“A long time ago, we used to be friends”: these opening lyrics might ring familiar to fans of the cult favorite television show Veronica Mars. Fortunately for long time supporters like myself, our favorite characters are back, and this time on the big screen. Never have those words seemed more appropriate.
The series, which ran from 2004 to 2007 followed the life teenage sleuth Veronica Mars, played by Kristen Bell, was resurrected in theaters thanks in large part to the efforts of a record setting Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign.
Robb Thomas, the original series director, with the assistance of Bell, managed to raise over $5 million dollars in fan donations in a mere four week window.
The project, which began on March 13, 2013 raised over $2 million in its first 10 hours, shattering the website’s previous records and pointing to the strong, dedicated fan base of the show. After reaching their goal and finishing the script within the same week, intensive filming began in and around the greater Los Angeles area. The film was wrapped in early December and finally hit theaters and on demand video services on March 14 of this year.
The film begins with helpful, albeit brief rundown of the main events that transpired on the three seasons of the series. This introduction helps to provide context for new viewers and serves as a reminder for those who have seen it.
The film begins with Veronica explaining how she chose to leave her old life behind and make changes. She has graduated from law school and has just been offered a position at a prominent law firm. Her old life begins to intrude when her old friend Logan Echolls, played by series regular Jason Dohring, calls asking for help proving his innocence in the murder case of his pop star girlfriend
Veronica suddenly begins to find herself struggling to balance her new life with the temptations of her past. She is forced to choose between creating a promising new life for herself or letting the town of Neptune drag her slowly back to into its web of murder and intrigue.
The film’s plot is quick and engaging, the dialogue is equal parts sharp and witty and the characters, whether they are new or old to you, truly come alive on the big screen. If you were a fan of the show, you will love the film, and will enjoy seeing how the lives of these characters have changed and evolved.
If you have never seen it, you are still in for a great ride; the film is a terrific stand alone story, and will not suffer from a lack of context.
I truly enjoyed everything about the film, especially the outstanding awkward barroom flirting cameos from Justin Long, Kyle Bornheimer and Bell’s real life husband Dax Sheppard; in my opinion, this scene alone made the film worth watching.
If nothing about the film calls out to you so far, at the very least you should watch it for its fantastic music soundtrack. Featured artists include: Twin Sister, ZZ Ward, Sufjan Stevens and Emperor X.
Bottom line, if you were a fan of the show, you need to go watch the movie today; you will not be disappointed. If you are new to Veronica Mars, go watch the film, and then be prepared to waste the rest of your semester binge watching all three seasons on Netflix.
