O Duende 4: No Espaço

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

Creativity is a funny thing. It can either turn out be be brilliant and inspired, or can turn into utter crap. L4 is a very original, creatively done film, which approaches the genre from a unique perspective, a combination rip off of Alien and Dr. Strangelove. Not that it is any good, it is actually a horrible film, but hey, it is different. The horror sequences are silly and cheesy (Like when the antagonist crawls up a soldiers member), the attempts at humor fall flat. The whole thing is just dumb, but hey, bring some friends and have a day letting loose on it. Look for the little guy to flash the Trimark symbol of quality at the end.

This is a terrificly horrid movie full of camp classics - the breast scene is so, so ridiculous that you'll be howling. Guy Siner as Dr. Mittenhand is just unbelievable. Though the movie drags at times, the closing shot is worth the wait. If you like laughing at bad movies, this is a must see. This is hands-down the best Leprechaun movie.

Most film critics will tell you that sequels are, as a rule, inferior to their predecessors. By there very nature they are derivative, the bastard child of what was once a good idea. Sequels, especially ones of highly successful films, are almost necessarily cursed with a dearth of creativity, made simply to make money, a cynical perversion of the "art" of moviemaking.

That's why you have to see Leprechaun 4: In Space. A fearless fourth in the Leprechaun horror series, In Space breaks rules that either aren't written yet, or simply could not be broken by celluloid alone. A completely original feat, it was borne not from a good idea, but a very, very, very bad one. It succeeds a highly unsuccessful film, and if there's anything it doesn't lack, it's creativity. And trust me when I say this, L4 (as I like to call it) was definitely not out to make money. Rent it now! Rent it today!

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.