Veronica Mars is back and better than ever.

Many fans of the short lived television series have eagerly awaited the day when Kristen Bell would return to her role as the snarky, quick-witted teenage detective. In order to make this dream come alive, the creator of the show, Rob Thomas, launched the largest Kickstarter campaign in history. People devoting to the noire drama wasted no time in donating their money to the cause; the first four hours on Kickstarter brought in one million dollars! In the end, the movie’s budget was over five million dollars.

Being a Veronica Mars fan myself, I was over the moon about the reboot and marked the date of release, March 14th, on my calendar four months in advance. The theater was packed hours before the premier, and although finding a seat was a struggle, I was glad that the TV show remained popular in peoples’ hearts.

I had high standards for this movie. Veronica Mars had been off the air for almost seven years; the finale ended on a cliffhanger. I was expecting the film to tie up loose ends and make the Marshmallows (devoted VM fans) happy.

Nothing could have prepared me, however, for the utter delight that I would experience in the next hour and a half.

The story takes place ten years after the show ended. Our protagonist, Veronica, is living in New York and in line for a prominent position at a prestigious law firm. She has left her former life in Neptune, CA, far behind and is beginning to embrace the normalcy and absence of tawdry crime. Things change, however, when she is called back to Neptune to solve a murder case involving her former love, Logan Echolls.

This film had me laughing, crying, and gasping. Action, humor, sorrow, romance, and celebrity cameos combine to make this Veronica Mars rendition great. Hopefully, the film will prompt individuals to check out the television program and tune in to this witty, badass show.