How does one describe an experience that they are so familiar with? When casting about for ideas on how to explain the feeling one gets when re-watching Dr. Horrible’s Singe Along Blog, I realized that the English language doesn’t have words to describe it yet. Let me try and put this in perspective. In 2008, Joss Whedon, creator of such cult classics as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse, set about making a super-villain musical. It was during the writer’s strike, and the idea was to put the whole thing on the internet, for free, demonstrating to the major studios that it is characters, plot, and ultimately great storytelling that guides success in the entertainment industry.

Because I was one of those original viewers of the project, back when each of its three 15-minute acts were being posted in an ad free flash quality video stream, I feel like I’ve had a personal stake in the success of this property going back to its original release. When you love something like this, you show it to everyone you can find, and they, in turn, find other people to share it with. The consumer based business model is something that Hollywood has never really done, and Joss Whedon may have been the only filmmaker who could have pulled it off. That’s because the man has fans, legions of them, who are far more passionate than your average fanboy. They appreciate his hilarious and intelligent writing style, his iconic characters, and the way he brings all the planets into alignment every time he puts his name on something. You might not like all of his choices, but you have to respect him as a filmmaker and understand the kind of power he has over his audience.

All of that was a rather long winded way of saying that if you haven’t seen Dr. Horrible, you need to put down whatever you’re doing and go check it out on Hulu this instant. Feeling generous? Buy it on iTunes, along with the dynamite soundtrack. Buy the DVD… or even this gorgeous quality BluRay re-mastering, and let others see what the big deal is themselves. If you are going to own it, this is certainly the best way to do so, as the picture quality is miles better than the internet or DVD encodes. It loses a little bit of its quaintness at such a high resolution, but I’d rather it looked as good as it possibly could, and it certainly does here. What’s not to love about Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day belting out Broadway show tune style ballads while simultaneously attempting to destroy the world, get the girl, and inevitably make it into the Evil League of Evil? This is the kind of thing you have to see to truly believe, and I’m sorry that

I can’t go into more detail than that. Spoilers would undermine everything that’s great about it.

The Extras:

This is one of the first times I’ve ever wholeheartedly recommended watching something with a commentary track, let alone two. It’s easier for the average consumer to stomach since the project is only around 43 minutes long, and the effort that went into Commentary! The Musical is absolutely staggering. They basically wrote and produced an entire other 43 minute musical radio drama about doing a commentary for the film, complete with solos for the major players, witty banter, and of course, even more wonderful music. It lines up with the image on the screen every so often, but is capable of being listened to with your eyes closed and enjoyed just as much. It’s one of the best audio features I’ve ever heard on a release, and that’s not even taking into account the real commentary track which is a whole lot of fun in and of itself. The writers and the cast all get in on it, and the stories fly fast and furiously. If any of the creative talent involved seem like the kind of people you’d want to hang out with on a day off, then this is certainly something you’ll enjoy.

Besides the commentaries, there’s an informative 3 part documentary about the film which is too short for my taste, but I’m a sucker for Lord of the Rings level documentary supplements. Also on the disc are fan made Evil League of Evil application videos, and an Outtakes Reel along with a brief behind the scenes clip that were both Easter Eggs on the DVD release. Here, they’re both easily reached from the main menu, and allow for simpler screening to friends and family. Unfortunately it seems that the extras weren’t upgraded to HD to go along with the BluRay transfer, which is the only real demerit I can say for the special features overall.