Once More for the Fans: Veronica Mars Review

Veronica Mars
Directed by Mark Thomas
Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring
9/10

It has been seven years since teenage private eye Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) was taken off air, but now she returns in a feature-length film thanks to a record breaking Kickstarter campaign. And fans’ invested money – nearly $6 million over the campaign – has not gone to waste, as director and producer Rob Thomas has crafted a beautiful send-off for this 21^st century Nancy Drew.

Veronica is older now, having put her life in the seedy and corrupt town of Neptune, California, behind her. She’s settled down, having given up case work, and is preparing for a career in law. But all it takes is one phone call from her murder-accused ex-boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring) for her to be sent spiraling back into the dangerous life of investigation.

Veronica compares herself to an alcoholic, unable to steer clear of a dangerous lifestyle that will ultimately destroy her. As a result, everyone’s favourite characters are back, from Veronica’s equally sharp father (Enrico Colantoni) to the untrustworthy rival private investigator, Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino).

But this is not simply a two hour episode of Veronica Mars. The film holds its own, with all important information about the preceding TV series being explained where necessary. But whilst funded by the fans themselves, the film doesn’t pander to them, instead it crafts a tale about self re-discovery.  Viewers will find that Veronica’s personal journey is just as intriguing as the mystery itself.

The result is a tense and intriguing thriller that both gives the fans a satisfying end, and spins a tale that will have you guessing until the end.

Paul Van Rens