BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
It’s impossible to talk about this movie without going into the detail about the show. Veronica Mars is one of the coolest television shows of all time. I didn’t say “best”, but I confidently said “coolest”. It only lasted three seasons, but it’s hard for anyone to argue that it was gone WAY before it’s time. Instead of them releasing a movie right now it would be much cooler if they were going into like season seven or eight. Shows like “The Wire” and “Arrested Development” get tons of “cult status” love from people and while “Veronica Mars” gets some love too, it’s a REAL “cult classic”. It’s still fun to expose people to its greatness. The other shows always pop up on lists and get mentioned, but to me Veronica Mars had an undeniable charm. Rob Thomas rocked this shit. I didn’t watch it when it was on. It was on the same network as teenage dramas that were just never my cup of tea. I unfairly lumped this show with stuff like “The OC” and “Dawson’s Creek”. It is NOT like those shows at all. The show, for those who need to know, was about a teenage girl who just so happened to be a detective. She was in a rich kid area of California and would be forced to deal with teenage life while solving crimes and mysteries that ranged from silly fun to dramatic to downright disturbing. The casting was great, the writing rocked, and I can honestly say there wasn’t an episode in the series that I didn’t enjoy. It was just a really fun and engaging show. It was cancelled, but the fans spoke out. The producers started a kickstarter and the fans all chipped in to get this movie made. I think they raised something like over 5 million dollars. They put the money to good use and gave us a damn good movie experience. It was like an extra episode, which is a compliment. It did not stray from the same spirit, same beats, and same top notch quality of the series. Kristen Bell IS Veronica Mars. She ends up having to leave her current life of being a FBI prospect to go back home to solve yet another crime. Her ex-boyfriend, played maliciously cool by Jason Dohring, is (once again) accused of murder. She goes back home and things pick right back up. She hooks up with old friends, encounters old enemies, and jumps right back into the world Rob Thomas created. It just works. I don’t want to get too deep into the plot because I think everyone should just take a few days and watch the three seasons of the show and THEN the movie. If you’re weird and don’t want to be thoroughly entertained then you CAN just watch the movie. It pretty much sums up the series in a few quick and awesome minutes. You can go from there and appreciate it, but I still think you’d be better off watching the ENTIRE series. It’s worth it. This film compliments that completely. Now if we can only get a “Party Down” movie! B+
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