The 'Veronica Mars' movie: A film made for the fans
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Grade: B-] As the architect of the most successful film campaign in Kickstarter history, Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas crowd-funded his way into a weird position.
City Paper grade: B-
As the architect of the most successful film campaign in Kickstarter history, Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas crowd-funded his way into a weird position. Should he use the jumbo theatrical platform to lure fresh eyes to his high-school noir universe, or pander to the small but voracious following responsible for getting the project made in the first place? Thomas has clearly locked into the latter plan of action, filling his full-length feature with in-jokes and Easter eggs only well-versed Mars freaks will appreciate. Smart-ass heroine Veronica (Kristen Bell), her private-eye days long since gone, has ditched shadowy Neptune, California for the NYC law world. But just as she's making headway with a high-powered firm, she's drawn back to the West Coast by the murder of a Lana Del Rey-like pop star (Andrea Estella) — a crime for which old flame Logan (Jason Dohring) is prime suspect. Frustrating her family, friends and bland-ass boyfriend Piz (Chris Lowell) with her obsession over the case, Veronica must weigh the super-sexy danger of her old life against the stability of her new one, all while navigating the social politics of her stratified hometown. All told, the message Thomas seems keen on screaming is that the past always trumps the present, both within the movie's four walls and outside them. It's unlikely anything here will cultivate new fans, and both the mastermind and his loyal "marshmallows" seem to be at peace with that.
