Review of Veronica Mars (2014) by Ryan S — 25 Jan 2015

After ho-hum attempts at bringing the small screen to the big (Sex in the City -2; both X-files Movies; A-Team) Veronica Mars is a definite transferable success, thanks to the refrained and refined vision of it's creator, writer and director Rob Thomas (no not the singer).

Unlike the X-files, Veronica Mars doesn't try to overwhelm you with a big budget bonanza of CGIness, international location shoots, nor big-wig celebrity guest spots. Having only seen the first season, I loved the small town private -eye appeal of Veronica Mars (both the show and the character). Kirsten Bell's break through into tv, she brings every witty retort, every snarky rebuff, every suspicious look of disbelief prototypical of her tv character effectively to life on the big screen. Even though she hasn't really found her post-VM footing in Hollywood (Forgetting Sarah Marshall probably her best work since), she is relatable and brilliant as Veronica Mars. Plus she has a phenomenal on screen connection with Enrico Colantoni - master of the tv universe - who plays her equally sarcastic father & senior private eye.

Honestly, the movie makes me want to go back and binge watch all three seasons of VMs.

So thankful to the fans of the show for putting their money where their hearts were. A little history on how the film came to be: On March 13, 2013, Thomas and star Kristen Bell launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter. Bell, Thomas, Enrico Colantoni, Ryan Hansen, and Jason Dohring appeared in a video promoting the campaign,[and it attained the $2 million goal in less than ten hours. In its first day on Kickstarter, the project broke the record as the fastest project to reach first $1 million, then $2 million; it also achieved the highest minimal pledging goal achieved and was the largest successful film project on Kickstarter. On its final campaign day, the project broke the record for the most backers on a single Kickstarter project. Afterwards, the film earned a greenlight from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

The Kickstarter campaign ended on April 13, with 91,585 donors raising $5,702,153.

All of the show's stars appear in some degree - including the cutely adorable Chris Lowell. The soundtrack is indie-modern. The directing and writing by Thomas spot on. A thoroughly adored continuation of the too-soon canceled show.