“Look at us, falling right back into our old rhythms,” says Logan Echolls to Veronica Mars in the big screen adaptation of the UPN television show, Veronica Mars. That line could serve as the theme for the entire movie as the cast managed to slip seamlessly back into their roles from seven years ago.
For those of you not familiar with the show, Veronica Mars follows the life of teenager Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), a high school student and occasional private investigator under the guidance of her detective father (Enrico Colantoni). From 2004-2007, the three seasons each featured a long overarching mystery which Veronica worked to solve every week while still working on small mysteries every episode and developed a local cult following.
Creator Rob Thomas and Bell decided the time was right for a movie version of the television show and began a Kickstarter campaign last March with the goal of 2 million dollars. The goal was met in a little over 10 hours and broke several Kickstarter records. The film was released in 250 AMC theaters and on VOD, iTunes and Amazon for those who could not get to the theater.
Releasing the film on multiple formats allowed me to watch it in my own living room. I liked this format best because it felt right watching a television show on a TV rather than in the movie theater. As a fan, the movie was everything I wanted it to be.
The film opens with Veronica interviewing to work at a New York City law firm after having quit private investigation nine years ago. She has rekindled her relationship with perpetual nice guy and college boyfriend Piz (Chris Lowell), but then she receives a call from bad boy and ex-flame, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Echolls is accused of murdering ex-girlfriend and former Neptune High classmate, Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estella). Veronica returns to the corrupt town of Neptune to help Logan select a defense attorney but ends up pulling out her old spy gear.
As she gets more wrapped up in the case, Veronica attends her 10 year high school reunion with friends Mac (Tina Majorino) and Wallace (Percy Daggs III) where she engaged in her trademark witty banter with classmates. Weevil (Francis Capra), former leader of the Pchers, a local motorcycle gang, has abandoned the motorcycle gang for family life after getting married and having a child. Some characters have not changed much like Logan’s pal and local class jerk, Dick (Ryan Hansen). Dick proves to be a highlight of the movie by having some of the best funny lines, especially when he is talking to Veronica.
Trying to condense a season-long mystery into a movie proves a bit challenging. The plotline engages in a few too many wink wink nudge nudge moments about the Kickstarter campaign and the length it took to get on the screen. The dialogue remains sharp, witty and bitingly funny. The girl who once pondered if she should check herself before she wreck(ed) herself grew up to be just as funny as we could have hoped. The other characters have matured from the high school students we knew into adults with careers and families.
If you never watched the television show, you can still see the film because a montage with Veronica’s trademark voiceover provides a summary of the show to catch everyone up. The quips, the chemistry amongst the case and the storyline are still enough to draw people in. The amazing soundtrack did the movie many favors and elevated each scene to a higher level.
While you can still watch it without being a fan of the series, being a fan definitely helps as this movie is definitely for the fans. The fans donated money to create this film and they are rewarded as well as they should be. There are callbacks to series including dialogue references and beloved character cameos. Thomas is saying thank you to the fans for believing in this show and helping make the movie a possibility.
As a fan of the show, I was excited for the movie and purposely did not do any research on it. I did not want any spoilers to impact my experience. As I sat last Friday night with my roommates watching this movie, we were hit with a rush of nostalgia transporting us back to when we first watched the show. All of the things we loved were still there, the banter, the father-daughter dynamic, the smolder of Dohring as Logan and the boy you knew you should hate but could not find a way to hate him despite his flaws.
With the ending of the movie tying up some loose ends, while planting the smallest seed of hope that there could be a sequel, maybe there is hope to see everyone together onscreen again. A marshmallow can always hope.
