this out: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15816
DON'T MISS DR.HORRIBLE! Nathan Fillion sings!!!!!

THESOMNAMBULIST

Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:15 PM

Wow. What a treat from Joss, family and friends... How refreshing to see something that has been put together out of the sheer love of their craft.

How does he do it? This is so knowlingly cheesey it is sublime! Yet you find yourself caring so much about these characters. It is fantastic!!! Unbelievable talent!

Joss is a story telling demon!...

WYTCHCROFT

Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by earthgirl:
okay, I feel like a total clueless twit here, but

but you are not. :)

Quote:
we see billy in front of the computer as if watching a blog-- billy, not dr horrible. that's the first time we see him on the blog like that.

are we to think that he imagined the whole thing while sitting at the computer or that he gave up being dr horrible or...something else.

i've been surprised by how few people across the net have mentioned this -
i think it's maybe the adrenalin factor.
you spotted something really great.

i think the last scene works on so many levels -
for emotonal 'truth' it locks tight to the very end of Buffy's Storyteller episode
which is also genuinely powerful.

that stepping back - or distancing, is a classic Whedon device;
think of the opening of Serenity where the Universal logo is used.
And again where the following scenes are constantly cut away from
to reveal them as viewed recordings.

given the net based intimacy of Dr Horrible, this is even more the case.
The film opens with Dr Horrible saying "ok Emails!"

This is Joss.

The film ends with Billy reacting with shock to what he is seeing
(whether in his own blog or one he identifies with - or just in his mind, whatever).

This is us.

There are many other moments where fans are scrutinised -
but more than that, the film asks 'who do we identify with'
and 'why?' and 'what does it take for people to react -
and then take that reaction into the 'real world'.
Just as Mal does after he has watched 'The Miranda film'.
He is profoundly changed.

So Billy is just another viewer. But he has lived the Dr Horrible dream

(unreal - check out the League of Evil, Napolean and a horse straight out of Caligula???)-

and in that dream, everything that Embers said also applies.

Quote:
somebody please clear that up for me!!

uh, i probably just really didn't help with that (eep!).

Embers wrote:

Quote:
Of course that was just me, the way I interpreted it.

and that is a very fair point!
There are always a lot of ways of looking at stuff -
and what you see changes on each viewing.

this was just some of my thinking -
i don't say i'm RIGHT and that's that, just how it seemed to me is all.

right, well - enooooough of me!

... and Embers is right about The Guild ( http://www.watchtheguild.com )
it's great!:)

TRAVELER

Sunday, July 20, 2008 12:35 AM

WOW!

This is getting better and better.

The sets and costume must cost tens of dollars. It shows it does not take money to create a really great show.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

WAVER

Sunday, July 20, 2008 1:15 AM

I think they crushed it. Totally unexpected, I think it's pretty fair to say nobody saw the ending coming. It was true to the story and very well done. That very last cut to NPH was terrific. I hope for more Dr. Horrible, or if not Dr. Horrible exactly, something along these lines. Great stuff.

CLJOHNSTON108

Sunday, July 20, 2008 1:20 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by TuJiaoZuo:
I can see a bunch of people going to a con dressed as Dr. Horrible, or Captain Hammer, either way they would look great.

They've really been wild for this over at io9...

Geek Chic: Upgrade Your Gear For SDCC '08
http://io9.com/5027013/upgrade-your-gear-for-sdcc-08

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: The Tragic Beginning of Dr. Horrible
http://io9.com/5026991/the-tragic-beginning-of-dr-horrible

Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog: Dr. Horrible's Tag-Along Sidekick?
http://io9.com/5026903/dr-horribles-tag+along-sidekick

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: Best Superhero Penis Joke Ever
http://io9.com/5026577/best-superhero-penis-joke-ever

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog: Dr. Horrible's Freeze Ray Will Stop the World
http://io9.com/5025569/dr-horribles-freeze-ray-will-stop-the-world

________________________

"Spry for a dead fella!"

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