Frozen II (2019) review

Calling Disney Animation’s 2013 release Frozen one of the most successful projects that they’ve ever made would easily be one of the biggest understatements of all-time. Upon its release, this loose adaptation of author Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen became the studio’s first animated film to gross over $1 billion worldwide (not counting subsidiary Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which did the same thing in 2010). It won two Oscars for Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature and has widely been regarded as one of Disney Animation’s modern masterpieces. And while there have undoubtedly been a select number of folks out there who were likely driven mad by the truly extensive mark that the film left on pop culture, there’s no denying that Frozen was very much one of those films that was fully deserving of becoming the full-on cultural phenomenon that it still is today. Whether it was thanks to its lovable cast of characters or its undeniably catchy soundtrack, Frozen quickly blossomed into one of Disney’s biggest animated franchises that would later spawn a few animated shorts to build up hype for the film’s heavily anticipated feature-length follow-up. And now, the story of the Royal Sisters of Arendelle officially continues with Disney Animation’s 58^th official animated feature, Frozen II. Luckily, for fans of the franchise, this sequel brings back almost all the key players from the first film, including songwriters Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez, the core quartet of leads Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad, and directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. And because of this, Frozen II is a fantastic sequel to its equally fantastic predecessor as it flawlessly retains everything that made the original Frozen a beloved Disney classic.

 

For the past three years, the Kingdom of Arendelle has thrived under Queen Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), especially after she was able to rekindle her relationship with her younger sister, Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell). However, on one faithful night, Elsa becomes entranced by a mysterious voice calling out to her from afar, and when she finally interacts with it, the kingdom is suddenly ravaged by mysterious elemental forces. Elsa and Anna soon learn from the wise troll Grand Pabbie (voiced by Ciaran Hinds) that this recent turn of events is due to Elsa unintentionally awakening the four elemental spirits of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. And as he informs them, the only way to set things right is to travel to the Enchanted Forest that their parents, King Agnarr (voiced by Alfred Molina, replacing Maurice LaMarche from the first film) and Queen Iduna (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood, replacing director Jennifer Lee from the first film) told them about when they were younger. For years, this Enchanted Forest has been consumed by an impenetrable wall of mist that has trapped all those inside it after an unexpected fight occurred between the native Northuldra tribe and a group of Arendellian forces. Thus, Elsa, Anna, sentient snowman Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad), and Anna’s ice harvester boyfriend Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) embark on a journey to appease the elemental spirits, specifically by uncovering the cause of this long-standing conflict. Along the way, Anna and Elsa even begin to discover the secrets behind the magical ice powers that the latter has possessed her whole life.

Frozen II certainly fits the bill when it comes to being a ‘bigger sequel’ in every sense of the phrase. The adventure that Anna and Elsa go on in this film is far grander in scale than the one from the first film, and while it does continue to maintain the usual light-hearted atmosphere of a Disney animated film, it is a little darker in tone compared to its predecessor. In other words, Frozen II does what any good sequel should do by naturally expanding its universe while also showing a genuine sense of maturity from a storytelling perspective. At the same time, though, it never loses sight of any of the things that made its predecessor so iconic, especially the strong and loving relationship between its lead sister duo. The animation is superb as always and the new songs by Robert and Kirsten-Anderson Lopez arguably stand toe to toe with the first film’s truly unforgettable soundtrack. Highlights of the sequel’s soundtrack include but are not limited to Elsa’s big solo ‘Into the Unknown’, Anna’s downright devastating solo ‘The Next Right Thing’, which stems from what is quite possibly the most emotional moment in the whole film, and Kristoff’s 80’s power ballad (yes, I know what I just said…) ‘Lost in the Woods’. Now, if there was any sort of shortcoming with this film, it’s that, because of how its story is structured to focus primarily on Anna and Elsa above everything else, Frozen II doesn’t really spend a lot of time with the new characters that it introduces. As such, certain subplots like the feud between the Northuldra tribe and the Arendelle soldiers who got trapped in the Enchanted Forest sometimes tend to get overlooked. And yet, I don’t even remotely consider that to be a bad thing in this instance since this series has always done a wonderful job of exploring the theme of how love truly does conquer all through the phenomenal heroines who headline it.

On that note, one of the coolest things about Frozen II is how it manages to shake things up a bit when it comes to the overall roles that Anna and Elsa play in this story. While the original Frozen was sure to give them equal amounts of quality character development, it was fundamentally told from Anna’s perspective since it was all about her taking the initiative to set things right and rekindle her relationship with Elsa. By comparison, Frozen II focuses more on Elsa as she works to appease the four elemental spirits while also learning the truth about why she’s the one who possesses magical ice powers. Nevertheless, the unbreakable bond between these two sisters continues to be the most important aspect of this franchise, and as always, it’s primarily thanks to the phenomenal work by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel in their respective roles. Bell continues to be effortlessly charming and spunky as Anna while Menzel once again imbues Elsa with all her grace and power. Fellow returnees Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad are also excellent once again as Kristoff and Olaf, respectively, with Groff getting to explore a wonderful new side to the loyal Ice Harvester via the numerous attempts he makes at trying to propose to Anna and Gad, as to be expected, continuing to get many of the film’s best humorous moments. After that is when the previously mentioned dilemma of the film not giving its new characters a lot to do comes into play, but for what it's worth, everyone else in the cast does a solid job with what they have. This includes Sterling K. Brown as Lt. Mattias, a friendly Arendelle soldier who was amongst those trapped in the Enchanted Forest, and Evan Rachel Wood as Anna and Elsa’s mother Iduna who, despite only appearing mostly in flashbacks, does get her backstory explored in some very fascinating ways that help add to the film’s strong emotional poignancy.

While I may not have as much of a history with it compared to the likes of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, the first Frozen truly is one of my favorite Disney animated films of all-time; in fact, it’s amongst my Top 5, even, when it comes to Disney’s long line of animated classics. Granted, you might think otherwise if you look back at my original review of it from 2013 where I only gave it a 4/5, but it goes without saying that that old review is the very definition of ‘dated’. Simply put, Frozen became one of those films that I became more and more attached to as time went by, and as I noted in the intro, I’m personally glad that it became the worldwide phenomenon that it did no matter how much some people got utterly sick of it after a while. And as for Frozen II, I’m happy to report that it’s another fine addition to this beloved franchise. Just like its predecessor, Frozen II is a perfect mix of gorgeous animation, unforgettable songs, and a powerful emotional core. It expands upon the world of Frozen in ways that feel appropriate for the story that directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (the latter of whom was just recently named Disney Animation’s new Chief Creative Officer) are telling. And while it does follow the route that most sequels go by being a far bigger adventure than its predecessor, the strength and beauty that stems from the bond of the perpetually endearing sisterly duo of Anna and Elsa is still very much the driving force of this franchise. Because of all this, it goes without saying that Frozen II is yet another rousing success for Walt Disney Animation that is sure to delight the fans who made this franchise a pop-cultural landmark.

Rating: 5/5!

Teen Titans Go to the Movies (2018) review

In 1964, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani created the latest addition to DC’s long line of superhero teams, the Teen Titans. While the roster of characters has changed numerous times over the years, many members of the Titans have been known for being sidekicks of other DC heroes and are usually led by Batman’s most famous sidekick, Dick Grayson AKA Robin. And while the Titans have been a part of the comic landscape for years, folks of my generation primarily recognize them via the anime-inspired animated series Teen Titans, which ran for five seasons on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2006. The show, which followed a Titans group consisting of Robin, alien princess Starfire, half-human/half-robot hybrid Cyborg, gothic psychic Raven, and animal shape-shifter Beast Boy, was lauded for its mature storytelling, layered characters, and vibrant animation. In 2013, nearly a decade after the original show’s arguably premature cancellation, a new ‘spin-off’ of the series debuted on Cartoon Network titled Teen Titans Go. While the show did feature the same cast of characters (along with the original voice cast) as its predecessor, Go took the concept in a more comedic direction. And while the show has been a hit with its target audience, fans of the original Teen Titans series have been highly critical of it due to its radically different take on the characters, which they feel is vastly inferior to that of the original series. Nevertheless, the show continues to be one of Cartoon Network’s most popular shows to the point where it has even outlived the original series with an episode count of over 200. Thus, this iteration of the Teen Titans has now been given the opportunity to grace the franchise’s first feature film (not counting the original series’ 2006 TV film Trouble in Tokyo), Teen Titans Go to the Movies. And to those who are still fiercely vehement about Teen Titans Go… well, you may be surprised to learn that this film is quite an entertaining flick.

Despite all their various crime-fighting adventures, the five members of the Teen Titans (Robin (voiced by Scott Menville), Beast Boy (voiced by Greg Cipes), Raven (voiced by Tara Strong), Cyborg (voiced by Khary Payton), and Starfire (voiced by Hynden Walch)) are constantly told by other superheroes that they aren’t taken that seriously due to their childish behavior. To prove that they’re worthy of being superheroes, Robin realizes that their best chances of accomplishing this are to get the one thing that every great superhero has, a film adaptation. Thus, the team heads directly to Hollywood to try and make it big in the film industry, where basically every major superhero has gotten their own film. Once there, though, they learn from famous superhero film director Jade Wilson (voiced by Kristen Bell) that it’s unlikely that anyone would watch a film about them. In response, the Titans try and find the other big thing that every great superhero has, an iconic arch-nemesis. And as luck would have it, they soon find a potential candidate for that position in the form of Slade (voiced by Will Arnett), a gun-wielding, sword-wielding mercenary who seems to be a lot like Deadpool despite his insistence that he came first. Regardless, the Titans vow to stop his dastardly plan to take over the world via mind control, hoping that it’ll prove to the rest of the world that they’re truly worthy of a feature film.     

The biggest selling point of the Teen Titans Go film is that it ultimately serves as a huge satire of the superhero genre. Obviously, this puts it in line with the Deadpool films in terms of its overall execution, with the primary difference being that this superhero satire is geared towards younger audiences. But even with this in mind, Teen Titans Go to the Movies isn’t that far off from Deadpool when it comes to the overall quality of its sharp satire. Plus, this isn’t just a spoof of DC films, including everything from their apparent necessity to be dark to the infamous ‘Martha’ moment from Batman v Superman. There are also quite a few jabs at Marvel (e.g. a familiar cameo) as well as some self-aware shots at Teen Titans Go itself, specifically the fact that most people view the Titans as, to quote Superman (voiced by Nicolas Cage, who finally gets to play the character after previously being set to play him in the canceled Superman Lives), ‘goofsters’. And with that said, while there are a few instances where the film delves into some of the same sophomoric toilet humor from the TV series that its critics intensely despise, these moments are generally downplayed in favor of all the great satirical bits of humor. To top it all off, the animation is quite solid. While I’m aware that the ‘cartoony’ redesigns of the main characters compared to the original Titans series has been a contentious topic amongst its critics, it ends up working quite well on the big screen, resulting in a lot of bright, fast-paced action sequences.

Arguably one of the nicest things to come from the newer series was that the five voice actors who portrayed the Teen Titans in the original series (Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, Tara Strong, Khary Payton, and Hynden Walch) returned to reprise their respective roles, which isn’t always the case when an animated series like this gets rebooted. However, that doesn’t mean that this was entirely a good thing for many fans, because from what I’ve read, quite arguably the biggest complaint about Teen Titans Go from fans of the original show was its drastically different portrayals of the main characters. Specifically, many people feel that the newer renditions of the Titans are a lot more immature to the point where they can even be a bit unlikeable at times. Thankfully, though, as someone who hasn’t had a lot of experience with the TV show, it didn’t seem like this was as big of an issue in the film. Despite a few instances here and there where the characters tend to mock each other, you do get a nice sense of unity between them, allowing for some decent heartfelt moments. Meanwhile, this film also sees the return of a classic villain from the original Teen Titans series, Slade. In the original series, he was voiced by Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman, but in this new film, he’s voiced by LEGO Batman AKA Will Arnett (Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, portrays this franchise’s rendition of the Caped Crusader). And while I think it’s safe to say that quite a few people will ultimately prefer Perlman’s serious take on the character, Arnett (who’s also one of the film’s producers) does get quite a few great laughs as the self-aware mercenary, making this the second great animated superhero film role of his career.      

In conclusion, I want to make it clear that I do not have any major connection to the ongoing conflict surrounding the continued success of Teen Titans Go. For the record, I did watch the original Teen Titans show growing up; in fact, you could say that it was one of my first major introductions to the superhero genre in a time before the MCU was ever a thing. But at the same time, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen any of its episodes in full. As such, I also haven’t watched any full episodes of Teen Titans Go; at the time that I’m writing this, I’ve only watched a few clips of it online, and from what I’ve seen, the show honestly doesn’t look ‘that’ bad. And because of this, I found Teen Titans Go to the Movies to be a very entertaining animated flick. No, I’m not saying that it’s the best animated film or the best superhero film ever made, but it more than does its job of being a delightfully wacky satire of the superhero genre that isn’t afraid to pull a few punches at its own source material. Thus, for fans of the show, this will basically give them everything that they love about it. And dare I say it, this may even entertain some of its biggest haters because it does tone down some of the more ‘obnoxious’ aspects of the series. I mean, to be perfectly frank, it’s truly saying something when this film has fared far better with critics than 80% of the currently-released installments of the DC Extended Universe save for Wonder Woman. And if this film’s mid-credits scene means anything, the haters might want to see this film just to ensure that the one thing that it’s teasing ends up happening.

Rating: 4/5

Coco (2017) review + Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017) review

The time has come once again, folks, for the newest effort from the legendary animation studio, Pixar. Pixar, of course, needs no introduction. Since 1995, they’ve given us an endless array of animated masterpieces that have helped to make them pioneering forces in the art of computer animation, from the early classics like the Toy Story films and The Incredibles (which is finally getting a sequel next year) to recent gems like Up and Inside Out. And now, they’re back again with their second 2017 outing (after Cars 3 was released earlier this summer) in the form of Coco. With Coco, Pixar takes us on a fantastical journey inspired by the most famous Mexican holiday, Día de Muertos AKA the Day of the Dead, where families come together to honor their fallen loved ones. In the director’s chair for this one is Lee Unkrich, who’s been a mainstay at Pixar ever since they started producing their own feature films. Initially, he was an editor for films like Toy Story and A Bug’s Life before he started to work as a co-director on projects like Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. Then, in 2010, he finally got promoted to the role of lead director for the third installment of the Toy Story franchise, and to call Toy Story 3 a success would be a massive understatement. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide and was only the third animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and while it didn’t end up winning that award, it did win the Oscar that year for Best Animated Feature. And as for his latest outing, Unkrich proceeds to give us yet another gorgeously animated and heartfelt Pixar adventure that treats its subject matter with the full respect that it deserves.

In a peaceful little Mexican village, a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) finds himself in a troubling situation over one of his family’s longtime traditions. While he yearns to become a musician like his idol, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), his family has regularly enforced a ban on music ever since Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left the family to embark on a musical career. Miguel’s passion for music is only fueled further, however, when an old family photo implicates that his great-great-grandfather was, in fact, Ernesto de la Cruz. Thus, on Día de Muertos, Miguel sneaks into the local mausoleum dedicated to de la Cruz and proceeds to take his guitar in the hopes of performing in a local talent contest. In the process, though, he ends up being transported to the Land of the Dead, where the deceased reside until they return to the land of the living every year on this day to visit their living relatives. While there, Miguel is reunited with all of his ancestors who must now try and get him back home before sunrise; otherwise, he would become a skeleton and be stuck in the Land of the Dead forever. But when his ancestors demand that he give up his dreams of becoming a musician as a condition of the return process, Miguel decides to try and find his great-great-grandfather so that he can return home without having to give up on his dream. And so, Miguel teams up with a charismatic con man named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), who allegedly knows de la Cruz, to find him in the hopes of proving to his family that this is who he’s meant to be.

Prior to this film’s release, it did attract some skepticism early on from those who were fearful of how Pixar would handle a story that was based on such an important aspect of Mexican culture, especially after an incident in 2015 in which Disney tried to trademark the phrase ‘Día de Los Muertos’. And, of course, there was a lot of tumultuous uproar made by those who accused the film of being a rip-off of the 2014 animated film The Book of Life, even though its director, Jorge R. Gutierrez, clearly denied this multiple times. Well, fear not, folks, as Pixar does treat this staple of Mexican tradition with the respect that it deserves. While Coco does focus a lot on Miguel trying to follow his dreams of becoming a musician, its plot is ultimately steeped in the one thing that the Day of the Dead celebrations are all about, and that is the importance of family. During his journey, there are several instances in which Miguel tries to distance himself from his family when they discourage him from being a musician. At the same time, though, Miguel also begins to realize how much his family truly means to him when he starts to learn the truth behind the events that caused them to carry out their ban on music in the first place. This paves the way for a great plot twist in the third act that further strengthens the emotional poignancy of the story. Yes, just like all the great Pixar films, this film is sure to hit you with the feels at certain points, especially near the end (don’t worry, no spoilers…). 

As for the animation… well, it’s Pixar, what do you expect? It’s bright, crisp, and colorful, and just like the plot itself, it utilizes its Mexican roots to their full effect, effectively giving us a great visual world to explore in its version of the ‘Land of the Dead’. The great animation also ties in well to another key element of this film, its music. Yes, Coco is quite arguably the first major musical that Pixar has ever done, and the music, written in part by Frozen songwriters Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez and backed by the usual great score by Michael Giacchino, is excellent. And of course, like any great Pixar film, it boasts an excellent cast of characters. They’re so solid, in fact, that because the story is so well-handled, even the characters that initially come off as being rather stern become more sympathetic once we get to know them better. This includes the likes of Miguel’s great-great-grandmother Imelda (Alanna Ulbach), who was the first to initiate their family’s music ban after her musician husband left her all those years ago, and Miguel’s grandmother Elena (Renee Victor), who continues to enforce it to this day. But, of course, it’s ultimately the lead duo of Miguel and Hector who are the true emotional core of the story. As the film’s likable young protagonist, newcomer Anthony Gonzalez shines in what will surely be a breakout role for him, while Gael Garcia Bernal gets to work with a great redemption arc that slowly but surely begins to reveal more of the charismatic Hector’s background.

I’ve talked before about the internet’s extremely severe attitude towards Pixar in recent years that has mainly come as a result of some of the strictest expectations that have ever been seen from the film fan community. This has especially been the case ever since 2011’s Cars 2 ended up being the first project of theirs to attract primarily negative reviews. And thus, nowadays, I find that the current internet mentality towards Pixar films is that if a film of theirs isn’t a straight-up masterpiece effort of storytelling, then it is effectively deemed as a ‘failure’. This has been a fate that has sadly affected perfectly decent films like Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, and Brave, just to name a few. Thankfully, though, that has not been the case with Pixar’s latest outing, as Coco is being regarded by many as one of the studio’s best films yet. And quite frankly, it’s easy to see why, as the film is a heartfelt tribute to arguably the most famous holiday in Mexican culture. Not only does it handle the concept of death and the afterlife in a smart manner, but it also ties it all together perfectly with a poignant story that’s focused on the most important element of Día de Muertos, family. Add in a great cast of layered characters and a toe-tapping soundtrack of songs and you have what is easily one of the best animated films of the year, if not the best. Simply put, Pixar has done it again!  

Rating: 5/5!

OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE – SHORT REVIEW

Now as many of you know, in lieu of the traditional Pixar short that plays before every new Pixar film, Coco was paired with a 21-minute featurette from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. This is the first time since 1990 (when The Prince and the Pauper ran in front of The Rescuers Down Under) that a short film of this length has been shown in front of a Disney film. And in this instance, it comes in the form of the continuing adventures of sisters Anna and Elsa and all of their friends from Disney’s 2013 global phenomenon, Frozen. In this new short, the lovable snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) embarks on a quest to find a new holiday tradition for Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) and Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) when the latter realizes that, because of all the time that she’s spent secluded from society, she and Anna don’t really have a family tradition of their own. As for the short itself… well, if you’re one of those people who are 100% sick to death of ‘Frozen mania’ at this point, then clearly this isn’t going to do anything for you just like when Frozen Fever ran in front of the live-action remake of Cinderella back in 2015. For the record, I still think that Frozen Fever got way too much flak from the internet, but that’s another story at the moment because… damn! This new short is clearly turning out to be far more controversial compared to its immediate predecessor just because it was paired with Coco instead of airing on TV as was originally intended. It’s been so controversial, in fact, that Mexican theaters straight-up pulled it in favor of just showing Coco. And to be perfectly frank, it isn’t doing much better here in the states…

But for those who still love the original film and its endearing cast of characters, then I’m pleased to say that this new short will provide you with even more great moments with them that will hopefully hold you over until the release of the impending sequel in 2019. Now, granted, that doesn’t mean that I think that this is as good as the original film. I do agree with a common argument that’s being brought up in that it sort of rushes through its track list of songs (which, for the record, weren’t done by Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez this time around). Still, the characters are just as lovable as ever and while the songs in this short probably won’t become as popular as the ones from the original film, the final song ‘When We’re Together’ is an undeniably sweet melody. Plus, I won’t lie… the ending is so damn heartwarming in terms of its ultimate resolution, and it serves as yet another perfect representation of the heartfelt narratives that have made up this entire franchise. In short, those who are absolutely dreading the thought of having to sit through this new entry in the Frozen franchise shouldn’t fret too much about it, because from what I’ve heard, this is only going to be running in front of Coco for a limited time. So if you’re this upset about it, just wait a while before you go to see Coco… it’s that easy. But in all seriousness, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure isn’t even remotely as bad as the internet is currently putting it out to be. I mean, really, is it ‘that’ hard to just sit through a 21-minute short film?

Rating: 4/5

UPDATE: It has just been recently announced that Olaf's Frozen Adventure will be pulled from theaters starting on December 8th, presumably in the wake of all of the backlash that it has received from audiences ever since it debuted in front of Coco. And yet, I still don't think that it's as bad as the internet says it is. I mean, seriously, I've seen several online articles recently that have accused the short of being 'offensive' to Pixar fans and for harming the reputation of Coco by overshadowing it. Well, I'm a Pixar fan... and yet I can safely say that I wasn't the least bit 'offended' by this short. Heck, if you ask me, this whole backlash towards an innocent holiday short is far more harmful to Coco's reputation than the short itself. Why? Because THAT, folks, is how Pixar's latest masterpiece is being overshadowed; not directly by the short that precedes it, but because people are truly making a mountain out of a molehill. Once again, I must ask; is it really THAT hard to sit through a 21-minute short that precedes an animated film that's just under two hours?

Veronica Mars (2004-2007): TV Series Review

When it comes to television show, not every series can enjoy a run as long as shows like ‘The Simpsons’, ‘South Park’, or ‘CSI’ have enjoyed. Some shows can get canceled only a few seasons in. It can be for a few reasons, but it’s usually a case of the show not getting as big of an audience as the networks want. It could mean that the show itself wasn’t that good, which can certainly apply to a lot of shows that get cancelled each year. However, there have been a few notable examples of great TV shows that were cancelled way too early, like ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Pushing Daisies’, and ‘Firefly’. Another show that got the unfortunate axe way too soon was ‘Veronica Mars’, created by Rob Thomas (not to be confused with Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas). The show originally aired on UPN for two seasons before moving to the network’s successor, The CW. However, after just one season there, the show ended up getting canceled, finishing after only three seasons on the air. However, like those aforementioned shows, while ‘Veronica Mars’ didn’t fare so well in regards to ratings, it amassed a very loyal fan base. In the end, it was this fan base and their love of the show that allowed Thomas and his cast and crew to make a ‘Veronica Mars’ movie, which just hit theaters last weekend. For now, let’s look back at this now cult classic TV series.

The show follows the titular Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), a young high school student living with her father Keith (Enrico Colantoni) in the town of Neptune, California, home of the rich and famous. One year before the show begins, Veronica was one of the most popular kids at her school, Neptune High, because while she wasn’t as rich as some of her fellow students (who are referred to as ‘09ers’), she was dating Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), the son of popular software entrepreneur Jake Kane, and Keith was the local sheriff at the time. However, everything begins to change when Veronica’s best friend, and Duncan’s sister, Lily (Amanda Seyfried) is found murdered. When Keith frames Jake Kane, he then finds himself kicked out of office by the residents of Neptune; at the same time, Veronica becomes an outcast amongst her old friends for sticking by her dad. In the wake of all this, Keith opens up a private investigator office and Veronica begins to take on some cases of her own while at school. As she begins to get her life back on track through the help of some new friends, including Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III) and Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie (Tina Majorino), Veronica also begins to uncover some truths about what really happened the night Lily died.

On the surface, one might see this as just your average ‘teen show’ and while it technically sort of is given the fact that the main character is in high school for the first two seasons, it’s a lot more than that. This show really benefits from some top-notch writing that can be both edgy and witty at the same time. The cases that Veronica deals with from episode to episode are very engaging but of course, a show can’t get by on just its writing. It needs a great lead character to back it all up and this show has one of the best female television leads ever in Veronica. She’s smart, charming, and has a very sharp wit which she very much uses to her advantage while dealing with the bad guys. But at the same time, there’s also a vulnerability to her that was no doubt formed as a result of the things that she has been through; losing her best friend, being dumped by her boyfriend, becoming a social outcast (alongside her father), and much more. Because of this, we sympathize with her full-heartedly because she’s not like any of the stuck-up, spoiled, and sometimes corrupt people of Neptune. Sure, she might always do the ‘right thing’ when it comes to solving her cases, but she’s someone who firmly believes in justice being served.

At the end of the day, this show belongs to Kristen Bell, who does a fantastic job as Veronica. She is the one who infuses the character with her spunk, charm, and strength in the face of adversity. Also, if you want one of the best father-daughter duos ever put on television, look no further than Veronica and Keith Mars. Bell and Colantoni have excellent camaraderie, making their bond as father and daughter feel very natural. Aside from them, this show features an excellent cast of characters top to bottom; Veronica’s best friend Wallace, computer genius ‘Mac’, bad boy/future love interest Logan (Jason Dohring), good guy/second future love interest Piz (Chris Lowell), and much more. This show’s even had its fair share of excellent cameos, including Aaron Paul, Jessica Chastain, Paul Rudd, and even Joss Whedon… yes, you’ve heard that right. The director of ‘The Avengers’ guest starred in an episode of ‘Veronica Mars’… that is just awesome.

Now let’s talk about the ‘epic’ romance between Logan and Veronica, which has sort of become the defining element of the show. I’m just going to put this out there… I was very mixed on their relationship. Bell and Dohring do have excellent chemistry, and I can see how these two characters could be a match for each other given the fact that both have been through a lot. In the case of Logan, that includes not only Lily’s death (he was her boyfriend at the time) but also dealing with an abusive father as well. But for the first few episodes of the show, I was not the biggest fan of Logan as a character. To quote Veronica from the first episode, he was the show’s ‘obligatory psychotic jackass’ and I was left wondering just how the hell these two would ever get together considering how he treated her in those first few episodes. Somehow, someway, as the show progressed, Logan began to grow on me. He went from being an ‘obligatory psychotic jackass’ to a ‘somewhat charming jackass’. However, as for how he was written in the third season… well, we’ll get to that in a bit.

The first season of the show is easily its best. It has the best overarching mystery of the entire series in Veronica finding out who really killed Lily, resulting in the mystery that’s she’s perhaps connected to the most on a personal level being that Lily was her best friend and it was that event that drastically changed her whole life as a result of it. The season finale, ‘Leave it to Beaver’, is the episode that I would have to label as my favorite episode of the whole series. It’s well paced and I really like how it was during this episode when they finally revealed who Lily’s killer was, effectively keeping us at the edge of our seat for the entire season. The second season is also great as well; it has another solid mystery for Veronica to deal with; a bus crash that resulted in the death of some of her classmates. Like with Lily’s murder, Veronica was also connected to this case on a personal level as well because she almost was one of the victims of the accident. However, sometimes things got a little bit complicated in regards to all of the characters and storylines that were being juggled that season.

So then we come to the third season; the one that most fans are not the biggest fans of. And yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand why that was. Season 3 is definitely the weakest of the three seasons. For the record, I don’t think it’s that bad of a season. The witty dialogue and great performances were still there. It’s just that there are a few changes made to the show from a creative perspective that sort of didn’t work out as well as one might think. Instead of a single case that would span across the whole season, this one had two and two rather weak ones at that; the first was solved barely halfway through the season and the second one just a few episodes later. Also Logan became a bit too whiny this season, meaning that the on-again, off-again relationship between him and Veronica became a bit too tiresome. They literally break up in one episode, get back together the next, and break up again two episodes later. In other words, I was relieved when they brought Piz in as Veronica’s second love interest, which was a breath of fresh air for the series.

And you know what... I actually think the season 3 finale is a pretty good one, mainly because I admire them taking a bold route with it and not ending the season on the most happiest of notes. This could have had a huge impact on the rest of the series… unfortunately, it’s now the ‘series finale’ and that is what holds this season finale back because as is, it leaves a lot of things open that were left unanswered when the show got cancelled. Thankfully, in March 2013, 91,585 fans decided that this wouldn’t be the end for ‘Veronica Mars’ and so we now have the ‘Veronica Mars’ movie. But of course, we cannot forget how great of a show ‘Veronica Mars’ was; a show that could have just ended up being your average ‘teen show’ but turned out to be much more than that thanks to engaging mysteries, compelling characters, witty dialogue, and of course, one of the best female TV leads ever in Veronica Mars in both character and performance. It’s truly sad, though, that ‘Veronica Mars’ ended up getting cancelled so early because it truly was a fantastic show.

Ratings:

Season 1: 5/5!

Season 2: 4/5

Season 3: 3/5

(My review of the Veronica Mars movie: http://rimoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/03/veronica-mars-2014-review.html)

Veronica Mars (2014) review

Never underestimate a fan base, because they might have the power to get something that had previously been canceled running again. That was exactly the case with the film adaptation of ‘Veronica Mars’, which follows in the footsteps of the TV show of the same name created by Rob Thomas. The show, which first aired in 2004, sadly only lasted three seasons before it was cancelled in 2007. However, like other prematurely canceled shows like ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Firefly’, ‘Veronica Mars’ had a very loyal fan base, collectively known as ‘Marshmallows’ in relation to a line from the show’s pilot episode and it was these ‘Marshmallows’ who were responsible for making this film adaptation possible. In March 2013, Thomas and leading lady Kristen Bell started a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of $2 million in order for the film to get made. By the end of the campaign, the fans had raised nearly three times that amount; $5,702,153 to be exact. That, my friends, is the story of how one of the best shows that got cancelled way too early was brought back to life in a film that is not only a love letter to that loyal group of fans that had a hand in getting it made, but a continuing representation of why this show was so great in the first place.

9 years after the events of the series finale, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) has moved away from not only her hometown of Neptune, California, but also her days as a teenage private eye working with her father Keith (Enrico Colantoni), Neptune’s former sheriff. Now, she’s living in New York with her college boyfriend Stosh ‘Piz’ Piznarski (Chris Lowell) and is about to land a job at a prestigious law firm. However, the past begins to come calling for her when her old boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Carrie Bishop (Andrea Estella, taking over the role that was originally played by Leighton Meester in the TV series). At the risk of throwing her new life away, Veronica heads back to Neptune in order to help Logan out. At first, it’s just to help him find a good lawyer, but soon Veronica finds herself getting back into the swing of things as she begins to investigate further into the case in order to prove Logan’s innocence; just like the way she did so on other cases nine years earlier.

As mentioned earlier, this was a fan-funded project and as such, this movie is tailor made for them. It’s clear that the cast and crew wanted to make the best ‘Veronica Mars’ movie that they could and that really shows in the final product. Whether it’s getting to catch up with some of our favorite characters or reignite the sparks of the iconic romance between Logan and Veronica that has basically become the most notable aspect of the entire show, I have the feeling ‘Marshmallows’ should be satisfied with this film. But what about those people who aren’t fans of the show? Well, on its own, the film perfectly represents the things that made the series so great in the first place. Like the show, this film really benefits from terrific writing; it features an engaging plot/mystery, compelling characters, and most importantly, one of the best female leads to ever grace a TV show in Veronica herself. The times may have changed, and she may have grown up a bit since we last saw her, but she’s still as smart, charming, and witty as she was during the events of the show. Her morals haven’t changed; she’s still someone who believes in proper justice and is willing to stand up against the corrupt, many of whom inhabit her hometown of Neptune.

But of course, Veronica wouldn’t be as great of a character as she is without the terrific performance from the lead actress portraying her. Kristen Bell returns to her role with ease seven years after the end of the series and is just as phenomenal here as she was back then. That can also be said for every other returning member of the cast; Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell, etc. They all do a great job once again. And of course, all of you ‘LoVe’ fans will no doubt be excited to see the continuation of, to quote Logan from Season 2, Episode 20, ‘Look Who’s Stalking’, the ‘epic’ romance between him and Veronica. While I’ll admit I was never that big a fan of their relationship because of how Logan acted like a real jerk in the first few episodes of season 1 (so yes, I guess you can consider me to be on the ‘Team Piz’ side of this debate, which will no doubt be settled by what happens in this film), Bell and Dohring have exceptional chemistry and I’ll also admit that Logan has sort of grown on me as a character since his days as the show’s ‘obligatory psychotic jackass’.

91,585 fans of ‘Veronica Mars’ contributed to the film’s budget via its Kickstarter campaign, showing how much they craved a continuation of a show that they loved and one that got cancelled way too early. As such, the cast and crew went out and made a film that is an open love letter to their loyal fans, which very much shows in regards to the film. For fans of the show, this is an absolute must-see; it brings back all of the characters that you love and should very much provide closure after the show’s premature cancellation. But even if you aren’t fans of the show, this is still a very good film that benefits from terrific writing, great performances from its cast, and most importantly, a great female lead in both the character of Veronica Mars herself and Kristen Bell’s performance in the role. I do recommend watching the show first so that you can enjoy this film to the fullest but as is this movie still holds up quite well on its own and hopefully it might turn you on to the show itself.

Rating: 5/5!