watch Veronica Mars megashare

Dear Marshmallows: Veronica Mars has her own Dark Knight Rises. Swap the dusty cape for a dusty camera and Veronica Mars (the movie) represents the same momentous return from retirement.

After a messy cancellation from The CW in 2007, six years of thunderous internet fandom and a paradigm-shattering Kickstarter, TV veteran Rob Thomas makes good on what most chalked up to wishful thinking. The Veronica Mars movie is, finally, a reality. It was worth the wait.

For Kristen Bell, slipping back into the the role that made her a millennial icon requires little torque. With a new case on her plate and emotional baggage to boot, the all-grown-up detective’s jump to the multiplex transcends a fan service-friendly adaptation to roll out as a slick, character-driven mystery that is normally condemned to television. Remember when Miss Marple starred in movies? Veronica Mars is that same kind of small-scale, popcorn-worthy entertainment, an adaptation that avoids payoffs and indulgent nostalgia and capitalizes on a procedural legacy.

That shouldn’t surprise fans. Sticking to what worked from his cult favorite show, Thomas works off blueprints, souping up the visuals with cinematic gravitas without blowing it up into a glossy, Non-Stop-esque thriller. When we pick up with Veronica, she is on the brink of nabbing a lawyer job at a top New York City firm. She’s happily dating Piz (Chris Lowell), her college boyfriend. Her sleuthing days are long behind her. And that’s when Logan (Jason Dohring), her former flame, gives her a call that turns life upside down. Known for his pent-up emotion and occasional fits of rage, Logan finds himself accused of the high-profile murder of his pop-star girlfriend Bonnie Deville, aka Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estella replacing the show’s original actress Leighton Meister). Ex or not, Veronica can’t resist the call of mystery.

Thomas doesn’t worry too much about where we left off. While there were lingering plot lines in the show’s third season non-finale, including the re-election of Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) to the role of sheriff, Veronica Mars blows straight past the loose ends and into the story.

Veronica Mars gets the cast back together with elegance. The plot revolves around Veronica’s 10th high school reunion, a logical reason for Thomas to resurface familiar faces. In the midst of proving Logan’s innocence, Veronica’s besties Wallace (Percy Daggs III) and Mac (Tina Majorino) drag her to the party, where she runs into Gia (Krysten Ritter), Dick (Ryan Hansen), Weevil (Francis Capra), Luke (Sam Huntington) and more. Turns out, they’re all suspects. As Veronica strips away the surface level framework of Bonnie’s death, it’s clear the crime is tied to events from her class’s past. Not that surprising, considering Neptune High is one of the few schools requiring an In Memoriam segment at its reunion.

Watching Veronica pal around with Wallace and Mac feels glows like reuniting with actual friends. Keith and his daughter trade zingers like old times – and butt heads too. “You made it out. Don’t let this town take you down like everyone else,” Keith tells Veronica, the clash between Neptune’s 09ners and blue collar residents burning hotter than ever. Veronica’s California hometown was its own character, a sociopolitical “hellmount” (Veronica’s words) that made the constant killings digestible. It’s even more alive, dangerous, and in need of a hero in Thomas’ film translation. Veronica’s navigation of Neptune, scouting through a long-lensed SLR, has all the chemistry of the actor-actor relationships.

On top of everything that must return, Thomas finds room to add new characters that feel like no-brainers to the Veronica Mars universe. Girls actor Gaby Hoffman and Party Down vet Martin Starr appear as old Neptune High classmates; Jerry O’Connell slides into the obnoxious sheriff role as Dan Lamb, brother of Don, who died in season three; and then there are the cameos too fun to spoil. The fresh faces dilute any sense of gimmick. Even when Veronica Mars nods to the show’s history – Piz and Veronica’s sex tape plays a recurring role, while Thomas’ proposed, internal reboot of the series featuring an FBI-employed Veronica also earns a shout-out – it’s pushing Veronica forward. This isn’t a wallowing love letter, it’s brand spankin’ new Veronica Mars.

Bell plays it with the sharp wit, keen intellect, and mushy empathy that gave us a reason to love Veronica in the first place. Once a marshmallow, always a marshmallow. Even on the big screen.