Veronica Mars
Warner Bros. | Release Date: March 14, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
12
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMar 14, 2014
I can't imagine anyone who liked the show not enjoying this film, even though the first half is stronger than the second, which spirals into a frenzy of double- and triple-crossing that's less engaging than watching the characters reconnect, awkwardly but with feeling. Read full review
83
HitfixDrew McWeenyApr 18, 2014
As someone who enjoyed the show enormously while it was on the air, I am relieved to report that the film felt to me like it successfully recaptured the spirit of the show's first season. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 14, 2014
The mystery isn't the reason to watch the film. Bell is. She's the perfect vehicle for Thomas' sharp, sassy writing, able to deliver a pop-culture-infused put-down with ease. And yet she is also vulnerable, something her relationship with her father drives home. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMar 13, 2014
It’s so much fun you may want to put a few bucks aside for a sequel. Read full review
80
Total FilmCatherine SimpsonMar 10, 2014
An emotionally rewarding reunion tour for established fans and a taut, sharp-tongued, character-driven thriller for all, Veronica Mars makes a compelling case for its heroine’s continued existence. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigMar 13, 2014
A film noir detective story that works for both devotees of the series and the uninitiated. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Mar 12, 2014
For the most part, Veronica Mars plays like a very solid episode of the series, the kind unlikely to rank among fan favorites. It could, however, serve as fine fuel for a sequel, one that wouldn’t find Veronica resisting — for half of her time on screen — the urge to do what she does best. Keep your hearts (and wallets) open, marshmallows. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMar 12, 2014
As directed by series creator Rob Thomas, the movie, like the show, is entertainingly fast-talking in a tidy, faux-serious way. Kristen Bell, if anything, has only gained in appeal. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineAbhimanyu DasMar 12, 2014
For all its references to the show's history, the film never panders. It's an evolution of the core concept as opposed to a nostalgia-tinged reproduction, and is all the better for it. Read full review
75
IndieWireJette Kernion Mar 9, 2014
Thomas and his co-writer Diane Ruggiero have penned a self-avowed love letter to the fans of the series, but grounded it in a solid thriller with compelling characters and bright comic moments. Read full review
75
The PlaylistDrew TaylorMar 9, 2014
As pithy and sharp-witted as the screenplay is ... the direction by series creator Rob Thomas ... is oftentimes flat and visually dull. ... And so the movie, is more than anything, a bold and breathless work of fan service, configured by the creators of the original series for the maximum enjoyment of the fans of the original series. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Margaret LyonsMar 17, 2014
Somehow, miraculously, the Veronica Mars movie is definitely not bad. It's pretty damn good, actually. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyMar 13, 2014
It is clear in every frame that the filmmakers and actors really appreciate that loyalty. It doesn't make for a particularly ambitious film, but it is a satisfying one as it moves easy, breezy over familiar terrain. Read full review
70
The DissolveKeith PhippsMar 11, 2014
While the Veronica Mars film feels a bit small and closed-off by big-screen standards, it will no doubt be big and welcoming enough to those who love the series. Read full review
70
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekMar 11, 2014
If you've never seen the show, it's a great excuse for binge-watching. And if you loved the show, the movie is a welcome homecoming. It has the feeling of a story that has been, against all odds, loved into existence. Probably because that's exactly what it is. Read full review
70
Film.comJenni MillerMar 10, 2014
The winks and nods to fans are deliciously satisfying. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesMar 12, 2014
Marshmallow nation, you may now exhale: Rob Thomas did ya right. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandMar 14, 2014
Veronica Mars is a great deal more than a bonus episode, but slightly less than a movie. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerryMar 13, 2014
The movie lacks some of the verve and chemistry that made the series a must-see. I guess that makes the movie more of a good-to-see. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Carl WilsonMar 13, 2014
As a moviegoer, I have to say that that broader success isn’t earned here. You are much better off getting the Season 1 DVD to understand why many of us invested emotionally and financially in this tiny, annoying blonde, whose sparky banter is just a counterweight to her vertigo in a world forever upside down. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 13, 2014
Kristen Bell shines as Veronica, playing the character as a more mature version of her TV persona. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 13, 2014
It's Bell – riding high with the Disney-animated "Frozen" and Showtime's carnal-fixated "House of Lies" – you want to follow anywhere. Bell is irresistible, and she makes us care. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMar 11, 2014
For all its fun flourishes and tepid over familiarity, fans are going to dig this. It is, after all, the movie they paid for. They’re the folks who “like this sort of thing.” The rest of us can be forgiven for waiting for it to show up on Netflix — on TV. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonMar 12, 2014
There’s something rather bland about Veronica Mars – even the murderers have neat hair and nice clothes – and the largely forgettable cast don’t help. But the one-liners are sharp, the plot unpredictable and the whole thing ticks along with a minimum of fuss. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichMar 11, 2014
Anyone who has ever loved a television show can see that Thomas and his crew are working overtime to give VM aficionados everything they want. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenMar 9, 2014
Thomas’ direction, especially of the villainous roles, gives a lot of the action a self-conscious, not-quite-real quality. Some aspects of the movie’s intentional artifice work better than others. Read full review
60
VarietyJustin ChangMar 9, 2014
It plays less like a meaty mystery than an extended thank-you to the fans who breathed it into existence. Still, it’s smooth and engaging enough on its own compromised terms, clearly informed by Thomas’ genre-savvy storytelling and unpretentious craftsmanship, and not without a certain self-deprecating sense of humor about its own immodest origins. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisMar 13, 2014
A likable, unmemorable, feature-length footnote to the admired television series. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 13, 2014
As a movie, Veronica Mars looks and feels, well, like a glorified TV movie, with just decent production values, mostly unexceptional performances and ridiculous plot developments no more innovative than you’d see on a dozen network TV detective shows. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 13, 2014
They’re calling it a movie, but no matter how you squint at it it’s a TV show. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 13, 2014
Most of the clues in Veronica Mars pertain either to Internet sex tapes or the various surveillance uses of the latest tablets. Anybody who works in tech support will probably enjoy the film a tad more than I did. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubMar 13, 2014
Although most of the actors beyond Bell aren't big film stars, Jamie Lee Curtis gets a few minutes of screen time, and James Franco makes a spectacularly self-deprecating cameo. Whatever they contributed to the Kickstarter campaign, it was worth every cent. Read full review
50
New York PostLou LumenickMar 11, 2014
The best parts of this awkwardly paced film are Bell’s scenes with Enrico Colantoni, who returns as her private investigator dad, concerned she’s throwing away a bright future by getting sucked back into her old life. Read full review
42
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMar 13, 2014
Veronica Mars, the movie, plays like a two-parter without commercials. Its uninspired framing and static action suits a TV screen better than a multiplex's. Read full review
40
The GuardianMike McCahillMar 17, 2014
Proves more footnote than fresh start. Read full review
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