Top o' the morning to ye! Unlike Lucky Charms Cereal, the Leprechaun Series of Movies has never been magically delicious. The original movie was shite & every one of the sequels, was equally as crappy, because how ridiculous, non-continuity, the films were, and how none of the settling for the movies, matches with the 'Irish Luck' premise of the killer Leprechaun. 'Leprechaun 3', somewhat continues with that, as none of the characters from the first & second film aren't seen or mentioned at all in the film, also the movie doesn't explain, why Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) is frozen in stone, unless this is a sequel to 2003's 'Leprechaun Back 2 tha Hood', which I doubt. In truth, the Leprechaun is supposed, to be blown up in the last movie. So, how in the hell, was he able to put himself, back together!? Also, why a man with missing limbs named Lucky (Richard Reicheg) has him!? Who is this guy!? He wasn't in the last movie! In spite of that, at least, the third entry directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith had the most grounded of settlings for the Leprechaun to run amok at: Las Vegas. It makes a lot of sense for him, to be there, terrorize horrible folks. Once again, the makeup work for the Leprechaun was great, and Warwick Davis was a treat to watch, as the short status villain. It's too bad, that his rhyming puns weren't really that funny. Despite that, another thing, great about this movie, is the addition gimmick that one of the leprechaun's gold shillings grants whoever holds it, a wish. Because of this, it allows for more outlandish fun than the previous movies, were, missing. It's also adds to the clever death scenes, as well. I love how each of the characters meet their demise, related to their own selfish greed and faults. For example, one of female character is killed by her shallow wish to become beautiful & another is killed, by his pride of becoming the best magician in the world. It reminds me so much of the crappier version of 2000's 'Bedazzled', in how the leprechaun twist their wishes, against them. It was memorable for the low budget, they had. Even the gore effects were alright, even if you can clearly see, white foam stuffing in the exploding models. However, it does ask the question, why the leprechaun was unable to hurt the holder of the gold coin, in the last movie, but he somewhat can in this movie. It's so weird, that the stipulation was abandoned, just like the magic MacGuffin of the gold medallion that turns the walking talking symbol of St. Patrick Day into stone. Another confusing thing that the film added, was the addition gimmick that anybody that the Leprechaun bites, turns into one, themselves. I get that, they wanted to put a little more tension between the human characters and the mythological creature, but it never quite have the impact that it could've had. The turning of a Leprechaun by Scott McCoy (John Gatins) rarely adds anything. In short, the human characters are just not that strong or interesting. They also just aren't the best actors around. Scott McCoy comes across, as a creepy stalker than a likable main lead & Lee Armstrong gets annoyingly bad at times as Tammy Larsen, a magician's assistant trying to make a better life for herself. The only redeeming qualities of her performance was the little striptease, during the middle of the film. No wonder, why she quit acting, a year after, this film, released. Her acting was mediocre. The supporting characters that surround the main actors, are also borderline shallow one-dimension cardboard stereotypes that for the most part, are not that important, for the film to invest, so much time into them. The editing lacks the precision needed. Certain scenes like the pawn store, lags, and others felt a little too rushed like the outside scenes. It's seems to me, that film doesn't take much, advances of being filmed in Las Vegas. You don't see, many Las Vegas landmarks. I get that they couldn't film in famous casinos, due to licensing issues, but at least, have scenes with Vega Vic or the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign", more in the film. It's sad that most of the film was filmed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. None of the set pieces fully plays up to their kitschy nature. As well, as the music score by composer Dennis Michael Tenney fails to heighten any of the thrills. Even, the shots of tits, couldn't save this film from being a failure. It's weird to hear that the movie was first considered for release in 3D. By the time the movie began production, the idea was abandoned. In my opinion, it could work. At least, it would made this movie stand out, more. Overall: You may not find a pot of gold in this particular Leprechaun movie, but you might a get a laugh or two out of Davis' patently hyperbolic performance here. Other than that, Leprechaun always struck me as a poor's man parody of the horror genre rather than a serious attempt at being a legit comedic horror film. It's can kiss my clover. Nevertheless, it's by far, the least annoying movie in the series. Still, don't pressed your luck. Watch something else if you can. Leprechaun 3 is only fun to watch if you're drunk. Like a beer, this direct to video film was totally wasted.
Review of Leprechaun 3
Leprechaun 3
(1995 Video)
The odds are not in your favor. Leprechaun 3 comes a little short. What a sham.
18 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers