A long time ago, we all used to be friends with a little television show called Veronica Mars. The show – whose brilliance was never really fully appreciated – lasted three seasons before being unceremoniously cancelled (the show had taken a new direction from the network and was seeing improved ratings). Years passed; fans hoped for more, but rumors of a film remained just that. Then, as everyone who has connected to the internet in the last 14 months probably knows, Kickstarter happened.

For fans of the show, the Veronica Mars film was the fulfillment of a promise Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell made when they produced the “Season Four” trailer that was part of a pitch to avoid cancellation: More Mars. The Kickstarter campaign – more specifically the backers – were as much a part of the making of the film as the cast and crew, a fact that the special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD – released this week – focus a great deal of time on.

Veronica Mars was a unique production in myriad ways, and the release of the film was no exception. The film debuted in US theatres on March 14^th, 2013 and was simultaneously released through digital channels; it was actually the first film by the six-major studios to be released in the theatres and be available for home viewing on the same day. Veronica Mars raked in just under $3.5m worldwide, well under the Kickstarter contribution and likely in the ballpark of what Warner Bros. pitched in. The likelihood of “More-More Mars” now hangs on the success of the BluRay/DVD release (though 40,000 of those Kickstarter backers already have theirs included through their contribution).

The BluRay that we were provided had a great transfer – the video is significantly improved from the HD download – and had a good collection of Special Features. There were several obligatory deleted scenes, a gag reel and a series of six featurettes that cover everything from to the new offices of Mars Investigation to the story of the guy in the ape suit that Rob Thomas went off on during filming (if you don’t know the story, it’s totally worth checking out).

The highlight of the features, though, was the hour-long making-of documentary, By The Fans: The Making of the Veronica Mars Movie. Filmmakers followed the cast and crew around throughout the whole process, starting with hanging out with Thomas when the Kickstarter kicked off. The highlight was the section that covered the group of backers visiting the production to appear as extras in the film. The cast and crew proved several times just how much the campaign meant to the production, but their interactions with the backers during that time period really hammered home the point (though, the backers sharing what was basically the same story about their involvement again and again did get a bit repetitive). I also enjoyed the SDCC stuff, and that’s not because you can spot fellow Clacker Keith McDuffee and I in the crowd at the fan event.

Films like this rarely get made. It’s rare that an underperforming cult favorite gets a major motion picture made (more rare when your name isn’t Joss Whedon). I’d like to think the Veronica Mars movie lived up to fan expectations – it did to this fan at least. The BluRay is a solid release that most fans will want to have in their collection, even if they already own a copy via digital download. The only thing really missing on the disc is a Cast/Crew Commentary; I think Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell walking us through the film would be a lot of fun, and not that difficult to pull off, but it seems that good Commentaries is a trend that is dying a slow death.

Disclaimer: This review is based on a complimentary copy, provided to CliqueClack by Warner Home Video, solely for the purpose of this review.

I’ve always found it interesting how passion from fans can manifest in many different ways. I spent most of life unfamiliar with comics or authors like Neil Gaiman, but when I suddenly started down those roads after college by reading a few things here and there … suddenly I have nearly all of Neil Gaiman’s work and a large collection of graphic novels with a true appreciation for the medium. By now, I’d support Gaiman in a lot of things, although that pales next to his biggest fans. Certain content creators have rabid fan bases, like Joss Whedon among the cult fans or One Direction among the masses of teenage girls. Of course, the application of paying money for anything related to their idols is a pretty typical way to handle it, something I’ve been guilty of myself at times. But it’s rare indeed when fans are essentially directly responsible for the creation or success thereof.

Veronica Mars is one of the few exceptions; it was a mildly popular television show that was cancelled after three seasons (one great, one good, one mediocre), but managed to obtain a cadre of rabid fans. Those fans, and others like them, put up over $5 million on Kickstarter to fund the movie, although Warner Bros. ended up giving more money later on because of the “demonstrated value.” After all, over ninety thousand people ponied up dough for the effort, which probably implied that twice as many at least will buy tickets for the movie. Or will they? The real question is whether or not people will care if they haven’t seen the show. After all, for most people, will they even know what Veronica Mars was? The show was about Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), a young high school girl in a rich Southern California town filled with corruption who ends up becoming a detective because she wanted to solve the mystery of her best friend’s murder. And the second and third seasons were about other mysteries, of course.

So the movie starts up a few years after the ending of the show, with Veronica living in New York having a boring but pleasant life with boyfriend Piz (Chris Lowell), a boring but pleasant guy. If you’re thinking something will shake that up, you’d be right! Despite just graduating from law school and interviewing at a prestigious firm, she gets drawn back to her old life when her former boyfriend, dark and brooding Logan (Jason Dohring), is accused of murdering his old girlfriend. Whoops! Veronica finds herself getting mixed up in the corrupt nonsense of her hometown despite successfully leaving it behind. The expected things happen, plenty of fan service and cameos pepper the film (I won’t spoil it for those who don’t already know), Logan and Veronica find sparks between them, Veronica’s dad (Enrico Colantoni) is great, and there’s a mystery to solve.

The mystery isn’t honestly that interesting or clever, but that’s to be expected when you don’t have an entire TV season to play through it. That said, the movie moves quickly and everyone falls back into their old roles with aplomb. Kristen Bell provides the anchor here, showcasing wit and emotion, often elevating weaker beats and dialogue. If you swooned over Veronica’s love life in the show, you’ll probably like the little bits here about it, but I didn’t particularly care about it, as I wasn’t invested in that part of the TV show either. I did like seeing a few people that have since done things I’ve enjoyed, like Max Greenfield, Ryan Hansen, or Krysten Ritter as various town characters with complicated relationships with Veronica. At times I found Veronica’s choices to be frustrating and illogical, and the explanations a bit simplistic.

Veronica Mars isn’t subtle with anything, not with themes, not with surprises, not with … well, anything. That said, I liked the movie, it was tense when it needed to be, explained the critical character interactions to those who wouldn’t already know, and ended in a decently open-ended way (sequel-baiting?). Those unfamiliar with the show may like it, but consider it more along the lines of a two hour TV movie. Which, let’s be honest, it basically is. It’s a good movie, but it’s not great. That said, if you liked the show, you will almost certainly enjoy this movie, even if you liked it just as a good show. And if you loved the show … then you’ll probably love it.

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We here at CliqueClack love some Veronica Mars. A long time ago, we actually dedicated a week of posts on the show, including a debate by Clackers Deb and Bob about the likelihood that we’d ever see a Mars movie. Thanks to Kickstarter and 91,585 of Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell’s closest friends, Veronica Mars opens in theatres later this week.

To commemorate this glorious occasion, CliqueClack will be giving away a copy of the forthcoming DVD, along with a “Neptune, CA” trucker’s hat. We’ve also got a very cool quiz app that you can check out and test your knowledge on all things Mars:

All you have to do is live in the United States — sorry Canada and the rest of the world — and reply to this post just once with your favorite quote from Veronica Mars (If you need a reminder, check out our post of our favorite quotes from the show here). We won’t be giving any bonus points for quoting the movie, but you’ll definitely get some cool points.

The winner will be selected randomly from the submissions at midnight March 19th (Next week). Well, what are you waiting for? We’re burning daylight here!

There are some major films coming out on March 11, including the Oscar nominated (and snubbed) Inside Llewyn Davis and The Book Thief, but the week’s biggest release actually comes on Friday, March 14 with the simultaneous theatrical and digital release of the highly anticipated Veronica Mars movie. With the film getting a limited theatrical release, you can watch the movie in the comfort of your own home if it’s not playing in your city. There are more early digital releases with the Oscar nominated (and shockingly snubbed) American Hustle and Anchorman 2 (though not the new R-rated expanded cut of the film). John Wayne fans can now enjoy Hatari and El Dorado on Blu-ray, cult film fans get a director’s cut of Iron Sky, and Warner Brothers releases individual disks formerly part of the James Dean box set. To see all of the highlights of this week’s home video releases, have a look at out handy shopper’s guide and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.

Unlike many of my Clacking Contemporaries, I love internet lists; especially end-of-year-compilations. I love the arguments that develop over the placement of one particular show/flick/book/video game over the other. What I don’t always appreciate is the idea of “best.” Take a look at some of the “Best of 2013 Films” lists floating around the Internet this week: Are there a couple of flicks you have never heard of, let alone had the opportunity to see? Yeah, that’s not how I see things. I think we can celebrate the “best.”

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t like Mad Men and I haven’t yet tackled Sons of Anarchy or (GASP!) Breaking Bad. I didn’t see every movie I wanted to (The Butler, About Time and Fruitvale Station probably top that list). Again, this is about what I really liked this year, not about what I — or the Internet as a greater whole — thinks “best.” I think that approach is much more true and much more fun.

Scandal

I have my problems with Shonda Rhimes’ latest show, but that doesn’t keep me from love everything else about the show. Put simply, Scandal is batshit crazy, and there’s not a single positive character on the entire show. As much as Olivia and her crew talk about their white hats, you can’t add enough white to grey to get the black out; Huck’s actions last week are proof positive of that. But Scandal has also been home to some of the year’s best performances; Bellamy Young and Jeff Perry both have had a couple of scenes that were simply phenomenal.

The Veronica Mars Kickstarter

The announcement that Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell would be taking their plans for a Veronica Mars flick to Kickstarter nearly blew the doors off of my Twitter feed. The project quickly met its goal of $2 million within 11 hours, and more than doubled that by the time the funding period was over. The viral campaign leading up to filming was phenomenal; many of the actors filmed quick videos for YouTube announcing their participation, a process that helped build the hype for the show’s cult fandom.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Veronica Mars’ presence at Comic-Con this year. While I wasn’t able to make the Hall H panel, fellow Clacker Keith McDuffee and I did back the Kickstarter project high enough to get a reserved seat at the fan event held later that evening. The event itself was far from perfect, but it was a pretty damn cool experience nonetheless.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTZ-fXU4iE

Netflix’s House of Cards and Orange is the New Black

Was there an entertainment company that had a better year than Netflix? Bringing back Arrested Development was a big coup, but it was the other two shows that really tripped my trigger. House of Cards is the kind of show that was conceived personally for my enjoyment. I love a good political yarn, and Kevin Spacey absolutely chews every second he is on the screen. Orange is the New Black was different, “coming out of nowhere” to really surprise some people (Not this particular blogger, who wrote about lead Taylor Schillling: “She has the look, and the talent, to be a breakout star” four years ago).

Gravity

Gravity was one of those flicks that had been in pre-production for a long time. I had followed the project for years as director Alfonso Cuarón waited for technology to catch up to the script, as well as go through the myriad casting changes the project experienced. The final product was phenomenal. Sandra Bullock and the film’s technical mastery easily covered for a rather pedestrian script. There are very few movie’s that I believe are “must see” in 3D – and in this case IMAX as well – but Gravity was one of them. I’m a little worried that the film won’t hold up on people’s TVs at home, but the theatre experience was unforgettable.

Arrow

Arrow has received a great deal of buzz this year as being greatly improved from its inaugural season last year and while I won’t deny it has been pretty damn great, I thought that season one was pretty good, too. The promotions of Colton Haynes, Manu Bennett and (particularly) Emily Bett Rickards have filled out the show nicely. The CW is now using the show to launch a show centered on the Barry Allen version of the Flash, and there are continued rumors (that are often denied and then pop up again) that both shows might be linked to the DC Cinematic Universe.