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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Leprechaun (Four Stars), July 12, 2005
This review refers to the edition found in Trimark's "Leprechaun: Pot of Gore Collection" boxed set.
THE WHO'S WHO: Starring Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston, Ken Olandt, Mark Holton, Robert Gorman, Shay Duffin, John Voldstad, John Sanderford. Score Composed and Conducted By Kevin Kiner. Written and Directed By Mark Jones. (R) For Violence, Gore and Profanity; 91m.; 1992.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?: Big city girl Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston) has arrived in North Dakota to spend a summer with her father (John Sanderford). But when she gets her first look at the run down house they'll be staying in, she decides she'd rather get a hotel room. Coerced to stay by an attractive house painter (Ken Olandt) who suggests she might be scared to stay there, she quickly learns that there are good reasons to be afraid of old houses. Locked in a crate in the cobweb-filled basement is a nasty Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) who is accidentally unleashed by one of the house painter's assistants (Mark Holton). Now, it's on a rampage to find its missing bag of gold coins and its not going to let Tory or the house painters stand in its way. This is one of those nearly forgotten classics that reminds viewers big budgets aren't always best for horror films. The B-movie atmosphere actually drives the suspense and the enjoyment of this little gem. There's a great balance between hilarity and horror. Director Mark Jones keeps the pressure applied throughout the course of the movie, alternating between the two extremes and sometimes combining them for maximum effect. There's also a stellar cast of unknowns that help propel the momentum of the story. For starters, this movie represents Jennifer Aniston's big screen debut (as Tory) which is certainly a successful one. She fills her valley girl, L.A.-loving character with a sarcastic wit and an endearing personality that allows the viewer to care about what happens to her. Even at this early stage of her career, Aniston displayed the star-making talent that would carry her through the next decade plus. The only thing that doesn't suit her well is her brief moments of profanity. It's just too cute to hear her curse, it doesn't seem natural or believable in the context of the film. Ken Olandt is a little stiff as head house painter Nathan, but the viewer eventually warms up to him. Mark Holton (as Ozzie) and Robert Gorman (as Alex) make great focal points for the film, almost overshadowing Aniston and Olandt's top billed roles. But the undeniable king of this screen is Warwick Davis as the title terror. Davis has crafted a celebrated character almost the polar opposite of his sensitive, diminutive magician in "Willow" (1988). When his character sees himself in a mirror, obviously for the first time, Davis' reactions are priceless. He also has some "Looney Tunes" style fun on a skateboard that proves he's enjoying immersing himself in the role. Gabe Z. Bartalos' make-up for the Leprechaun is also a sheer delight. Instead of looking corny or hokey, the make-up adds depth to Davis' character. It even holds up well when fully lit and placed in close-ups. Another unique facet to the film is Kevin Kiner's subtle score. It delivers themes that could have been every bit as memorable as those found in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" or "Puppet Master" if they had been built upon over the course of the series. Instead, the themes were replaced with each passing production. There are only two real complaints with the set-up for this film. The first is found within the opening credits, which go on for far too long. They stretch out over the first eight and a half minutes of the film, popping up at odd intervals here and there and offering nothing more than a distraction to the viewer. With so few credits, one would think they would have been less time consuming. The second gripe can be found at the end of the movie where director Mark Jones sets up the perfect opportunity for a sequel (focusing on a curse) which is never followed up on in "Leprechaun 2". Overall, this is a fascinating study in low budget suspense which more than fills viewers' expectations. It's smart, unobtrusive trepidation that doesn't try to be some grand, blown-out-of-proportion Hollywood horror yarn. Taken at face value, it's one of the better scarefests genre enthusiasts are likely to find from early nineties terror.
THEY SAY THEY'RE SPECIAL BUT...: The 1.33:1 full screen presentation for this movie has a fair amount of grain, however most colors are bright. The only drawback is the fact that, while most of the exhibition is solid, there is some noticeable wear during a few key moments of the film. This disc would have had more relevance if more had been done to remaster the picture. The 2.0 Dolby surround sound can be surprisingly realistic at times. There's good separation and some intense bottom to the track which is made all the more remarkable by the fact that when the video quality isn't always up to par, the audio quality usually isn't either. This film shatters that mold completely. The film also has Spanish and French subtitles which are white and fairly clear. The front cover for this DVD features the Leprechaun coming out of a half open door on a black background. The back cover is a mishmash of photographs, a listing of "special features", a summary of the film and even the twenty-four chapter stops which break up this ninety minute movie. The disc itself looks like a flip disc, even though it's not. There is literally nothing on the DVD. No painted photograph. No silver design imbedded into the top. There's only a thin white stripe which runs around the center hole of the DVD to identify the film as "Leprechaun". Included with the DVD, on the inside of the plastic case, is a small booklet entitled "Trimark DVD: The Ultimate in Home Entertainment". All this booklet displays are names for other Trimark releases and a few DVD box cover photographs. The only real special feature accompanying the film is the original trailer (1:54) which is minimally entertaining but prominently betrays the B-movie limitations of its source material, which may make some discriminating viewers shy away.
THE YOLK'S ON YOU: Well, it's not much of a hidden feature, but it'll have to do. On the main menu for this disc, highlight the Trimark symbol in the lower right hand corner. You'll have access to trailers for the films "Leprechaun 2" and "Slam" (2:14).
THE LEWD AND NUDE ALERT: While there's no nudity or sexual content in this film, Jennifer Aniston does spend the entire movie in a colorful, tight little pair of shorts which accentuates her gorgeous, tight little butt.
THE GORE REPORT: J.D. Redding (John Sanderford) receives a fairly bloody bite on his hand whilst searching for a meowing cat, which was actually the Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) disguising his voice. One luckless shop owner (John Voldstad) receives a creative death by pogo stick in a scene which has a passable amount of blood. A police officer (David Permenter) spends a great deal of time with phony looking blood on his face while fleeing the Leprechaun. In the best gore sequence of the entire film, Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston) knocks out one of the Leprechaun's eyes with a nightstick and the Leprechaun replaces it with the eyeball of a corpse.
SAY AGAIN: "Tory, honey, you really think money's all you need to get by in this life? Huh?" - J.D. Redding (John Sanderford). "Okay, I'll go with that theory." - Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston).
THE FINAL SAY: Yes, I recommend buying this DVD. Horror purists would have undoubtedly appreciated a better transfer than this, but at least the film is on DVD. There's an accomplished blend of humor and butchery which should appeal to fans of this domain. There are good performances, some agreeable dialogue and a few truly awesome low budget special effects to reel viewers in. It's no wonder that this film would spawn five sequels.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: Score Available on Intrada Compact Discs.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First One and Best of the Lot, November 13, 2003
We have Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Chucky, and Britney Spears; so why not have a malevolent leprechaun played by the minuscule Warwick Davis of "Willow" fame? Davis's turn as the evil Irish urchin in this film translated into four sequels with another one on the way at the end of this year. In fact, the "Leprechaun" franchise may rank as one of the most rushed series in movie history. The first one came out in 1993, meaning that the powers that be behind this series made six films in ten years. Not bad, I guess, unless you are one of the unfortunate viewers willing to watch all of the "Leprechaun" films as I did recently. While the first picture is watchable and interesting in a purely mindless, harmless way, the rest severely suffer from the dreaded law of diminishing returns. I can't begin to imagine in what odd directions they will take Davis's character with future releases, but if the folks at Trimark decided to make six films we can rest assured that they are planning a few more before the game is up. My recent "Leprechaun" marathon tells me that game should have been up long, long ago.Nothing beats an original idea, and the first "Leprechaun" film does spark marginal interest about the shenanigans unfolding onscreen. The film opens with a drunken Irishman named Dan O'Grady managing to capture a leprechaun, thereby forcing the little monster to give up his pot of gold. Regrettably for this son of Eire, the evil fairy isn't about to give up his wealth without a fight, tracking down the man who robbed him just in time to open up a big can of hurt on the man's wife and inflicting a massive stroke/heart attack type illness on O'Grady. Before he does so, however, Danny Boy traps the leprechaun in a wooden crate and imprisons him there by placing a four leaf clover on the top of the box. It seems that Irish folk monsters cannot withstand this powerful charm, and it looks as though the leprechaun will be trapped forever in this abandoned house. Not so fast. A few years later Tori Reding and her father move into the decrepit house. Tori hates the new digs but rapidly adjusts to her surroundings when she encounters the buff Nathan Murphy, a local fella hired by Dad to paint the house. Along for the ride is the overweight but mentally challenged Ozzie and a smart mouthed kid named Alex, both of who work with Murphy in his paint business. Predictably, it isn't too long before Ozzie inadvertently lets the leprechaun out of his prison. Despite dire warnings from Ozzie about an evil elf on the loose, everyone laughs at such a ludicrous idea and goes about their business. Not for long, though, because all heck breaks loose at incredible speed: Tori's father suffers a serious hand injury requiring medical attention, Ozzie and Alex discover the pot of gold the Irishman left on the property, and the leprechaun emerges out of the shadows for all the world to see. The small demon demands the return of his gold, and if he doesn't get what he wants he will kill everyone he can get his hands on. Lots of moronic stuff happens throughout the film, like the leprechaun riding around on some sort of go cart contraption he just happened to find in a barn and getting pulled over by a local cop, Tori incredibly managing to contact the ailing Irishman at the local old folks home before he dies, and the gang finding a four leaf clover just in the nick of time to stop the creature. If nothing else, "Leprechaun" is worth watching for a few good snorts and chuckles. Look for the shoe shining incident and try not to laugh. I dare you. Of course, none other than Jennifer Aniston plays the role of Tori Reding. A close viewing of the film reveals many of the mannerisms this actress made famous in her later career, such as scrunching her face up, gasping, and acting flustered. She doesn't have a fancy coif here, though, and that will surely disappoint die hard fans. No, the real joy of seeing Aniston in this movie comes from watching her acting and reacting to Warwick Davis's hammy performance as the leprechaun. In Roman times, when a successful general came home from battle to have his triumph through the streets of Rome, a slave stood next to him on his chariot and whispered in his ear that all glory is fleeting. The same principle should apply to Aniston anytime she has a hit movie, except this time the attendant would remind her that she starred in "Leprechaun." Seriously though, most of the performances in this movie aren't all that bad for a low budget horror film. The thespians in this picture certainly stand head and shoulders above the wretched hacks that appear in the ham handed sequels. The DVD is a pretty basic number: a trailer for the film and a few other trailers for other Trimark junk adorn the disc. All of the "Leprechaun" DVDs usually have the same sorts of trailers, namely a few "Leprechaun" trailers and perhaps a sneak peak at one or two of the "Warlock" films. As for the transfer, the picture quality is good even though its in full screen. The first film in this series will never win any awards, but it is probably the best entry in the franchise. Not very scary, not too gory, and full of Davis's trademark cackles; that is the best you can hope for from this seminal moment in cinematic history. Luck o' the Irish to ye with this one.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Attack Is On At The O'Grady Farm!, November 8, 2004
The 80s gave us horror icons that will last forever. We got Jason, Freddy, Pinhead and Chucky. The 90s tried to repeat this process, but it didn't work as well. Sure, there were minor horror icons, but nowhere close to what the 80s gave us. The best the 90s had to offer in terms of boogeymen was The Wishmaster, The Candyman(Tony Todd is fantastic), Jack Frost, Gabriel from The Prophecy, The Gordon Fishstick guy from I Know What You Did Last Summer, and of course, The Leprechaun. I'm sure you've seen Leprechaun or one of the sequels anyway. Alot of people hate them or just write them off as crap, but someone out there likes them coz they're up to six as of this review. It's hard for me to take one star reviews of Leprechaun seriously. People were expecting a real horror film? Did they expect really pulse pounding, hair raising, nonstop edge-of-your-seat terror from Leprechaun? The film is about a killer leprechaun, I feel I'd better just clear that up for you. This film was never meant to be taken seriously and they go to great lengths to prove this over and over again throughout the film. It's a comedy. Sure, you'll find it in the horror section of your local video store, but you'll also find Army Of Darkness there as well. Leprechaun is morbid and relies on a slasher film-type formula, but it's pure camp. How's the movie? Fun, very fun. Warwick Davis is a joy to watch. It's nice to see a short actor get steady work in the film business-especially as the lead actor in the films. Mark Holton(who'll you remember as the rich kid who steals Pee-Wee's bike in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) is very funny as the mentally slow painter who believes in the leprechaun and tries to get everyone else to believe as well. The kid's rather annoying, as kids tend to be in these kinds of films. Ken Olandt is the male stripper from Summer School("My Aunt Ruth kissed me....with her tongue!") and plays our heroic male here. He's okay considering the material-pretty typical for this kinda thing. Considering Jennifer Aniston usually stars in crap anyway, this is as good a start for her career as any, however it's better than anything else she's been in. I also understand that she gets pissed if you bring this film up to her. If I ever meet her I hope she signs my copy. That's our cast and they play their roles very straight, no camp in them. The camp all belongs to Davis, who's silly rhymes and cool makeup are worth the price of admission alone. Everyone else must have though so as well, coz he's the only character consistant film to film. I'd highly suggest watching Leprechaun and be ready to scream, but with laughter not in horror.
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