|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
He Keeps Going, and Going, and Going..., November 15, 2003
The first entry in the "Leprechaun" franchise arrived on the scene in 1993, with the second appearing as if by magic the following year. Why not keep the trend going and release "Leprechaun 3" in 1995? That is exactly what the movers and shakers behind the "Leprechaun" series did, probably thinking that striking a rapidly cooling griddle is better than striking one when it is ice cold. Once again calling on diminutive star Warwick Davis to play the wicked elf, the individuals responsible for "Leprechaun 3" decided to move the setting to Las Vegas where the lure of bright lights and the thrill of gambling could provide a suitable backdrop for the machinations of the leprechaun. Does this move work? Sort of, even though "Leprechaun 3" suffers from numerous problems that only get worse from this point on: atrocious acting, increasingly lame sight gags and jokes, cheaper budgets, annoying characters, and a failure to follow rules established in earlier films. Despite these glaring failings, "Leprechaun 3" is really the last film I am able to say I enjoyed in the franchise. Parts four and five simply collapse under the weight of the aforementioned problems.In "Leprechaun 3" the little beastie appears in Las Vegas when a haggard looking fella stumbles into a pawnshop lugging a big bundle. It turns out that this package is our old friend the leprechaun, frozen into a little statue due to some jeweled necklace. The guy sells the statue to the pawnshop owner for chump change and as quick as you can say "Begorrah," the greedy employee removes the necklace and unleashes the malevolent force that is Warwick Davis decked out in knickers and pepperoni faced makeup. The pot of gold appears as well, and since we all know by this time that the slimy sprite cannot stand to see humans pawing his precious coins, the pawnshop guy promptly incurs the wrath of the little devil. It is also during these opening sequences that we learn the rules of the game have changed once again: now the leprechaun cannot stand the presence of other leprechauns and his gold coins suddenly have the power to grant their possessor one wish. Obviously, this knowledge sets up the idea that another leprechaun will challenge Warwick Davis and that several people will find one of the coins and make wishes. Enter Scott McCoy, an impressionable kid driving to Southern California so he can start school in a few weeks. He quickly meets local cutie Tammy Larsen, a young lady who works for a hack magician at the Shamrock, one of the cheaper looking casinos on the strip. Tammy agrees to sneak Scott into the casino so he can see what Las Vegas is all about, and it isn't too long before the inevitable happens. Scott gambles away the twenty thousand dollars his parents gave him for school and goes to the pawnshop where the leprechaun went on a bloody rampage. McCoy finds a coin, figures out how to make a wish, and wins big time at the tables. In the meantime, we follow Tammy's adventures with her unctuous boss Fazio and the lecherous owner of the casino named Mitch. Mitch owes some money to a couple of local goons (can't have a movie set in Las Vegas without a mafia reference, huh?), but really has an eye for Tammy's expansive cleavage. Rounding out the cast is casino employee Loretta, a big haired, screechy lady who spends way too much time lamenting the loss of her youthful figure. I won't spoil the unfolding hijinks for you, but most of the characters learn about the magic coin and make their greedy little wishes with often tragic, and gory, results. During the course of the movie, we see somebody swell up and explode, a body sawed in half, and a cheesy electrocution. It's all done in good fun and is occasionally entertaining. I definitely appreciated a gorier, sleazier "Leprechaun" movie. What I didn't welcome was the acting, which certainly ranks as some of the poorest in the series (although not as bad as the Bridget character in the second film). The guy who plays Scott and the woman in the Tammy role are the worst offenders. Every time these two appeared on screen I could literally smell the sour odor of their performances wafting off of my television set. These two are so bad that even my DVD player belched derision over their ham handed antics. Fortunately, the other actors do slightly better, and Warwick Davis is great as always as the leprechaun. In fact, my favorite scene in the movie occurs when Davis is strolling down the streets of Las Vegas looking for his stolen coin. Here's this evil, ugly looking monster moving in and out of crowds of people and no one notices him! Moreover, he occasionally cackles loudly for no apparent reason during his jaunt. I laughed so hard over this scene that I watched it several more times just to get the full effect of the whole thing. The DVD is the same as other Trimark "Leprechaun" discs. The picture transfer looks good and there are several trailers for this film and other installments in the series. After viewing all of the "Leprechaun" movies, I would like to see a commentary from Warwick Davis on at least one of these DVDs. I would like to hear what the man himself has to say about these films. Anyway, "Leprechaun 3" is worth watching if you have a couple of hours to spare and can't think of anything better to do. If nothing else, this movie is the only place you will ever see a flaming dwarf flying though the air, and that ought to be worth something.
|
DVD ~ Warwick Davis
DVD ~ Warwick Davis
DVD ~ Warwick Davis
DVD ~ Warwick Davis
DVD ~ Warwick Davis
