Review of Veronica Mars (2014) by Thegodfatherson — 17 Mar 2014

For a movie, Veronica Mars seems a lot like an extra-long TV show. Fortunately, that's exactly what the fans wanted. For devotees of the much loved series, this long-awaited Veronica Mars feature film is a five-star proposition.

For everyone else, Veronica Mars is a pleasant diversion. (And you need know nothing about the young sleuth or her past exploits on TV to like it.) The film is a charming exercise in contemporary girl power, with mystery and romance thrown in for good measure.

Kristen Bell puts her approachable persona to good use in the role of Veronica, a semi-outcast from Neptune, Calif., who never ran with the cool kids in high school. Still, it was made clear she'd outstrip them all eventually.

And she has. The movie opens with Veronica being interviewed for a top job with a New York law firm. A brief voiceover from the title character fills in most of the past, explaining her need to get out of corrupt little Neptune and make a life for herself.

Veronica has walked away from Neptune, sleuthing, and her rocky relationship with Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), building a new life as a fledgling lawyer on the opposite coast and dating her college boyfriend (Chris Lowell).

Brisk and clever (and often very funny), Veronica Mars has a terrific ensemble cast that includes a couple of stand-outs: Krysten Ritter, back as Gia Goodman, for example, and Gaby Hoffman, who turns up as a character named Ruby Jetson.

The story also has a handful of cameos and inside jokes, including a bit with James Franco; there's a general irreverence to the writing that's one of the movie's best features. The uninitiated can be assured that Veronica Mars is entertaining from start to finish.