Leprechaun (1992)

Directed by Mark Jones [Other horror films: Rumpelstiltskin (1995), Triloquist (2008), Scorned (2013)]

Leprechaun is a film that I’ve seen before and enjoyed, but it’s been a long time. I mean, ten years+ long, if not longer, so I was worried that when I revisited this one, some of the charm would be lost.

Well, it’s a mixed bag, but generally, I still hold the same positive views that I had when seeing this movie those many years back.

Naturally, I think the biggest problem is that some of the humor is a bit too goofy for my liking, such as that skateboard sequence, or perhaps that scooter chase. Hell, even popping out of those cabinets felt a bit too Scooby-Doo to me. However, unlike later movies in the franchise, the humor is somewhat restrained, and while I wouldn’t exactly call the movie dark or overly serious in tone at any point, Leprechaun isn’t entirely without merit for the traditional horror fan.

It’s in the characters, I think, that this movie really shines. Certainly Jennifer Aniston’s Tory is bratty and unlikable for a solid third of the film, but Mark Holton’s Ozzie has a lot of heart, and his interactions with Robert Hy Gorman’s Alex were low-key my favorite portions of the film, as I felt they could be somewhat touching at times (especially concerning Ozzie’s mental disabilities, which I felt were handled decently in the film).

What’s somewhat impressive, at least to me, is that most of the central cast was pretty solid. Sure, the story may not have been a work of the Gods, but the performances were all varying degrees of good, which, for a movie that feels like a Full Moon feature half the time, is a stunning feat.

Aniston is an individual that some people might know from Friends, but as I’ve never seen an episode of Friends, my knowledge of her comes from films such as Along Came Polly, We’re the Millers, and Derailed (none of the three, sadly, will be reviewed on this blog). Like I said, she’s bratty at the beginning, but has some quality lines (“I know what it feels like when a man caresses my leg,” followed by John Sanderford’s reply, “You do?”), and she does improve as the movie goes on.

Speaking of Sanderford (The Alchemist), he doesn’t appear much past the first twenty minutes, but he’s of good value. Robert Hy Gorman (Sometimes They Come Back), as I said, had some touching moments with Mark Holton’s character. Somewhat amusingly, I saw Holton rather recently when I revisited a crime-drama film from 2003, Gacy, which stars Holton as the infamous serial killer. Also from films such as Hoboken Hollow and Madhouse, I found Holton’s performance great here. Ken Olandt (April Fool’s Day) probably stands out the least, but he still has his moments.

Warwick Davis brings a palpable energy into his role as the titular Leprechaun. It really seems as though he’s having a blast. Like I said, some of his actions are a bit goofy, but I definitely don’t fault Davis, and I love what he brought to the film. Plus, his rhymes are dope (though they get doper), and I love a man with that much dedication toward getting back his gold.

Now, Leprechaun isn’t exactly a gory film. There are a few moments, such as the pogo stick scene, that give us a little something, but that’s not the point of the movie. What I think Leprechaun does quite well are the other special effects, and toward the end, I couldn’t help but think of Gremlins and the gooey goodness both that classic and this provided.

As much as I appreciate a lot of this, though, it still occasionally felt too goofy for me. That doesn’t make the film a bad one, as I did enjoy revisiting this quite a bit, but then I think of how they distracted the Leprechaun by throwing shoes toward him (his compulsive desire to shine any and all shoes well-established by that point), or I think back to that (mercifully short) skateboard sequence, and I have to sort of reign in my praise.

Leprechaun is a solid movie. I personally find it fun, the cast fantastic, and the story amusing enough. It does go overboard, though, which I think is my only real issue. On a related note, if you want to say that I don’t know how to have fun, that’s certainly alright. When it comes down to it, I think the movie is a high average. It may be above average, in fact, but for the time being, I feel an average rating fair.

7/10