A long time ago, we used to be friends…and I can’t wait to see you again.
This Friday, the long-awaited and eagerly anticipated Veronica Mars movie comes out, and fans everywhere are already gearing up. The fact that the movie exists it all is a powerful testament to the potential of crowdfunding, though it’s also a potentially dangerous commentary on media funding and promotion in the US. Even as media consumers are excited for the film, some are worried about the precedent set by making consumers bear the cost of funding film production, as well as other implications of crowdsourcing film funding.
But what about the movie itself? The television show aired for only three seasons, but they were glorious, compelling, fascinating seasons, the kind of television that people still talk about long after it’s gone. Veronica Mars followed its eponymous character through high school and into college, and the movie picks up, fittingly enough, with a 10 year reunion, and an old boyfriend in a whole lot of trouble; which is nothing new for Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring).
Long after the show disappeared from the air, it built new ranks of fans drawn to its sharp, snappy, insightful take on society, being a woman, and navigating a world filled with betrayal and secrets. Though Veronica Mars was at times slightly soapy, the show’s core revolved around the life of a young woman who had her life turned upside down by the murder of her best friend. Veronica (Kristen Bell) lost her place in society and everything else familiar when Lily Kane died, forming a tight relationship with her private detective father—and becoming a bit of a detective herself.
To say that Veronica was a girl detective, though, is to conjure up a sweet Nancy Drew-ish image, and this is a harsh, gritty environment where Veronica’s constantly in danger, and constantly on the front lines of her own investigations. Through a series of tumultuous relationships and horrific events, including a rape, Veronica sets out to find out who really killed Lily Kane, and to bring wrongdoers to justice.
She made for a striking and unique character on television, a strong, powerful girl with a complex characterization and a sardonic, sarcastic character. While some people seem convinced that the age of snark is over, Veronica was a first waver, and she was brilliantly realized textually and by Bell, who brought immense depth and life to the character. She was supported by a brilliant cast, creating a rich and often believable world heavily laden with discussions of class, social positions, and the power of money, an unusual commentary to see on mainstream US television.
While Veronica Mars sometimes fell down on racial analysis, something the show has been criticized for, it still managed to contain far more artfully embedded social commentary than anything else on television, which is why so many fans were so sorry, and enraged, to see it go.
The film creates a chance for redemption, and perhaps some closure; we’re unlikely to see Veronica return to small or big screen after this, much though we might long to. It’s also a chance for something rather interesting and unique. Rather than picking up where the show left off as though no time had elapsed, the film picks up 10 years later, aging with the actors and the fans to show us where everyone is now. It’s a chance few shows have, as they tend to get stuck in ruts of time and place. Veronica Mars will let us see if our theories, hopes, and dreams for the characters are right, even if some of them don’t seem to have changed at all in the previews.
Old fans might find the premise of the film—Logan is accused of murdering his girlfriend and calls upon Veronica for help, yanking her out of her life as a high-powered attorney—familiar, as it’s played out before, but our characters are ten years older, with the depth of experience, knowledge, and the past behind them. That’s inevitably going to change how they react to the situation in the film, which will hopefully be as much character study as much as it is mystery.
Inevitably, there’s going to be a great deal of fan service in the film; hopefully Rob Thomas and the rest of the creative team will be able to strike that critical balance between honoring the past and creating a new present. A film that reads as an endless series of in jokes won’t be enjoyable for newcomers, and, for that matter, for experienced fans who want to see something new. That said, some tips of the hat and friendly references to past events wouldn’t go amiss, and I for one am looking forward to them.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my Veronica Mars marathon. I have only two days to go…and a lot of DVDs to catch up on.