Leprechaun (1993) is a dog of the first order. I really mean that. It's fabulously bad (instead of just plain bad). It starts Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston. What most reviewers would focus on in this movie is the presence of Jennifer Aniston. It DOES deserve noting, so I will get that out of the way first.
This movie was pre-Friends era. It was actually released only about a year and a half before the first Friends episode aired. In it Aniston is cute and fresh-faced (albiet postively FAT by Hollywood standards - meaning that she was probably a size 2 back then, rather than a size ZERO). Her acting in the film is marginal, although the script doesn't leave her much to work with. So, check out Leprechaun if you want to see the pre-Friends Aniston in action.
OK, that's done. Now to the real business at hand...
This movie also stars Warwick Davis, an actor who would often be overshadowed by Aniston's celebrity. Before I hear a rash of jokes about "overshadowed" being used here, let me be clear: MOST actors are overshadowed by Aniston's celebrity. I mean, really, Friends was a show of epic proportions, and Rachel was one of the most popular characters. So, many actors are cast diminutive in Aniston's glow.
That being said, Davis is diminutive in stature, but not in talent. So, I'd like to talk about him. Many of you may not have heard of Warwick Davis. You may be surprised to know that he has thirty-three films to his credit, as well as just as many (if not more) TV shows in his CV.
He really is quite prolific and talented, but he is a not your standard Hollywood cookie cutter celebrity, so he is unlikely to ever become a household name.
It might interest you to know that he plays not one but four small roles (including Wicket) in the Star Wars series of films. In this vein, he also plays Wicket in the Ewok TV movies.
For Narnia fans, he plays Nikabrik in the Prince Caspian
(2008) film. He also played Reepicheep in the 1989 TV series Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.But right now, probably the most likely place that you may know him from is from the Harry Potter films. In those movies, he plays four roles (one of which is pivotal in the final two films). He plays Flitwick and Griphook, both of whom are major characters, as well as two "extra" minor roles: "bank teller" and "wizard".
Many fantasy fans may also recognize him from Labyrinth.
He is quite talented, although his less-than-mainstream appearance keeps him from getting more major roles. Enter Leprechaun.
Leprechaun (and the five sequels that followed) allowed Davis to have a chance at a starring role. So, I don't blame him for picking up on this dog. Nor do I blame him for continuing on with the sequels.
I've talked about the major stars of the film, now it's time for me to really get down to the meat and bones of what makes this film a floater.
Let's start with the laughable premise. It's not just a leprechaun who wants to protect his gold. It couldn't be, that would make the protagonists thieves. Their being thieves would make audiences root for the "bad guy" leprechaun more than the "good guy" kids in the film. But let's face it, while watching this film, you really ARE rooting for the leprechaun the whole way. So, they probably could have made the kids thieves. It wouldn't have changed the audience outlook.
The laughable premise is really HOW the leprechaun is released. It has something bizarre to do with sneezing three times in a row without anyone blessing you. Evidently, that "blessing" keeps leprechauns away. Who knew?
That part is right in the opening of the movie. Which really sets the tone of the whole film. You see that ridiculousness, and you prep yourself for the entire movie to be ridiculous. It does not disappoint.
The movie is ridiculous from start to finish, yet the audience doesn't mind. Because you WANT it to be ridiculous. From the cheesy special effects to the bad make-up, ridiculous. The bad script and bad acting are just icing on that cake, baby.
The film was estimated to have been produced for less than a million dollars, but not much less. Which one finds amazing. I mean, really, look what Kevin Smith did with Clerks on just twenty-five grand on the front end and just over $200K for the post-production (once he was able to get shop around his rough-cut to gain studio envolvement). And they were produced about two years apart, so those figures can be compared easily without adjusting them for inflation.
Leprechaun actually grossed just under $2.5 mil during it's opening weekend. That's pretty impressive given the kind of film that it is (poorly produced) and did over $8 million during it's brief box office run. And, again, it managed to spawn five sequels.
Do yourself a favor and see this tacky bit of stuff. Just remember to think of it as kitschy and campy, and not a serious horror flick. If you go into with a serious mindset, you're bound to be disappointed.
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Christy Parker is the author of two blogs: Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind and Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day.
Mrs. Parker is also the author of an eBook of patterns entitled Seven Special Scarves, as well as the eBook Learn to Crochet in Minutes a Day: The First Twelve Lessons
For comments, questions, notes, or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.
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