Veronica Mars (2014)

“You were issued a Private Investigator’s license for your 18th Birthday?  What do you think that says about a person?” – Gayle Buckley

Number of Times Seen – 1  (16 Mar 2014)

Brief Synopsis – Former teen PI, Veronica Mars returns to her hometown of Neptune, California to help an ex-boyfriend prove his innocence of a murder charge.

My Take on it – This is actually a very difficult review for me to write.

I have been a HUGE fan of the Veronica Mars TV show and was one of the tens of thousands of people (if not more) who were very disappointed when it was cancelled prematurely.

I loved the scripts, the storylines and the characters and it was great to revisit them all 10 years on.

The problem with this movie is the fact that it is more appropriate to have been made as a made-for-TV “reunion” show (like many of the great shows of the 70’s and 80’s were famous for making) or as a pilot for a new show and doesn’t work as well as a theatrical release.

Yes, the characters can now swear and all, but it’s just not the same.

I applaud Rob Thomas and the 91,585 fans who helped the kickstarter campaign that led to this movie being made because any other previous attempt to bring VM back to our TV sets never panned out.

I even remember being very excited when the idea for the new season was revealed and that it would to jump forward in time and have VM be in the FBI academy instead of continuing the story in Neptune.  (There is even an obscure reference to that in this movie.) But then the show was cancelled and we were left with just the 64 episodes that were made.

The kickstarter campaign changed that and this movie is the result of that campaign which ended up breaking numerous kickstarter records which eventually led to this movie being made without studio backing.

But I digress.

This is a fun continuation of the VM story, but it just isn’t appropriate for the big screen because the storyline is much more TV realm friendly.  If I was reviewing this as a TV show, my take on it would be different and I would give it a higher rating.  As fans and viewers of TV shows and movies, we must make a distinction between what is appropriate for each realm, quality wise.  Cable has blurred the line between the two by bringing higher quality shows to the small screen, but rarely has it worked inversely.

This movie is a prime example of that…. unfortunately.

Bottom Line – For fans of the show, this is a great visit back, but the story is too mediocre for a theatrical movie.  Would have been better as a made for TV movie or a pilot for a new show instead.

Rating – BAFTA Worthy

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