It starts with a simple request: “I need your help, Veronica.” It then balloons into an investigation of incredible proportions. She’s a girl who picks up her private investigator’s license at eighteen. Don’t let that fool you, though. Her crime solving skills came much earlier when her best friend became a murder victim and she wanted to know who did it. It was her way of coping.
If you don’t know Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), then you might enjoy this Women Who Wow Wednesday post, as I, too, have grown fond of this woman of many talents.
Veronica’s private eye bug originated with her father, who was Neptune, California’s sheriff. One day, he goes after the most powerful man in town, and the next day, he loses his job. Not a man for taking a loss, he opens his own P.I. firm called Mars Investigations. It only makes sense that Veronica would work there part time, of course. She naturally has her own caseload to solve and follows her dad in his footsteps.
To understand Veronica is to understand her friends. She loses them all with her father’s sudden unemployment. So much for friends. Her dead friend’s boyfriend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), however, is especially a cruel soul. Unlike Veronica who searches for her best friend’s killer by investigating leads, Logan’s distrust and rage fuels his need for revenge. Drawn by the common goal of finding a killer, Veronica and Logan become an item. At the same time, those same qualities that draw people together can also tear them apart.
How can someone quantify Veronica’s skillsets? Yes, she’s angry. She’s Vengeful. But there’s more to her than the dark, brooding character some make her out to be. Some folks call her a marshmallow.
Names aside, her strength lies in her ability to see through the confusion. When threatened, she doesn’t stand aside taking it. She dishes it out and ensures no one can make a comeback from her volley. Her idea of a solution is the direct approach. If things get too complicated for her, nothing quite like a right cross to solve a problem.
Her biggest asset is not her skill with a camera. Nor is it having the ability to mimic accents. It’s not even her willingness to dress different, talk different or walk different. Veronica’s biggest asset is the love she has for her dad. In spite of him losing his job, and her friends asking her to choose, without a doubt she chooses her dad. He provides the love and safety she needs to carry forward with her life and not worry what anyone else thinks. He’s her sounding board, always ready to listen, always ready to step in when she’s in over her head. No one else can replace him. He’s her everything.
Veronica Mars may have an attitude, but her will to stand firm in the toughest of situations makes her a true example of what a strong woman is.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.
Have you seen the Veronica Mars movie? If so, what do you think of it? What do you think of the series?
Looking to God 
I haven’t seen anything Veronica Mars but I do have it on my Netflix list to start watching. I love Kristen Bell so I have no doubt this series and movie is great.
Veronica Mars had at the first shot of the pilot. She was sassy, smart, resourceful, strong, flawed, and also heroic at times. I did enjoy the film and had some issues with the end result but there was no room for Piz or Duncan when she was with Logan. There just wasn’t that Passion there. Plus, even though Logan was a spitfire the last time we saw him the Season Three finale, he grew up to channel all that anger to serve his country. I found the whole story line noble and it would make sense why they’d end up together for real this time. I’ve seen the film three times and am currently on my fourth rewatch of the whole series to rewatch the film for the fourth time after I’m done. This is a gem in television history and I hope the film creates more Marshmallows in the future! 🙂 Great post!
These are the things I knew about Veronica Mars before watching the film:
1. It was an American TV show about a teenage detective.
2. It starred Kristen Bell.
3. Joss Whedon was a fan of the show and directed some episodes.
4. When the show’s creator went on Kickstarter to fund this movie version it became the fastest project on the website to reach $1 million, then the fastest to reach $2 million and ultimately the all time highest-funded project in the film category and third highest-funded project over all.
5. It evidently has a loyal fan base.
I’d vaguely planned to watch a few episodes at some stage so with the release of the film in cinemas and download I thought it was a good time to give it a go.
The first five minutes of the film is all exposition, first telling us newbies what happened on the show and then I presume bringing everyone up to speed with what has happened since. It is the clumsiest introduction imaginable but it does the job. To be honest it sets up the movie perfectly because the storytelling is equally laboured all the way through.
I don’t like to rain on the parade of the people who love this show but I’m actually a little surprised by how bad this film is. I am sure the Veronica Mars fans will enjoy seeing their old friends up on the silver screen but can that really be enough? The story is horribly underwritten and his filled with cliches and stereotypes. It is like watching Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling Investigates or Murder She Wrote but with younger, prettier characters. Don’t get me wrong, I used to quite enjoy those shows but it was a different time back then and crime drama has moved on. The protagonist is even referred to as the town’s ‘own Angela Lansbury’ at one stage but postmodern self awareness does not excuse it. Frankly, this film makes Fast and Furious 6 look like LA Confidential.
There are some ridiculous plot points (involving inexplicably forgotten hidden microphones and spying on people through their tablet devices) and the action is constantly fuelled by contrivances and conveniences. Need someone who can explain the logistics of computer programming? Hey, your best friend who seems to serve little other function in the story has just announced that she works for a large IT company and can tell you what you need to know. Need a USB stick with extensive memory? Your Dad has one in his pocket! Oh, and there is a voice over that would sound cheesy even if Carrie Bradshaw were reading it out and isn’t as funny as it thinks it is.
At least I think it is trying to be funny, the gags fall so flat (if they are gags) that I’m not sure. There is a painfully extended scene with James Franco sending himself up again but after he did that so definitively hosting the Oscars it really isn’t amusing anymore. It certainly didn’t merit being revisited in a mid credit sequence.
Clearly there are in jokes that have gone right over my head but isn’t there some commercial responsibility to appeal to a new audience too? At one stage Veronica says she is a marshmallow which no doubt will have those who understand the reference cheering in their seats but to me it made no sense whatsoever. You put this film in cinemas, you invited me to the party, please don’t make me feel left out.
By the same rationale don’t expect me to care when a major character’s life is suddenly in danger or others are shot. I’m sure the faithful will be devastated but I only met these guys an hour ago and they haven’t earned my love yet.
This is unfamiliar territory for me having previously been familiar with everything from Ducktales to Doctor Who before I saw their big screen adventures. I guess I’m just not used to being an outsider and it’s making me a little petulant.
The thing is, that pre-knowledge or no pre-knowledge, a film of a TV show needs to have something big happen in it, like the first X-Files movie. It can’t just be another episode, like the second X-Files movie. Sex and the City had the wedding and Star Trek: The Next Generation crashed The Enterprise. Even Steve Irwin had a top secret satellite falling to Earth and getting eaten by a Crocodile. There is nothing anywhere near as epic going on here.
Basically, if it is a successful cinematic continuation of a TV show you want, one that rewards both existing fans and new viewers with sophisticated plotting, suspense and rounded characters, then watch Serenity instead.
This is strictly one for the fans then which is kind of okay as they pretty much paid for it. No doubt they will love it but I found it at best vaguely distracting and totally forgettable.
Reblogged this on Rare Films & TV Classics on DVD and commented:
For fans of Veronica or maybe, maybe not wannabee fans.
Thanks for the reblog, Brian! 🙂
like one other commenter here, I have never heard of Veronica mars, but the backstory bears at least a resemblance to ” Orphan Black ” ( A sci – fi / detective mystery involving cloning & genetic manipulation ) starring Tatiana Maslany
Yaaaay Veronica!
Yaaaay Amb! 😉
I liked the show a lot (I would say her other attribute is the fact she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her, except for her dad, Wallace, Logan, and Mac), but I was disappointed in the movie. It started out fine, and I liked all the characters that came back and some of the dialogue, but the main reason it seemed to have been made was for the Logan/Veronica shippers, and that’s not why I watched the show.
I loved the Veronica Mars series! Wit, sass, charm, brains – what more could you ask for. She was a great role model for girls and the show went off the air far too soon. Loved the movie as well. Stayed true to who Veronica was and was fun seeing the cast back together again.
I never missed an episode of the series. I was missed it when it went off. I loved the character of Veronica Mars. She was tenacious and passionate about her beliefs. I would love to have a little Veronica in me.
Never heard of this. (lives under rock).
Yay Veronica!!! Great job capturing her essence in your post. She is an amazing role model for girls. I hope to watch all three seasons again this summer since I am a total Marshmallow. Thanks for featuring Veronica. 🙂
My pleasure! Loved writing about her awesomeness!
This sounds like a great movie! I’ll have to watch it sometime.
I really dug the movie. Rob Thomas did a really good job maintaining the feel of the show, especially considering so much time had passed.