HOLLYWOOD—Fans of the hit TV series “Veronica Mars” are truly dedicated fans.  When a Kickstarter project was put into gear to raise funds for a film version of the cult classic, fans came out in force to get things moving. Nearly a year later, Veronica Mars is back on the big screen.

The movie takes place nearly 10 years after the events in the TV series. Mars (Kristen Bell) is now living inNew York City, finds her self in love with Piz (Chris Lowell) and contemplating a job offer with the top-notch law firm Truman-Mann and Associates. Let’s just say life for Veronica is pretty smooth, until she receives a call from her ex Logan (Jason Dohring) needing her assistance after he is accused of murdering his girlfriend Carrie (Andrea Estella). If it was anyone butLogan, Veronica wouldn’t have entertained the idea, but this guy holds a special place in our private investigator’s heart that she is unable to let go.

So what does Veronica do, of course, return to her hometown of Neptune, California. That’s the funny thing about the movie, is that tension most of us feel about returning to our hometown, especially if we’ve been MIA for quite some time. It’s like the butterflies of a first date; expect the unexpected. Upon returning home things have changed considerably for our undercover sleuth, she discovers not only has her hometown changed, but so have her friends Mac (Tina Majorino) and Wallace (Percy Daggs II) who torture Veronica to attend their 10 year high school reunion. Cue the fireworks!

Without spoiling too many details of the plot, Veronica soon discovers that Carrie’s murder is related to the death of her best friend Susan Knight nearly a decade ago. That’s the fun of the movie; it takes the audience who were avid fans of the series back to that fun place. Even audiences who were not fans of the series can still become instantly absorbed into the movie. Look at it this way, it a clever spy thriller, without all the over the top violence or pouty language. Are there still those snarky comments from Mars of course, that’s what makes the character so underrated in so many people’s opinion?

The fun thing about “Veronica Mars” hitting the big screen is that the audience is given hope of other TV classics getting the big screen makeover. Fingers crossed for a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie. There is just so much craziness that could take place, but let’s not digress too much. “Veronica Mars” is a faithful adaptation to the big screen, giving fans what they want, but at the same time weaving a story simple enough to bring in the non “Veronica Mars” fans to the table.

By LaDale Anderson