Movie Review: Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars has returned. But, before I continue, it’s important to get one fact out of the way: I am a HUGE Marshmallow. I had my expectations and my hopes for this film like all the rest of the fandom, and had been following the news ever since the Kickstarter campaign made its first appearance.

For those that aren’t familiar, Veronica Mars was a television series on the now-defunct UPN, from 2004 to 2007. A mere three seasons, not even long enough to make it into syndication. Since cancellation, Rob Thomas, the creator and writer behind it all, has been determined to continue Veronica’s story.

The show starred Kristen Bell as the daughter of a private investigator in class-divided Neptune, CA. When not in high school, Veronica works with her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), solving mysteries for her fellow students and other citizens of their town. Its noir-ish feel and snappy dialogue made it beloved by its fans, but despite critical acclaim, it never reached the audience it needed to stay alive. Eventually, Warner Bros. gave in and let Thomas run a Kickstarter campaign to see who might be interested, with a $2 million goal – which it reached in the first ten hours. A year later, Marshmallows (as Veronica Mars fans are known) can rejoice; our beloved Ronnie is back.

In an attempt to not lose viewers that had never seen an episode, the film opens with a two-minute recap of three seasons of events, including the murder of Veronica’s best friend; the Mars family being shunned by Neptune after accusing the richest man in town; and Veronica’s tumultuous relationship with bad boy Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Veronica has since left Neptune behind her, now living in New York, dating steady and drama-free Piz (Chris Lowell), and interviewing for a major law firm. Her life looks simple and straight-forward. But when former classmate/pop star Bonnie DeVille (Andrea Estella) is murdered and Logan becomes the number one suspect, we hear those words we know so well: “I need your help, Veronica.” And perfectly timed for the 10-year Neptune High reunion!

This is a film funded by fans, and is clearly made just for them. All the old favorite characters make their appearances (as well as a few unnecessary ones that feel shoehorned in). Highlights include slimy P.I. rival Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino), best bud Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III), and especially surfer smartass Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen), who always strikes the delightful balance between dimwitted and snarky. But we can’t forget about Keith Mars. The best part of the series had always been the rapport between Veronica and her father, and it’s no different here. Bell and Colantoni interact with an affection that goes beyond the lines in the script, and they make Keith and Veronica’s relationship not only believable, but enviable.

Veronica Mars is not a perfect movie; there are times when it gets a little too much into its noir roots and takes itself a bit too seriously. Veronica’s narration only helps to overemphasize the drama, at times, making it more of a distraction than a useful device. The mystery is intriguing, though not as twisty as we expect. It’s predictable, and frankly, I was a little disappointed with their choice of culprit. It definitely took the easy way out. But I’ll give the writers a break – instead of 22 episodes, we have an hour and forty-five minutes, and there’s already a lot going on.

Kristen Bell in “Veronica Mars.” © 2014 – Warner Bros.

Between attempting to clear Logan’s name, revealing a corrupt police force, solving a near-decade-old mysterious death, and dealing with a renewed love triangle, Veronica has her hands full and the plot a lot of strings to neatly tie up. It does so in ways that satisfy the majority of the audience (SPOILER ALERT: apologies to those few Piz fans out there, but barely ten minutes in, the writers left little doubt who was ending up with who), and gives us with enough of an opening to hope for a sequel. The cast and crew clearly care enough about Veronica to see this Kickstarter campaign through, so you never know what else they have up their sleeve.

My rating may seem a little high, but, for me, this was an enjoyable couple of hours spent with a character I loved and a world I missed. There were some laughs, some terrific one-liners and plenty of predictable moments, but they were moments made for the fans. We knew what we wanted and Veronica Mars gives us exactly that. Money well spent, y’all.