Veronica Mars (2019): The Complete First Season DVD review

Oct 24, 2019- Permalink

Veronica Mars (2019): The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 22nd, 2019 (you could also get a digital copy in the U.S. on August 19th) and I had a chance to review the new season. The folks at WB are sticklers for disclaimers, so, I’ll begin by saying that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD to review. The opinions of said DVD are my own.

Fans of the series, a.k.a. Marshmallows, might be a tad confused by the title of this reboot. After all, didn’t the series run for three seasons on UPN and The CW? It did, but this is a new series reboot on Hulu, so we’ll just play along and call this Season One.

Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) is still working alongside her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni) the former sheriff turned private investigator. Though spring break is usually a blast in the seaside town of Neptune, this time it’s literal. A motel is bombed and lives are lost. Could this be an escalation of the divide between Neptune’s wealthy who see spring break depressing real estate values and the working class that depend on the annual influx of cash? Mars Investigations are hired by a family member of one of the victims to get to the bottom of things. Along the way, Veronica has to deal with Mexican cartel members, battling townfolks, and a reunion with her Navy boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring).

The bombing mystery spreads over 8 episodes presented on two DVD discs in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Your ears get a 5.1 surround soundtrack with subtitles available in English. In terms of extras there’s a featurette of the show’s appearance at Comic Con 2019.

The centre of the action and attention is Kristen Bell. Veronica has a complex relationship with her hometown and the wealthy citizens who look down on people like her. After a time away, Veronica returns to Neptune and the town’s divisions have grown more divisive. Bell portrays this complex relationship with a mix of seriousness, cynicism, and sassiness. Colantoni’s Keith Mars’ shares some of Veronica’s sarcasm but is also the proud father who has watched his daughter grow from an assistant who often overstepped her position into a full partner in the family business. A solid supporting cast of old faces and new characters supports their work.

Fans of the series have grown up with this character. Like Veronica, they’re maybe a little older, a little wiser, and maybe a bit more cynical about the world. This reboot is a welcome return to Neptune.