Leprechaun 4 - Nello spazio

What a delightful sendup of other movies.

It follows the plot of Alien, throws in some gratuitous sex, makes fun of marines, scientists, and women who will do anything for jewelry, puts in a dash of cross-dressing and Dr. Strangelove.

THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS HORROR MOVIE. The first in the series was a serious horror movie, by this point, the series is comedy with a horror motif.

The 'Leprechaun' films can be seen from either way. Some people will, and do, consider them guilty pleasures not to be taken seriously, most acknowledging that they are not necessarily great films. Others will, and do, dislike them for mostly being cheap, far from scary, too dumb to be entertaining and not very interesting.

Being on a horror franchise roll recently, after having more free time after such a lot going on professionally and personally, finally decided to see all the 'Leprechaun' films to see which above extreme they would fall under. Even when genuinely trying to judge them for what they are and what they're trying to do, am going to agree with the latter. Disliked the first film as far as the previous three films go, and while the next two were marginal improvements they were not particularly good either.

'Leprechaun 4: In Space' for me is one of the weakest of the franchise. There is far worse in the genre and overall, but apart from a few bright spots most of the film is poorly executed for reasons that are similar and even the same as the previous three films.

Once again, Warwick Davis is the best thing about 'Leprechaun 4: In Space'. He really does throw himself into the role and has enough moments of amusement and grotesque creepiness. The material is beneath him but he gives it all a good bash.

Aside from Davis, there are a few mildly amusing moments and the idea was a weird but interesting one. The music is not exactly memorable but it didn't jar or sound cheap.

However, that adjective is a good way to describe how the production values look, very sloppy and hasty looking and the special effects look as if they were made as a last minute afterthought with the small remainder of what was left of the budget. The direction has such an inexperienced or indifferent feel to it, and apart from Davis the acting is awful, struggling to do anything with lead characters that have no personality and irritating supporting ones behaving vaguely and idiotically.

Very like as with before, 'Leprechaun 4: In Space' is particularly undone by the script and story. The script is crude and childish in humour, nothing funny here, and everything sounded so awkward and contrived. On top of not making sense to the point of incoherence, the story overdoes the dumb factor, is often uneventful, with some dragging on forever stretches, and there is nothing scary or suspenseful due to the excessive predictability and no atmosphere. The kills completely lack creativity or anything unsettling and there is a good deal of randomness and things added for no reason so it feels gratuitous.

Summarising, another weak instalment. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Okay, I went into this with the right frame of mind. Last night some buddies got together and saw this with an eye out for some cheap cheap laughs. And believe you me, the laughs are the absolute cheapest. The plot is non-existent, but that's intentional, and the makeup blows. Let's think a moment about the folks who made this film - lots of inside jokes, and no real attempt at horror. This movie was made for kicks. It's just an excuse to have fun. The script and performances prove that none of this whole affair was to be taken as anything monumental. It's a riot. And I'll tell you what - the metal headed officer is probably a pretty good actor faking bad on purpose. And the guy playing Mittenhand must be a downright brilliant actor. His sense of camp and comic timing floored me. His Mittenspider line is quite possibly the best line on film since "Rosebud". I'm not kidding. Brilliance permeates every frame of this delightfully tasteless and shameful movie. Rent or buy this film right now. But a warning - if you buy it, don't spend more than $5. I have a theory that you should never spend more for a video than the budget of the movie.

Leprechaun 4 is that rare film that takes you to a place you never knew existed. In this case it's the world of everyone's favorite leprechaun who has somehow ended up roaming around in space and decides to terrorize some unsuspecting travelers.

The acting is horrendous, the special effects are ultra cheesy, and the story, well, what story? And that's why this film is so great! My favorite part is the decline of Dr. Mittenhand. It creates a parallel to the life of one man, his struggles, his torments, and his eventual transformation into some sort of demented spider/human hybrid. Who hasn't dealt with that same trama and those same pains in their own lives? When his metamorphosis is complete, and he declares his new identity in the heart-wrenching line, "I am no longer Mittenhand, I am Mittenspider!" it is a true milestone reached in cinema.

And of course the Leprechaun represents the antagonist in us all. Big evil comes in quite the small package. The leprechaun, in his quest for his gold, is simply a puppet of capitalism and corporate greed. I think we could all learn a big lesson from this little fellow.

So, to summarize, I give this film a 7, because it is slow at points, but the occasional leprechaun in the pants scene redeems it all. Bravo!

Leprechaun in space has all the qualities for this years Oscars... despite the fact that it did not come out this year. The leprechaun displayed so much soul in the film i forgot that he was trying to kill at all. i even cried when he blew up for the third time, never mind that they used the same footage as the first two times he blew up. Brilliance pure brilliance. Not once did I wish for my eyes to be gouged out as i did while watching the atrocious "Astro Zombies." Ever scene captures your heart, from when the leprechaun comes out of a mans penis, to the totally unnecessary breast shot. The world would be a better place If there were more films like Leprechaun and less like "Trucks." Four out of Four puke buckets.

Also check out "Leprechaun in the Hood" and the fantastic miniseries "The Voyage of Mimi."