ironhorse_iv Review of Leprechaun: Origins

Leprechaun: Origins (2014)

No luck, here. This movie is not a pot of gold. It's a pot of shite.

[2/10 · 18 March 2015]

F*** you, lucky charms! Honestly, all the Leprechaun films are pretty bad. These movies are so embarrassingly awful, that I really wonder how something like this gets rebooted. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and produced by World Wrestling Entertainment AKA WWE films, Leprechaun: Origins tells, the story of a group of unsuspecting Americans backpacking, through Ireland. They soon, came across a sinister town, hiding a dark secret and a mysterious creature trying to hunt them down. Without spoiling too much, the movie has potential, but sadly, getting rid of the comedy elements was a really bad idea. This film goes for serious scary tone, instead of going for campy-horror schlock. In my opinion, this is not a film franchise to try do a 'legitimate' serious horror film. After all, it's about a Leprechaun for goodness sakes. I really miss, Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun. Davis had some really funny one-liners in the previous films. By not having him in this movie, made the film, a little more boring. It's OK that the movie focus more on the lore, but the leprechaun in this film doesn't even look like that, as well. They're supposed to look like fairies in Irish folklore. Most, usually depicted the leprechaun as a little old man, wearing a coat and hat, who partakes in mischief, but this movie depicted them as naked Orc like creatures who speaks in animal-like groans. It was a bit disappointing because actor/wrestler Dylan Postl better known under his ring name Hornswoggle is known for playing a Leprechaun on TV. He does have some acting chops. If you're a Hornswoggle fan, well, you're out of luck. He doesn't have one line nor do you ever see his face. He so generic in this role, he looks stupid in it. Hornswoggle is in a full prosthetic suit far too large for him. The fore-arms and legs are too long and you can see where it bends. The film is jarring in the way, he was shot. They try to hide the poverty of a rubber suit by using only quick, blurry shots of the monster. Not only, is it embarrassing, it gave me a headache. Whenever the monster shows up, we can never tell what's going on, due to how blurry, it is. This is a major huge red flag. The movie is full of shaking cam, obfuscated shots, pitch dark scenes, and awkward quick cuts. It's also funny to see that the killer cam shot has thermal vision and infrared vision as if similar to the one in 1987's Predator. Does that mean that the Leprechaun came from the same planet as the Predator? Anyways, all the crappy shots make the movie really unwatchable for the most part. The only good shots of the film is the overview shots of the lush Irish countryside. The actors playing the Irish town folks were alright, even if they playing the Irish stereotypes, way too well. Garry chalk as Hamish is by far, the best thing, about this film. The actors playing the American backpackers were alright in their acting, but they come across as very dull. The writers, didn't the actors really given anything to stand out. Most of their dialogue is pretty dumb. A good example of this, was the line 'You got a pretty mouth', a 1972's Deliverance film reference line that somehow got into an Irish movie. I know, it's supposed to represent how the backpackers felt about the local town folks, but it comes across, as ignorant, seeing how they're in Ireland, not the Deep South. For a WWE movie, I was really shock that both well-known Irish wrestlers Dave 'Fit" Finlay & Stephen Farrelly AKA Sheamus wasn't in it. They would make this film, a little more interesting. Despite being Rated R, there is lack of harsh-language, little to no gore, and no nudity. The special effects were mediocre, at best. It's quite cheap looking. The movie ends with a chances of sequel. It could happen, I hope not though. This had an extremely limited theatrical run, before going onto DVD. Overall: A film you might regret watching. Completely unengaging, and not bad enough to be funny. This franchise has gone to the deep end of the rainbow. Dirt-poor, and I watch a lot of WWE films. Avoid. This movie is far from magically delicious.