Sunday, March 17, 2013

Leprechaun



Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Mark Jones

Starring: Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston (lol), Ken Olandt, Mark Holton, Robert Golman

From: Trimark Pictures

Yes, I am on point tonight with what I watched. This and wearing a green shirt was about as extensive as my St. Patrick's Day celebrations got. This was a movie I saw more than once as a kid but I hadn't seen it in full in a number of years. I found a copy to watch (no I did not watch it on the SyFy channel tonight, as I wanted to watch it unedited) and what a way to spend a Sunday night. I mean that in a good way; I knew all along it was a crappy horror film but I remembered more mayhem than just the great pogo stick death, which I took to be a good thing.

The plot is not exactly complex: a dude goes to Ireland and finds the leprechaun and by doing so has his pot of gold. He brings back the gold to his farm but the wee little creature is pissed so he goes there to raise hell. Before dying the dude traps Warwick Davis in a box. Ten years later the main part of the story starts, with Jennifer Aniston, her dad, and the people who will paint the old farmhouse. The youngster and his mentally handicapped adult friend find the gold, shortly after the leprechaun escapes, and that's when the mayhem begins.

It's still hilarious that Aniston starred in this shortly before being cast in Friends and becoming a huge celebrity. Other famous faces have appeared in these sorts of films before becoming big stars, from George Clooney to Tom Hanks and even Leo DiCaprio. It's paying your dues.

As for this film, it definitely is dopey and stupid. You should shut off your brain, for sure. However, it doesn't mean it is not entertaining and fun to watch. There's plenty of comedy, even if some of it is extremely silly. If you enjoy cheesy and wacky horror/comedies then you should watch it if you never have before. Ater all, you get many goofy one-liners and such sights as the leprechaun riding down a hallway on a skateboard then a wheelchair. That should say a lot right there as to what sort of motion picture this is.

Oh, and while it was obviously shot in California judging by the scenery, at least it was interesting in that it was set in North Dakota, as aside from the obvious Fargo, I can't think of too many movies (or any at all) that were set in the Peace Garden State.

I have only seen one of the many sequels, which was Leprechaun in the Hood, just because of its title, concept, and it having Ice-T. I don't really remember it, though. And bully to WWE Films for wanting to remake this and actually have it be more serious. I don't think it's gonna work even if they are able to get it off the ground.

I'll be back Tuesday night.

No comments:

Post a Comment