Veronica Mars
CUSTOMER REVIEW
"The Veronica Mars Movie" will satisfy all the marshmallows (as the Veronica Mars fans are called). For the non-fans, the mystery and characters are interesting enough to hold their attention, but given a choice I'd suggest you watch at least season one of the TV show first.
Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas has explained that once the movie was funded by a crowd-sourcing campaign, he felt he had to build a story that brought all the fan favorites back together. From Mac to Deputy Leo, they are (almost) all there. So too are the favorite trademarks of the series, from the smart banter to Logan's inspiring voicemail message. Thomas does a good job of pulling so many satisfying callouts and easter eggs into the movie -- without them ever feeling forced or pandering.
The movie opening is clips from the TV show, with voiceover by Veronica (Kristen Bell) telling us the story of what happened ten years ago. It does a good job of laying the foundation to help non-fans understand (and help us memory-addled fans remember) who Veronica is and why she may make the choices she does. Unfortunately, it doesn't (and really can't) fill in all the relationships with the myriad of characters who pop-up throughout the movie. That may be frustrating to the non-fans, but hopefully the story and dialog are tight enough to keep their interest.
The plot is grounded in a good mystery, and plays out in a satisfying way. Other threads advance the character, and set the stage for Veronica's life decisions.
This movie was done on a budget that's fraction of the typical studio film. Given the number of locations and actors involved, it's amazing Rob Thomas was able to pull off a film that looks and hangs so well. For instance, loving care is shown to the sound design, especially the selection and use of music. (A hat tip to Austin's Alejandro Escovedo, who appears as a street busker early in the film.) The cinematography feels more little screen than big screen, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays on Blu-ray.
My largest concern is that the movie may be a little overstuffed with all the references and callbacks to the series, and those minutes may have been better used on updating the relationship between Veronica and key characters, such as Wallace or Mac. For instance, there is a subplot with a friendly deputy in the corrupt Neptune police force that may have not been needed.
If you aren't a series fan, you may want to knock a star (or two) off my rating. If you are a fan, you've probably ignored this write-up and ordered it already. You won't be disappointed.