“We used to be friends a long time ago” was the lyric Veronica Mars fans – they call themselves Marshmallows – heard during every episode’s opening. Finally after seven long years of waiting, followers of the popular series can reconnect with old friends once again.
The Veronica Mars television series was cancelled in 2007 after only 3 seasons. Marshmallows eagerly awaited the release of the Veronica Mars movie by director Rob Thomas, which became available via video on demand on March 14, the same day it hit select movie theaters. Being one of these fans, myself, I excitedly got my snack and cuddled up on the couch, anxious to see what new drama would unfold in Neptune, California.
In case you’re wondering what marshmallows have to do with anything – it comes from a quote Veronica says about herself in the first episode of season one, “Well, you know what they say: Veronica Mars, she’s a marshmallow,” based on the fact that she’s a softie at heart (and her last name is Mars). I suppose you could say the nickname “stuck!”
The Good
The movie stars the talented Kristin Bell and is basically an extra-long episode of Veronica Mars, except everyone is older and there are no commercials. The beginning presented a brief voice-over photo recap of the main events that unfolded during the TV show leading up to the movie, which takes place 9 years in the future. I had recently caught up on the show only a month prior, so this was a nice way to reintroduce the characters and storylines. Even those who had never seen the show before could appreciate the quick update.
As with every episode, there was plenty of sarcastic, but smart Veronica humor and voice-overs to break up the highly dramatic plot. The long-awaited punch in the face to her high school enemy, her quick banter with her father throughout the movie, even her sarcastic remark to Deputy Sacks, “Kudos for rocking the ‘stache until it came back in style, man.” I found myself smiling and nodding at every quick witted Veronica-ism.
It was heartwarming to see that she and Piz were still together. This Zack Effron look-alike had my heart throbbing (don’t listen, Boyfriend). Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be…
The Bad
… Logan Echols played by Jason Dohring is back. It’s not that I wasn’t glad to see him, as he was one of my favorite characters from the show. I was falling in love with VerPiz (so, it doesn’t quite roll of the tongue as well as LoVe). I wanted it to work out for Piz more than any other character because he is the proverbial nice guy. But in this case, nice guys do finish last and the bad boy, Logan, once again steals Veronica’s heart. “Come back to me,” she coos. “Always,” he responds.
No one is safe in this town, from bad guys and even the officials. And this pisses me off.
After we learn that Weevil has gone from bad-ass biker to family man, he is shot for trying to help a woman who was being swarmed by a group of bikers. In the end, Weevil gets back on his bike. Why? Did getting shot by someone who thought he was a ruffian make him miss his old lifestyle? Or did he just miss the joy of riding?
And hasn’t Veronica’s father learned from horror movies that you NEVER say, “I’ll be right back.” More mindless violence ensues when he secretly meets with the deputy who is under the suspicion the police force isn’t all it appears to be.
And finally, Gia is shot through the window of her apartment. As good as a plot twist, it just wasn’t that surprising since everyone else in the movie seemed to be getting shot at or attacked.
The Interesting: Obvious Plot Twists
As I mentioned, after being subjected to so many surprise attacks, one could begin to predict these things. But on top of the ever-lurking violence existing in Neptune, Veronica herself hasn’t changed a bit, either.
So, another of Logan’s lovers ends up dead – much like his girlfriend, Lilly, in the show’s first season. But Veronica still believes he is innocent – the ‘ol softie! Logan is branded as the sole suspect of his celebrity wife’s murder, and he requests Veronica’s help to chose a lawyer to represent him. Logan is back in the limelight. After 9 years of no communication, the phone call from Logan reveals that his contact photo still exists in her phone. I suppose one could speculate that it was carried over from all of her preceding cell phones and she hadn’t even noticed. But a true fan knows the signs of LoVe are still there.
It’s obvious that returning to Neptune would jeopardize not only her job prospects, but also her relationship with her boyfriend, Piz. But hey, she’s Veronica Mars and this is her “addiction.”
Conclusion
Director Rob Thomas stated, “The thing that I felt very confident about going in, was the idea that Veronica had moved away, that she’d given up being a P.I., that her life had gone onto ‘bigger and better things,’ but that she gets drawn back into her old life.”
Veronica describes the draw to P.I. work as rolling around in the mud. By “accepting the mud,” she realizes that you can’t change who you are. Though Veronica referred to it as an addiction throughout the movie, it actually became a part of her forever.
All in all, the Veronica Mars movie had me laughing, gasping, and cringing – what more could a girl want from a crime story? I certainly hope they work out a new season of Veronica Mars after the popularity of this movie.
Fans of the series – Did the movie live up to your expectations? If this was your first Veronica Mars experience, did it entice you to go back and watch the TV show? Let me know in the comments.
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