Leprechaun 2

If you couldn't get into the spirit of the first one, I wouldn't bother with this one.

The Leprechaun series is a special kind of series. I liked that they don't exactly follow the first one. The best comic books don't necessarily keep the same parameters; Silver Age Batman is not Christopher Nolan's. I liked that we are basically getting the same Leprechaun villain with a different back story and different powers/weaknesses. Leprechaun 2 has a couple of different things about it.

I liked the fantasy based background story. The Leprechaun lore is explored in this one; it's more about the Leprechaun than the humans response to him. I'm willing to forgo the strangeness of a 1000 year old Leprechaun making his way from the Old World to the New World. I'm willing to forgo his adaptability to the ways of the modern world though he comes from the Dark Ages.

I liked the silly rhyming lines spliced with unnecessary gore. It's nice to have some light- hearted comedy that takes me from point A to point B. Leprechaun is a threat, the good guys fight him, the story ends.

It's truly amazing how much life that this "Leprechaun" series has had. It's endured for over 20 years; there's even a remake in the works. Then again, I suppose there's something to be said for this kind of dumb fun. And make no mistake, it *is* dumb. But it's also genuinely funny at times, and is not without a clever moment or two. The makers of these movies know that they're not making Shakespeare, and create agreeable horror comedies that may have some viewers groaning, shaking their heads, and struggling to get through them, and others having a fine old time. Making a difference is star Warwick Davis (it is nice to have seen him so gainfully employed), whose enthusiasm is hard to resist. He's obviously enjoying himself.

In his second performance as the gleefully sadistic Leprechaun, he attempts to snag himself a hot young wife. But his slave interferes (the girl that the Leprechaun selects is his daughter), and 1,000 years later the Leprechaun resurfaces to amorously pursue his slaves' descendant, a girl named Bridget (sexy blonde Shevonne Durkin). Naturally, Bridgets' boyfriend Cody (Charlie Heath) isn't going to sit idly by and watch a demented fairy take his lady away. So Cody teams up with his irrepressible drunken uncle Morty (veteran comedian Sandy Baron) to do battle.

Baron is a real scene stealer, and in addition to the attractiveness of co-star Durkin and the performance of Davis, does provide some justification for sitting down to watch this. The movie does get tiresome at times - and, for something running just under 85 minutes, it does drag a little - but it's amusing often enough to make for decent entertainment. At the very least, it does find the time to feature cameo appearances by the legendary Clint Howard and Kimmy Robertson of "The Last American Virgin" and 'Twin Peaks' as a pair of tourists. Also showing up are Al White (one of the jive talking dudes from "Airplane!"), Tony Cox ("Bad Santa"), and Billy Beck ("The Blob" '88). Production design, lighting, and visual effects are good, but there won't be enough gore for some tastes, especially considering the fate of one character. The music by Jonathan Elias is actually damn good.

This is about as enjoyable as any movie titled "Leprechaun 2" could be.

Five out of 10.

A leprechaun is revived on St Patrick Day by a hobo's bottle of liquor, and then tries to claim the bride he promised he would marry 1000 years ago. She is captured and held prisoner inside his tree-house home, with her slacker boyfriend and con-artist uncle quickly coming to the rescue. But can they outsmart this creature, who makes up in cunning and sadism what he lacks in height and strength?

A sequel to an original notable only for an early appearance by Jennifer Aniston, this is about on a par with its low-budget predecessor. The lead lovers are so utterly lacking in anything approaching acting ability or charisma you'll find yourself cheering on Warwick Davis all the way. He, as the Leprechaun, is about the only component that keeps the film going, and his witty one liners and nasty methods of disposing of anyone who stands in his way are a constant delight. It's just a shame that his restricted growth has firmly pigeon-holed him into roles like this, he deserves more than to play Ewoks and Dwarfs his entire career. Eventually though, even his talents (including a fantastic Irish accent(!) ) cannot save a duff script, and the end result is a entirely forgettable film which is only worth watching as a last resort rental. And there's another four sequels to go after this. Oh, joy.. 4/10

P.S Gets my award for most obvious body double ever used for a nude scene. Watch it, and you'll see what I mean..

I remember catching this film on UPN back in 2001, and it was surprisingly more scary than the original. Don't get me wrong, the original wasn't as scary or as a nightmare as this one; this time as the trailers said, "He's Back!" This time Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) is on the search for his bride after his latest 1000 birthday and wants to breed more leprechauns. Like the first movie, he wants his gold after it has been stolen or has been retrieved by the main hero of the film. Most of the death scenes are more violent than the last film, but than, again, its just a movie. On a lighter note, you get to see Clint Howard as a tourist; Sandy Baron (Seinfeld) as the hero's partner; and Michael McDonald (MadTV) as one of the Leprechaun's victims.

Why couldn't this movie pick up where "Leprechaun" left off? I was confused and disappointed to see this film start off with a completely different leprechaun who just happens to look like the original. Although this film is flawed and not as imaginative and atmospheric as the first, it still remains watchable. It helms a slightly decent plot, has a few genuine "jump" scenes, and features crisp, bright costumes and sets. The problem with the leprechaun series is that it takes the leprechaun to new and uninteresting heights when it should try recapturing the atmosphere and fear the original was able to deliver.