Although Leprechaun 4: In Space was a success, it was a huge letdown for the audience. The producers decided to do focus groups around the nation to find out the best way to make the fifth Leprechaun film. What they discovered was that the largest demographic for the Leprechaun films was black Americans.
Leprechaun in the Hood is a very odd film. It does it's job in reinventing the franchise, but it oddly feels quite forgettable. The good thing is that it's a much better film than Leprechaun 4. The film also makes more sense than the fourth film, but because of that it's under more scrutiny when it doesn't deliver. Fans of the franchise seem to be at odds. Half of them enjoy the fourth film more and the other half think this film is light-years ahead of the fourth film.
As always we begin with the trailer. The trailer is like a 30 second TV spot. It's straight to the point. It sells the movie well enough. Like I've said before, don't expect much from any of the trailers for the Leprechaun films, they're not known for quality trailers. The tagline once again is adequate enough, but nothing all that special: Evil's in the house.
The film opens with recycled shots of the first movie. I think the dialogue is the same too. This brings instant nostalgia for the original film. As much as I hated the film, I can't deny that going through this franchise analysis has made me feel attached and loyal to the series.
The rules of the leprechaun have changed again, but for the first time in the franchise it has repeated a way you can stop the leprechaun. The amulet from the third film is the thing that has stopped the leprechaun at the beginning of the movie. The leprechaun is also the most powerful in this film of all five so far. He can just with a touch of iron electrocute whoever is holding the other end. Sure this goes against what Leprechaun 2 said, but the Leprechaun franchise has always changed the rules with each entry. Also with the power of a touch he can make you his slave. The most interesting thing is with the push of his hand he can blow out your heart. He does this more than once in the film. It's the first time in the franchise that the leprechaun just seems unstoppable.
This film has the most ridiculous death since the pogo stick death in the first one. A man gets killed with his own hair pick repeatedly being stabbed in his neck. We don't see this happen, we only see the aftermath. The film also repeats ripping off a man's finger for his gold ring. It was a lot more effective during the second film.
I can't ignore the fact that the leprechaun smokes weed multiple times in the film and raps at the very end of the movie. This is what makes the movie seem odd. The leprechaun is at his most powerful, but he's also at his most jokey. I think some of these scenes were meant to be horrific, but the thing you walk away with is the comedic moments. We also see that the leprechaun has won in the end. He doesn't die, he has the main character under a spell, and he raps. This moment should be horrifying and in a way it is because it's just so ridiculous.
The main characters use a magic flute through the whole film. This brings about success to you. The main characters use it in a church when they're rapping Jesus Loves You. This brings about the most offensive scene in the entire franchise. They change the lyrics to say that Jesus doesn't love you, find a whore, and do your own thing. This is just despicable. Let me make one thing clear: Jesus does love you. He died for you. He humbled Himself in human form and died for your sins on the cross. He's not distant. He's very near and He wants a relationship with you. I would love to discuss with any of you about my faith and how it's changed my life. Don't be afraid to leave a comment.
Leprechaun in the Hood was released straight to DVD on March 28, 2000. There is no know budget or profit for the film. According to Size Matters Not, Warwick Davis' autobiography, the film was a smash hit that was nominated for a Video Premiere Award (the Academy Awards for straight to video projects) for best actor for Warwick Davis. He didn't win, but the fact that he got recognized for this role with a nomination is something I don't think anyone would have expected. How would the series continue and would they use the same leprechaun the sixth time around...well, we'll have to discuss that next time.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Leprechuan 4: In Space Review
For three times previously the Leprechaun franchise had changed the rules and each movie depicted a different leprechaun. Although it's always played by the marvelous Warwick Davis. Leprechaun 4: In Space is no exception. Again it is a new leprechaun and a new set of rules. This movie is by far the weakest entry thus far in the franchise. It has a weird blend of great practical effects and horrendous CGI which makes for an overall extremely campy experience.
As always we begin with the trailer. If by the fourth film you didn't know what a Leprechaun movie felt like this trailer wouldn't convince you to go out and watch one. It's an all right trailer, but they must have done something right because people kept watching and buying these movies. The tagline is all right: One small step for man. One giant leap of terror! The poster is a mock up of the Apollo 13 poster. This is most likely where the idea to send him off into space came from but it has never been confirmed.
As for the movie itself it is the campiest film yet. This film makes the original seem like a great movie, which is no easy feat. The leprechaun is searching for a bride again. This time though, he feels he must marry a princess. If he does, he will become king (after he kills her father, of course) and this will make him ruler of the galaxy! Doesn't make sense? You're right, it doesn't, but Warwick makes a valid point in his autobiography Size Matters Not that this and all the other films are Leprechaun films. Nothing needs to make sense. In fact, the crappier the product, the more horror fans embraced the character according to Davis.
Let's begin with how crappy those space marines are. After they kill the leprechaun in the opening, a guy pees on his remaining parts. Brutality in our human characters is not something the audience wants. We want to root for the human characters, but then again, it is truthful about the depravity of humanity, so I can't complain too much. Then we get the most unique reentrance of a horror icon in a sequel yet (yes, even more unique than the dog pissing fire on Freddy's bones in Nightmare 4), the leprechaun comes out of the man who peed on him's penis. Once the man get's hard, the leprechaun comes out. This instantly kills him. It's just a much more perverted version of the chestburster scene in Alien. It's also not as graphic as you're thinking. The man has pants on the whole time and you just see a large blob come out before the leprechauns head comes through the seam of the pants. It's so unique and just plain trashy that it perfectly embodies the series. They aren't ashamed to do anything in a Leprechaun movie.
The CGI effects are SO awful! I think the SciFi channel has done better effects than this film has. It's like an early 90's video game. Over time my mind just grew numb to it, but the first few shots every time I couldn't help but laugh at it.
On the other hand, the practical effects are AMAZING this time round. Especially with the Dr. Mittenhand character. When he's first revealed the prosthetics of him being only like a third flesh were impressive enough. The rest of him was computer/walker. By the end however, he is injected with tissue that regenerates mixed with a spider and a scorpion. It's quite an amazing site. It's nightmarish and that is so rare for this series. That is the stand out moment of the movie seeing him in that new form.
Before the end of the movie, the leprechaun is enlarged. There is a device that can enlarge and shrink items. I thought for certain the way they were going to kill the leprechaun this time round was to eventually shrink him and step on him, but instead he gets ejected out into space and randomly explodes. Also the princess character who was in cohorts with the leprechaun by the end just kinda passes out and is never seen again in the movie. It's like the movie forgot to finish that plotline. When all is said and done, Leprechaun 4: In Space is a terrible film with some great prosthetics. The original is by far the better movie, but I must admit this one is still more fun to watch.
Leprechaun 4: In Space was released straight to video on February 25, 1997. The film had a budget of $1.6 million. There is no known profit. According to Size Matters Not the film still did really well and warranted another sequel. However, even the fans of Leprechaun seemed to be tired of the films by the fourth movie. The fifth film would have to reinvent the series in some way...but how would the series be reinvented...would it be a different leprechaun with a different set of rules...well, we'll discuss that next time.
As always we begin with the trailer. If by the fourth film you didn't know what a Leprechaun movie felt like this trailer wouldn't convince you to go out and watch one. It's an all right trailer, but they must have done something right because people kept watching and buying these movies. The tagline is all right: One small step for man. One giant leap of terror! The poster is a mock up of the Apollo 13 poster. This is most likely where the idea to send him off into space came from but it has never been confirmed.
As for the movie itself it is the campiest film yet. This film makes the original seem like a great movie, which is no easy feat. The leprechaun is searching for a bride again. This time though, he feels he must marry a princess. If he does, he will become king (after he kills her father, of course) and this will make him ruler of the galaxy! Doesn't make sense? You're right, it doesn't, but Warwick makes a valid point in his autobiography Size Matters Not that this and all the other films are Leprechaun films. Nothing needs to make sense. In fact, the crappier the product, the more horror fans embraced the character according to Davis.
Let's begin with how crappy those space marines are. After they kill the leprechaun in the opening, a guy pees on his remaining parts. Brutality in our human characters is not something the audience wants. We want to root for the human characters, but then again, it is truthful about the depravity of humanity, so I can't complain too much. Then we get the most unique reentrance of a horror icon in a sequel yet (yes, even more unique than the dog pissing fire on Freddy's bones in Nightmare 4), the leprechaun comes out of the man who peed on him's penis. Once the man get's hard, the leprechaun comes out. This instantly kills him. It's just a much more perverted version of the chestburster scene in Alien. It's also not as graphic as you're thinking. The man has pants on the whole time and you just see a large blob come out before the leprechauns head comes through the seam of the pants. It's so unique and just plain trashy that it perfectly embodies the series. They aren't ashamed to do anything in a Leprechaun movie.
The CGI effects are SO awful! I think the SciFi channel has done better effects than this film has. It's like an early 90's video game. Over time my mind just grew numb to it, but the first few shots every time I couldn't help but laugh at it.
On the other hand, the practical effects are AMAZING this time round. Especially with the Dr. Mittenhand character. When he's first revealed the prosthetics of him being only like a third flesh were impressive enough. The rest of him was computer/walker. By the end however, he is injected with tissue that regenerates mixed with a spider and a scorpion. It's quite an amazing site. It's nightmarish and that is so rare for this series. That is the stand out moment of the movie seeing him in that new form.
Before the end of the movie, the leprechaun is enlarged. There is a device that can enlarge and shrink items. I thought for certain the way they were going to kill the leprechaun this time round was to eventually shrink him and step on him, but instead he gets ejected out into space and randomly explodes. Also the princess character who was in cohorts with the leprechaun by the end just kinda passes out and is never seen again in the movie. It's like the movie forgot to finish that plotline. When all is said and done, Leprechaun 4: In Space is a terrible film with some great prosthetics. The original is by far the better movie, but I must admit this one is still more fun to watch.
Leprechaun 4: In Space was released straight to video on February 25, 1997. The film had a budget of $1.6 million. There is no known profit. According to Size Matters Not the film still did really well and warranted another sequel. However, even the fans of Leprechaun seemed to be tired of the films by the fourth movie. The fifth film would have to reinvent the series in some way...but how would the series be reinvented...would it be a different leprechaun with a different set of rules...well, we'll discuss that next time.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Leprechaun 3 Review
Leprechaun 2 did well enough to warrant a sequel. However, Leprechaun 3 went straight to video. Did the quality drop enough to warrant a direct to video release, or did this film deserve a theatrical run? Warwick Davis, the man behind the latex, has hinted in a recent interview that Leprechaun 3 is possibly his favorite film in the franchise. That's a huge thing to say. His opinion definitely has a huge weight over this series, but unfortunately we get a lackluster piece.
As always we start with the trailer. The trailer is once again a boring sell. It's hard to convince people to watch a movie about a killer leprechaun. There's a specific audience that would desire to see that and that's a very small, very limited audience. The tagline is fine: Welcome to Vegas...the odds are you won't leave alive! It's a fine sell, but again there's nothing special or memorable about it. This series isn't really known for great trailers or taglines, which is a good thing overall for the series. It's known for the films themselves.
Warwick Davis is right about one thing in the interview, Leprechaun 3 did increase the humor. This is a key element that had the series go on for 3 more entries after this. The leprechaun flips the bird to cars that won't pick him up, he impersonates Elvis, and he is making more limericks than ever before. When you spell it like that, this would seem to be the most enjoyable entry thus far, but actually it's the weakest.
The death scenes are really, really poor this time around. It's obvious they had a huge decrease in budget, which they did $800,000 worth. Caroline Williams of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 fame appears in this one and has a plastic surgery makeover from hell eventually exploding. But the biggest problem is that the leprechaun enters the film so early and does nothing. In fact the first death scene, the one with the pawn shop owner is dragged on and on and on. It's intercut with our main story, but it's a really awkward shift in tone and it just doesn't flow. It's not good editing at all.
Yet again, this is a brand new leprechaun that just happens to look the same and is played by the same actor. With a new leprechaun comes new rules. A medallion can turn a leprechaun into stone, which is one way you can stop him. Stealing a leprechaun's gold coin will grant you one wish. Some people criticize the film claiming that the people could just wish away the leprechaun, but the leprechaun's gold cannot be used as a wish to harm him. This is explained clearly in dialogue. Also it brings about an interesting insight into human nature. We're greedy. We think of ourselves and forget to help others when we're so close to our wildest dreams. Especially if it's only a wish away. We love being lazy. The easy achievable dream. Ultimately, we're a broken world. We are all very broken, which is evidenced by all of the characters. The way that you can kill the leprechaun this time is by destroying his gold. Which our main character does and this leprechaun like the second film's leprechaun dies by the end. This is one of the fun things about this series now. While it lacks all sense of continuity even though they're claiming to be direct sequels, the rules change every time and once you realize that it makes it for a fun and exciting experience as an audience member.
Two things that also stood out about this movie are the death of the magician. He is literally sawed in half. It's so painful to watch but it's mesmerizing. You can't keep your eyes off of it. It's by far the best death scene in the film and kicks off the film's finale. Another thing is that in this film when the leprechaun bites our lead character's arm, it turns him into a leprechaun. His blood changes, his body starts to change. He starts to speak in limericks occasionally. It also hints that leprechauns are very territorial and can't stand other leprechauns. This was a really interesting addition to this film and really gave a new elevation to the character arc of our leads in these films.
Overall, the film suffers from a decreased budget and poor pacing at the beginning. The film does pick up tremendous speed by the end and introduces some really unique and interesting concepts. It's uneven, but overall a fun addition to the series and is still far better than the original.
Leprechaun 3 was released straight to video on June 27, 1995. The film was again panned by critics, but oddly enough this film holds the highest user rating on IMDb. The budget was $1.2 million. There is no known gross for the film. The film obviously did well enough on video to warrant another straight to video sequel...but where would the leprechaun go after he had gone to Vegas...how would they bring the leprechaun back again after having killed him off in the previous two...would there be another set of rules...well, we'll discuss that next time.
As always we start with the trailer. The trailer is once again a boring sell. It's hard to convince people to watch a movie about a killer leprechaun. There's a specific audience that would desire to see that and that's a very small, very limited audience. The tagline is fine: Welcome to Vegas...the odds are you won't leave alive! It's a fine sell, but again there's nothing special or memorable about it. This series isn't really known for great trailers or taglines, which is a good thing overall for the series. It's known for the films themselves.
Warwick Davis is right about one thing in the interview, Leprechaun 3 did increase the humor. This is a key element that had the series go on for 3 more entries after this. The leprechaun flips the bird to cars that won't pick him up, he impersonates Elvis, and he is making more limericks than ever before. When you spell it like that, this would seem to be the most enjoyable entry thus far, but actually it's the weakest.
The death scenes are really, really poor this time around. It's obvious they had a huge decrease in budget, which they did $800,000 worth. Caroline Williams of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 fame appears in this one and has a plastic surgery makeover from hell eventually exploding. But the biggest problem is that the leprechaun enters the film so early and does nothing. In fact the first death scene, the one with the pawn shop owner is dragged on and on and on. It's intercut with our main story, but it's a really awkward shift in tone and it just doesn't flow. It's not good editing at all.
Yet again, this is a brand new leprechaun that just happens to look the same and is played by the same actor. With a new leprechaun comes new rules. A medallion can turn a leprechaun into stone, which is one way you can stop him. Stealing a leprechaun's gold coin will grant you one wish. Some people criticize the film claiming that the people could just wish away the leprechaun, but the leprechaun's gold cannot be used as a wish to harm him. This is explained clearly in dialogue. Also it brings about an interesting insight into human nature. We're greedy. We think of ourselves and forget to help others when we're so close to our wildest dreams. Especially if it's only a wish away. We love being lazy. The easy achievable dream. Ultimately, we're a broken world. We are all very broken, which is evidenced by all of the characters. The way that you can kill the leprechaun this time is by destroying his gold. Which our main character does and this leprechaun like the second film's leprechaun dies by the end. This is one of the fun things about this series now. While it lacks all sense of continuity even though they're claiming to be direct sequels, the rules change every time and once you realize that it makes it for a fun and exciting experience as an audience member.
Two things that also stood out about this movie are the death of the magician. He is literally sawed in half. It's so painful to watch but it's mesmerizing. You can't keep your eyes off of it. It's by far the best death scene in the film and kicks off the film's finale. Another thing is that in this film when the leprechaun bites our lead character's arm, it turns him into a leprechaun. His blood changes, his body starts to change. He starts to speak in limericks occasionally. It also hints that leprechauns are very territorial and can't stand other leprechauns. This was a really interesting addition to this film and really gave a new elevation to the character arc of our leads in these films.
Overall, the film suffers from a decreased budget and poor pacing at the beginning. The film does pick up tremendous speed by the end and introduces some really unique and interesting concepts. It's uneven, but overall a fun addition to the series and is still far better than the original.
Leprechaun 3 was released straight to video on June 27, 1995. The film was again panned by critics, but oddly enough this film holds the highest user rating on IMDb. The budget was $1.2 million. There is no known gross for the film. The film obviously did well enough on video to warrant another straight to video sequel...but where would the leprechaun go after he had gone to Vegas...how would they bring the leprechaun back again after having killed him off in the previous two...would there be another set of rules...well, we'll discuss that next time.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Leprechaun 2 Review
Trimark pictures was thrilled with the money that Leprechaun made. Leprechaun especially became a huge hit on video. It also helped that Wayne's World 2 had a scene in which one of the characters is scaring the other one pretending to be the leprechaun. Leprechaun 2 seemed inevitable in the minds of the studio.
As always we begin with the trailer. The trailer once again is lackluster. It promotes the movie as gross, but not very engaging. The tagline is better though: This time, luck has nothing to do with it! It's really ominous and plays well off of the tagline of the original film.
The movie itself is both the most frustrating and engrossing part 2 of any horror franchise I have ever seen! Let's start with the frustrating: the movie doesn't respect the original film at all. This is an entirely different leprechaun (even though it's still played by Warwick Davis). I guess the leprechaun at the bottom of the well will stay there for eternity. The way you kill the leprechaun has also changed: the first film it was a four leaf clover, this film it's by iron. The basic plot of the leprechaun trying to get a wife every thousand years is also very stupid. It's simply infuriating to watch a film called leprechaun 2 that pays no homage to the original film.
However, the film is the most engrossing sequel I have ever seen because it surpasses the original film in everything it does. It's obvious that the studio intended the film to be an R right off the bat (the biggest problem with the original film) and that helps the quality of the second film skyrocket. This film is vicious and it's super surprising after a quite tame original film. The first time the leprechaun comes out in the present day, he sees a gold tooth on a drunk and pulls it out. It's so painful to watch. He also rips off a guys finger to have a gold ring. The leprechaun is so much meaner and that's a welcome change.
It's very easy to tell that the second one would be more appealing to watch as a teenager than the first one. The film also has the best death scene of the entire franchise. A greedy uncle asks for the leprechaun's gold. The leprechaun gives it to him, but it starts falling down in his stomach. His stomach stretches as it holds the pot of gold inside his body. He begs the leprechaun to take it out. The leprechaun rips the stomach open killing him in order to take the pot of gold out. It's a thrilling and completely surprising viewing experience.
It does everything better. The acting is much more bearable this time round too. As frustrating as it is, considering it surpasses the original in every way, I can forgive the film for having no respect for the original. The original shouldn't be that well respected anyways.
On April 8, 1994, Leprechaun 2 premiered in theaters. The film grossed $2,260,622, which was enough to warrant another sequel from the studio. How would the second sequel go after the first sequel's leprechaun exploded by the end? Considering the rules had changed would they possibly change them once again...well, we'll discuss that next time.
As always we begin with the trailer. The trailer once again is lackluster. It promotes the movie as gross, but not very engaging. The tagline is better though: This time, luck has nothing to do with it! It's really ominous and plays well off of the tagline of the original film.
The movie itself is both the most frustrating and engrossing part 2 of any horror franchise I have ever seen! Let's start with the frustrating: the movie doesn't respect the original film at all. This is an entirely different leprechaun (even though it's still played by Warwick Davis). I guess the leprechaun at the bottom of the well will stay there for eternity. The way you kill the leprechaun has also changed: the first film it was a four leaf clover, this film it's by iron. The basic plot of the leprechaun trying to get a wife every thousand years is also very stupid. It's simply infuriating to watch a film called leprechaun 2 that pays no homage to the original film.
However, the film is the most engrossing sequel I have ever seen because it surpasses the original film in everything it does. It's obvious that the studio intended the film to be an R right off the bat (the biggest problem with the original film) and that helps the quality of the second film skyrocket. This film is vicious and it's super surprising after a quite tame original film. The first time the leprechaun comes out in the present day, he sees a gold tooth on a drunk and pulls it out. It's so painful to watch. He also rips off a guys finger to have a gold ring. The leprechaun is so much meaner and that's a welcome change.
It's very easy to tell that the second one would be more appealing to watch as a teenager than the first one. The film also has the best death scene of the entire franchise. A greedy uncle asks for the leprechaun's gold. The leprechaun gives it to him, but it starts falling down in his stomach. His stomach stretches as it holds the pot of gold inside his body. He begs the leprechaun to take it out. The leprechaun rips the stomach open killing him in order to take the pot of gold out. It's a thrilling and completely surprising viewing experience.
It does everything better. The acting is much more bearable this time round too. As frustrating as it is, considering it surpasses the original in every way, I can forgive the film for having no respect for the original. The original shouldn't be that well respected anyways.
On April 8, 1994, Leprechaun 2 premiered in theaters. The film grossed $2,260,622, which was enough to warrant another sequel from the studio. How would the second sequel go after the first sequel's leprechaun exploded by the end? Considering the rules had changed would they possibly change them once again...well, we'll discuss that next time.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Leprechaun Review
Leprechaun is undoubtedly a franchise. With six movies under it's belt there's no question about that. What is surprising is that there were so many sequels for a franchise that has barely been heard of today. Even for the horror genre, Leprechaun is a C series. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original's release, I have decided to do a franchise analysis of one of the most bizarre and mind bogglingly problematic (continuity wise) series I will ever attempt. Bare with me, folks, this one's gonna be a bumpy and infuriating ride.
As always we begin with the trailer. The original trailer had a lot to be desired. It was engaging enough to make me want to see the film and it definitely made the leprechaun seem much more menacing and scarier than he actually is, but it just wasn't a great trailer. The tagline for the film: Your luck just ran out! really is the only tagline that could sell the movie for what it is. It's a pun, like several of the lines in the movie, and that's one of the most irritating qualities of the first picture.
Leprechaun's first problem stems from the fact that Mark Jones shot this movie for young children. It was intended to be a young children's scary movie. This makes sense because it seems to be the only audience that would find a leprechaun scary in any sense.
The characters are a mess. I just don't care about Jennifer Aniston or any of the human characters in the movie. The acting is simply atrocious. It is by far the worst acting of any horror movie I have ever seen! This movie just infuriates me to no end!
The only positive element of the film is the casting of Warwick Davis as the killer leprechaun. He is just so mesmerizing as an actor. I just can't take my eyes off of him. He is so much fun to watch, which is the only thing I can think of that makes sense as to why we have five sequels to a crappy film.
The biggest problem with the film is this: they shot it for children like I said before. When they sold the movie, the studio asked for the film to be made into an R. They then vamped up the violence. However, this makes the whole picture disjointed. The violent sequences are incredibly violent for a 'kids film.' It definitely warranted it's R rating in 1993, however the rest of the film is so childish that it just tonally makes no sense. I can't seem to understand why anyone would like the original film for this reason alone. I thought it would be so much better than it was seeing as it's the original of a long series, but I clearly overestimated it's quality.
The leprechaun in this film is killed, or at least stopped, by a four leaf clover. Keep this in mind for next time. It is also trapped inside a well at the end claiming revenge. I rewatched the film for the first time in a few years for my review. I watched it on VOD on amazon. The movie was presented in glorious HD and for the first time that I've ever seen it in widescreen. That made the experience of watching the film fresh. I finally felt complete with this film having watched it in widescreen. But even with the HD and the widescreen it didn't save the film from being incredibly boring. I can never forget the total knockoff of the phone gag from Nightmare on Elm Street. I've always thought of Freddy every time that scene comes up and it's so far from Nightmare's quality it's just painful to sit through. While I was watching it, about halfway through I was itching for the film to be over. It just always seems to drag on for FAR too long. Like I said, it's a disjointed piece. Keep that in mind when you watch it.
Leprechaun was released in theaters on January 8, 1993. On a budget of $900,000, the film grossed $8,556,940. That is an incredible profit for such a crappy movie! That profit margin was something the studio could not ignore, so the studio demanded a sequel. But how would the leprechaun get out of the well, would the sequel still have the childish quality of the original, and how ultimately would the leprechaun return to the big screen...well, we'll discuss that next time.
As always we begin with the trailer. The original trailer had a lot to be desired. It was engaging enough to make me want to see the film and it definitely made the leprechaun seem much more menacing and scarier than he actually is, but it just wasn't a great trailer. The tagline for the film: Your luck just ran out! really is the only tagline that could sell the movie for what it is. It's a pun, like several of the lines in the movie, and that's one of the most irritating qualities of the first picture.
Leprechaun's first problem stems from the fact that Mark Jones shot this movie for young children. It was intended to be a young children's scary movie. This makes sense because it seems to be the only audience that would find a leprechaun scary in any sense.
The characters are a mess. I just don't care about Jennifer Aniston or any of the human characters in the movie. The acting is simply atrocious. It is by far the worst acting of any horror movie I have ever seen! This movie just infuriates me to no end!
The only positive element of the film is the casting of Warwick Davis as the killer leprechaun. He is just so mesmerizing as an actor. I just can't take my eyes off of him. He is so much fun to watch, which is the only thing I can think of that makes sense as to why we have five sequels to a crappy film.
The biggest problem with the film is this: they shot it for children like I said before. When they sold the movie, the studio asked for the film to be made into an R. They then vamped up the violence. However, this makes the whole picture disjointed. The violent sequences are incredibly violent for a 'kids film.' It definitely warranted it's R rating in 1993, however the rest of the film is so childish that it just tonally makes no sense. I can't seem to understand why anyone would like the original film for this reason alone. I thought it would be so much better than it was seeing as it's the original of a long series, but I clearly overestimated it's quality.
The leprechaun in this film is killed, or at least stopped, by a four leaf clover. Keep this in mind for next time. It is also trapped inside a well at the end claiming revenge. I rewatched the film for the first time in a few years for my review. I watched it on VOD on amazon. The movie was presented in glorious HD and for the first time that I've ever seen it in widescreen. That made the experience of watching the film fresh. I finally felt complete with this film having watched it in widescreen. But even with the HD and the widescreen it didn't save the film from being incredibly boring. I can never forget the total knockoff of the phone gag from Nightmare on Elm Street. I've always thought of Freddy every time that scene comes up and it's so far from Nightmare's quality it's just painful to sit through. While I was watching it, about halfway through I was itching for the film to be over. It just always seems to drag on for FAR too long. Like I said, it's a disjointed piece. Keep that in mind when you watch it.
Leprechaun was released in theaters on January 8, 1993. On a budget of $900,000, the film grossed $8,556,940. That is an incredible profit for such a crappy movie! That profit margin was something the studio could not ignore, so the studio demanded a sequel. But how would the leprechaun get out of the well, would the sequel still have the childish quality of the original, and how ultimately would the leprechaun return to the big screen...well, we'll discuss that next time.
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