L'abominable Lutin II

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.

Leprechaun 2, aka 4 funerals and a wedding, the leprechaun is back and he wants his bride for his 2000th birthday! I know it's silly, but I love the Leprechaun series so much, it's just so enjoyable and fun to watch. Especially if you love horror films as much as I do. Warwick Davis also reprises his famous role as the leprechaun, which is a major plus, since he's really the only one who can do it. You also notice some other "little" stars in the bar sequence that Warwick has made famous throughout the years. Yeah, the story is a little gross, but I think that's why I loved it.

Leprechaun is back to reclaim his bride, she sneezes once, she sneezes twice, she'll be his bride when she sneezes thrice! And he's gonna love her... to death! In today's world, her name is Bridget and she has a relationship with a cute young orphan, Cody, he is taken care of by his alcoholic con artist uncle. When Cody and Bridget get into a fight, Cody comes back to Bridget's house to apologize, little do they know that a friend of their's has just been splattered by a lawn mower, thanks to our friend, the leprechaun! He also makes Bridget sneeze three times and takes her to his haunting layer, but Cody has a piece of his gold! The leprechaun must have it back!

Leprechaun 2 has much more great humor, like the scene where he and Cody's uncle are drinking, and it was just so hilarious to see a leprechaun drunk. "Drink all you want... drink all you can... you can't beat me... 'cause I'm a lepre-can! Mmmph! Chaun!" LOL! I loved that line, please, watch this movie if you are in the correct mood or enjoy the series. Don't take it so seriously, otherwise, you're looking for the wrong kind of movie.

8/10

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.