Leprechaun (1993)

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is the type of movie you can't take too seriously. Just go in ready to laugh and you will. If you try and judge it by the same standards of Citizen Kane or something it's not gonna be very good, but if you just let yourself enjoy it you will.

I like Leprechaun but not a lot of people like it. I laugh often watching this and the kills are interesting. The Leprechaun is a joke for a horror villain, but to like a horror movie, you have to go along with it. Except if it really sucks (Leprechaun 4). That's how I like this movie. Enough with that crap. The story is that Leprechaun's gold has been stolen and kills 4 people to get the gold. It's a good film, just go along with it and you might like it.

Great movie made me laugh. I also like see Jennifer Aniston back in her glory days.

One of the most genuinely jarring and confusing things in the world of film is the shocking amount of people don't "get" the highly entertaining but problematic 1993 release "Leprechaun." It's honestly dumbfounding. The movie is constantly tossed around by wannabe- elitists like a joke, while they scoff and smirk while quipping "How can a movie about a killer leprechaun be scary?" It's the go-to every single time someone tries to put together a list of bad horror movies. And it's generally looked down on as a complete and utter failure due to lacking any real thrills or shocks and having such an inane concept.But honestly... How do people not understand that this is a comedy? It's a movie about a wisecrack-spewing, psychopathic leprechaun, for god's sake! It's most well-known sequel takes place in "tha hood"! If your tongue is not planted firmly in your cheek, you're not watching it correctly."Leprechaun" of course follows an evil Leprechaun (played delightfully in campy performance by Warwick Davis) who sets his sights on a young woman named Tory (Jennifer Aniston) and a group of contract workers lead by Nathan (Ken Olandt), who are fixing up the farm house where Tory is staying with her father for the Summer. Obsessed with getting back his pot of gold that was stolen by dim-witted contractor Ozzie (Mark Holton) and his 12-year-old friend Alex (Robert Hy Gorman),the leprechaun starts to pick off townsfolk one by one in a bloody and hilarious war to get back what is rightfully his. And so our heroes must band together and try and solve the mystery of where this little green menace came from... and how to stop him once and for all!Written and directed by Mark Jones, the film is genuinely quite funny at times and has a really light tone. He keeps the humor flowing quite well, and even when the film tries on occasion to throw some actual scenes of horror at the audience, it never goes too far. Jones' characters are quickly defined and are endearing enough to make you want to root for everyone's safety. The dim-witted Ozzie in particular is very likable with his innocent heart and good intentions, and you'll definitely also get a kick out of the foul-mouthed young Alex for sure. For being such a low budget release (rumored to cost less than a million dollars), the production is also relatively stylish and there's some nifty effects and adequately revolting sequences of blood and gore to keep the horror crowds happy.The cast is a lot of fun. Warwick Davis is just perfect in the role of the devilish bundle of terror, and you can tell he's having an absolute blast with the part, hamming it up just the right amount and throwing in plenty of amusing wisecracks. There's a reason the character became so memorable, and it's Warwick's dedication to the role. Aniston charms in her first major starring role and she's very decent in her performance. You can definitely see hints of her immense talent that would later be showcased in more major roles in the future. Ken Olandt is good as Nathan, and although his character is perhaps the most stock, he is well cast and definitely enjoyable. Mark Holton and Robert Hy Gorman end up nearly stealing the show, however. As I mentioned above, Holton is very likable as Ozzie and he's easily the most endearing of our four lead protagonists. And Gorman is a very good child actor and he gets some really fun zingers.However, despite competent direction, great characters and genuinely decent performances, the film does have some big problems that knock off major points. Even though the film is clearly trying to be comedic, it can't quite settle on the proper tone during some key scenes. It occasionally feels a bit too juvenile in some scenes, while feeling a bit too mature in others. It also really gets bogged down in the third act, having to put too much focus on resolving the story and tying up loose ends. It ends up losing that sense of spunk and lightness that made the first two acts so entertaining- to the point that it just stops being fun for the last twenty or so minutes. I also do think that a few of the "horror sequences" feel a bit out of place and conflict with the style established in the rest of the movie. They don't go too far, they just feel a bit inorganic.As it stands, "Leprechaun" is not a great film. But it is a decent bit of fun. It's constant lambasting at the hands of harsh critics and harsher audiences is very unfounded, and it seems that far too many people are not in on the joke of it all. This movie isn't trying to be a great cinematic experience in horror... it's a quirky, comedic bit of insanity with some good laughs and one or two genuine creeps thrown in for good measure. And for my money... it's the best killer- leprechaun movie out there.I give "Leprechaun" an every-so-slightly-above-average 6 out of 10. If you happen to catch it on TV, definitely give it a watch. Just know enough not to take it seriously.