Veronica Mars: She's Baaaack

My love for Veronica Mars has been documented on this blog previously. So it should come as no surprise that I was thrilled to learn that the show's creator, Rob Thomas, had successfully raised millions through a Kickstarter campaign to make The Veronica Mars Movie that would continue the story of our intrepid detective. The campaign was last March, they filmed in June, the trailer dropped in January, and now, that movie is finally here. And it is brilliant.

The show ended in 2007, so the movie picks up the story nine years later. Veronica (Kristen Bell) left Hearst College and her hometown of Neptune, California to get a BA in Psychology from Stanford and is now preparing to take the bar in New York after a successful stint in law school. She is in a stable relationship with the lovable Stosh "Piz" Piznarski (Chris Lowell) and she seems to have left the drama of Neptune behind. But all it takes is one phone call from Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) to undo all those years of normalcy.

It's a plot that will be familiar to every Veronica Mars fan. Logan is accused of murder for the umpteenth time and he needs Veronica's advice. Against her better judgement, she flies back to Neptune, reunites with her dear old dad (Enrico Colantoni), beloved friends Wallace and Mac (Percy Daggs III and Tina Majorino) and begins the investigation into who actually killed Logan's celebrity girlfriend. Logan has become much more reputable (murder charges aside), serving as a Lieutenant in the Navy and looking devilishly dashing in a white uniform straight out of An Officer and a Gentleman. Despite not having spoken to Veronica for nine years, it's clear their chemistry is just as crackling as ever.

The mystery is intriguing, there are some genuine thrills, twists, and shocks, and a host of familiar faces return along with some delightful celebrity cameos. But most importantly, this movie is funny. Written by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero (who always wrote the best episodes of the TV show), it is packed with the biting sarcasm, in-jokes, and assorted hilarity that always made Veronica Mars an enduring joy to watch. This movie has clearly been crafted with love and delivers everything the fans could ever want. But even if you're not a fan, I think you would still have a good time. After all, this is a movie that features compelling characters, witty dialogue, sharp writing, and is shot in that film noir style that always made Veronica Mars a visual treat.

The Veronica Mars Movie is a fitting continuation of the Mars saga, and I'm on board for all sequels that ensue in any media. There are going to be novels (the first one is already available to purchase!), a possible second film, and who knows what else can be achieved through the magic of crowd funding? As a biased fan, I think this has been a roaringly successful experiment. With both Thomas and the cast so invested in this project, there's no reason Veronica Mars can't live on for many years to come.