Veronica Mars

A fandom was born in me during the early days of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I stuck with that show though the tough days (season 4) and the good days (all the other seasons). I laughed and cried, sometimes simultaneously. When Buffy ended, a hole was left in my heart. I even tried watching the last couple seasons of Angel to capture that same magic and it just never felt the same.

Veronica Mars debuted a whole year after Buffy ended. Until then, I never paid much attention to anything else on UPN until I heard about this new show. I specifically remember one review describing it as “Buffy meets Nancy Drew.” I was instantly intrigued. Another review said Veronica Mars is Angelina Jolie in high school. I’m not exactly sure what that meant. I caught one of the first episodes and despite the fact that Paris Hilton was a main character, I kept watching.



I fell in love with Veronica’s acerbic humor and snarky retorts. She was incredibly independent and strong, yet very flawed. I guess in a way I related to her alienation and determination. Veronica and I both struggled with our own personal demons while managing to keep a straight face.

After those first few episodes, I was enthralled. I even got Chad watching Veronica Mars. We often went to the weekly screenings they did at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. It was such a fun show, but I had a sinking feeling with most things I love getting cancelled. I knew it was a niche audience and I could never imagine the same people watching Lost or Two and a Half Men actually getting Veronica Mars. We had three glorious seasons. I loved the idea of Veronica going to the FBI which was the direction she would have taken. Besides Buffy and Veronica, my biggest role model is Clarice Starling. To see Veronica step into that role as an agent was so exciting.



Fast forward to 2013:

I’ve never pledged to any kickstarter campaign. In fact, I often mocked it for many of the less than reputable projects floating around. However, that afternoon when I saw that the campaign went live, I did not make a second thought. When I pledged, the campaign had not even reached a million yet. I still couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I had no idea there was so much interest in a little show I loved several years ago.



One of the best experiences was getting to attend the kickstarter party here in Austin. Rob Thomas was absolutely beaming (he might have been a little tipsy too) from ear to ear greeting all the people who came out on such short notice. As a surprise, Rob flew out Jason Dohring as a special guest. The entire place was screaming with delight, myself included. I even got to meet the infamous Logan Echolls!



Fast forward to 2014:

The film was shot in less than a month. I admit I had concerns about it flowing with the show. In the end, I knew that no matter what, it would be something special for me and the other fans to enjoy.



The film starts as a recap of the initial three seasons. It gives you a background of who Veronica is and what Neptune is like. This makes it much easier for those who have never seen the show. There are tons of references that only fans will get and there are also tons of other pop culture references. Piz makes a Buffy reference that warmed my heart so much because it really brought together two things I truly love. I loved the film and I think as a stand alone feature, it holds up. As a climax to a long journey it is bittersweet. There’s several open ended questions left for us viewers. I love that Rob Thomas is writing a series of books about Veronica. VM lives on in the same way Buffy lives on through comic books.



Things I LoVe'd:

I love the grown up versions of all the characters. Their prospective jobs are very fitting. I love the exchange with Deputy Leo and Veronica. With the exception of Logan, Leo was my favorite love interest. I just really love the script that Rob Thomas put together. It reminded me of all the things I fell in love with about the show. His writing is really good as we witnessed with Party Down another beloved failed show. I loved that Kristen Bell was a little fuller figured having just given birth to her baby girl in real life. It gave VM a more mature look. Twenty-eight year olds should not look the same as they did at eighteen. Yet with her mature self, VM still slipped on that old satchel like a glove. I loved the Celeste Kane cameo that no one saw coming. I also loved the James Franco cameo. Most of all, I loved Dicky Casablancas. He certainly got some of the best lines.



This I did not LoVe:

I was not happy that there was no reference to Backup the dog. Obviously, he would not have survived all those years, but a photo or nod would have been appreciated. I did not like hearing Gia and Cobb doing it. Yuck! I wasn’t that crazy about the Justin Long cameo, but it was befitting that he got the only “fuck off” in the entire film. I did not want to see Weevil get back into his old habits. The whole man in a uniform thing never did it for me so the military storyline with Logan fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong he looked good, and he does need some sort of structure in his life. I’m just not crazy about the storyline. Although, I cannot think of a better one for him so I guess it works.



Overall, I enjoyed the film. It saddened me a bit to see Piz so brokenhearted, but it’s all about Logan & Veronica. The scene with Keith getting hit by the truck gave me anxiety, but everything worked out in the end. Even if you never watched Veronica Mars, the film is a great watch. If you have seen the show, it’s a beautiful love letter to all the fans. Now if we could just get that Party Down movie made.