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A long time ago, we used to have a TV show named Veronica Mars. Embodied by then-burgeoning actress Kristen Bell, our titular heroine worked tirelessly to solve random mysteries, including her best friend’s murder, while also juggling the common occurrences of modern day teenage angst. A modern-day Nancy Drew. After three seasons, the series went away. Thanks to 91,585 Kickstarter fans – Veronica Mars finally returns to Neptune, CA in her now full-length feature film.
Ten years have passed and Veronica has changed. Escaping the self-induced trappings of both her father’s PI business and her relentless pursuit of reckless abandon, Veronica has blossomed into an adult. She has completed law school, has a solid relationship with main squeeze ‘Piz’, and is in prime contention for a position with a prestigious law firm. Life is finally flowing for Veronica Mars, and Neptune is firmly in the rear view.
Until a phone call from her high school bad-boy love, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), offers the salutation necessary to drag her back to life in Neptune – ‘I need your help, Veronica.’
Accused of murdering his pop-singer girlfriend, Logan pleads for the assistance of the best private eye he knows, and also the only one he can trust. Once again feeling the burn of her wanton desire to KNOW, Veronica throws caution and job prospects to the wind and heads home to Neptune to solve the case…coincidentally just in time for her much dreaded High School reunion.
As when Serenity hit the big screen to illuminate Firefly back to life, the Veronica Mars film aims first to satisfy fans. If you are keeping a tally of returning 09’ers, you will not be disappointed as the filmmakers have your best interests in mind. Whichever character is your favorite (Mac, Wallace, Weevil, Dick…ok, it is most likely Dick), everyone but Backup gets a return visit here and they each get their moment to shine.
Unlike Serenity, you thankfully do not need to have a vested interest in the original series to follow the film. Creator / Director Rob Thomas has crafted a modern noir adult mystery that needs no previous introduction. The film’s opening narration explaining Veronica’s plight to this point, is really all that is necessary to drive this story forward. So if the series never caught your own private eye, you need not fear the journey here.
The reason why this film works rises and sleeps at the feet of its lead. Kristen Bell seems to simply bleed the soul of this character, and it shows in every frame. Veronica requires an actress as quick with a comeback as she is with a punch or a tear, and Bell is in a class all by herself at this stage of her career. Thomas hit the mark with Bell and a decade away has not dulled the razor wit Veronica wields toward any adversary unfortunate enough to cross her path.
While the easy friendships between Veronica and Mac or Wallace seem to bounce off the screen effortlessly, less successful is the heat between her and Logan. If there is one drawback for the uninitiated and the limited canvas of a film versus series, it is that lack of time allotted for showing why these two doomsday missiles are destined for each other. Their relationship still works, just not as hot and heavy as the filmmakers had hoped.
Thankfully, you only need a single scene with Veronica and her PI dad, Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), to know why this is one of the most celebrated father-daughter relationships on screen. The two just have an effortless chemistry most films lack, and unlike the Liam Neesons of today’s film-dads, Colantoni never feels less than the loving father he needs to be. Sure, he might not be able to take out a room full of European thugs at the drop of a hat, but when his daughter needs a shoulder to cry on, there is just no one better.
This is an entertaining murder mystery with a perfect starring turn from Kristen Bell, complimented with a fun supporting cast. The mystery is a little lighter than most fans might hope for, but with all the love Rob Thomas has invested in crafting a story that satisfies the wants of the hardcore against the needs of the uninitiated, Veronica Mars more than makes a case.
For fans of the original series, Veronica Mars is easily a $9, for the non-fan a $7. So we are going to play devil’s advocate and split the difference.
If $10 is the full price of admission, Veronica Mars is worth $8
Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider