Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas (and UT Austin Alumni!), along with star Kristen Bell made Kickstarter history last year by being the largest successful film project ever funded by the crowd-sourcing site. They raised over $2 million in ten hours, and nearly $6 million by the end of the campaign. And the cast was so dedicated to the project that they all worked for scale on a 28-day shooting schedule.
The world premier of Veronica Mars The Movie was last week in Austin at the annual SXSW Film Festival. And for me, a recent convert to the cult of Veronica Mars fans, it was a welcome continuation of the saga of the teenage PI.
It picks up nine years after the final season of the TV show. Veronica, hoping to distance herself from her childhood home of Neptune, CA, has moved to NYC post graduation from Law School. Her prospects are good, the bar exam imminent. And then her ex-love, Logan Echolls, is accused of murdering his then girlfriend – pop-star Bonnie DeVille. Of course, he turns to Veronica in his time of need, to help him vet his potential attorneys. But when she gets back to Neptune all bets are off as the lure of this murder mystery invites Veronica back to what we all hope is her true calling.
The film brings back (almost) all of the beloved characters… all grown up in their new lives. Logan’s a marine, Mac’s an uber-successful tech girl with a badass haircut to match, Wallace is employed by their own school as the kind of teacher we all wish we had growing up, and Weevil’s cleaned up, quit the bike gang, opened a mechanic shop and has a wife and baby daughter! Oh how the years change us! A few hilarious cameos pop up here and there as well, including James Franco as himself, Justin Long (not as himself), Jamie Lee Curtis as a high powered attorney (and potential employer) and a hilarious bit by Kristen Bell hubby, Dax Shepard.
All Veronica Mars fans are required to go see this movie THIS WEEKEND, as it opens today, both in AMC theaters nationwide, and in Video-On-Demand. Pick your poison, but help make this endeavor worth it. Kristen Bell has said she wants to do a sequel, but that will only happen if the box office supports it. So go support it!
And for all you who are not yet Veronica Mars fans (because let’s face it, if you watch it, you will become one), the movie is completely accessible to you too. They do an excellent job of explaining/showing relationships between people all while keeping the narrative moving along. Part thriller, part mystery, part comedy with plenty of cheeky dialogue and well written characters, not only will you enjoy yourself, but you’ll want to get to know Miss Veronica Mars just a little bit better!
