The Horror Show
Leprechaun: Origins
by Zach Lipovsky
Top of the mornin' to ya, lads and lasses! Grab a pint and pull up a chair because this review is about Leprechaun: Origins.
Being from a primarily Irish heritage I, of course, always felt a strong connection to the historical relevance of the first Leprechaun film. In case my sarcasm doesn't translate in text, Leprechaun was a stupid movie. It's a lot of fun and I certainly have it in my collection, but it's primarily known for starring the awesome Warwick Davis and providing an early role for Jennifer Aniston. Since then, the gold-loving maniac has seen many sequels including one in space and two taking place in the hood.
A lot of horror films are reinventing themselves these days, so I was curious if this reboot would be any good. I was disappointed that my idea for Chucky vs. The Leprechaun: The Battle of the Little Guys never came into existence, but I was still hopeful that this movie would be worth the watch.
Leprechaun: Origins takes the series into particularly typical slasher fare by pitting a group of college students against the Irish slayer during a trip to Ireland. I tend to be annoyed by college students, so it's pretty easy to get me excited about seeing them splayed and painted onto the ground. This group is fairly typical. The acting of each character is adequate and none of them are really likable or unlikable. The only actor I was previously familiar with was Brendan Fletcher, who gives his usual good performance. The group quickly take the type of a local and head to a local spot that isn't in any of their history books.
In typical tourist fashion they mix with the locals and hear more about the mysterious nature of the area. They are taken under by Hamish (Garry Chalk) who lets them stay at his house where he lives with his son Sean (Teach Grant). It is made clear fairly soon that there is something dangerous and strange living nearby the house, which Hamish simply explains away as being a wild boar. Pretty quickly we find them face to face with “The Leprechaun” and things just kind of putter along from there.
The most unfortunate thing about this film is what could have been. Reboots can sometimes be a quick cash grab, but can other times be truly great. While Curse of Chucky was technically another sequel, continuing the original series, it completely reinvented the style of its concept and pulled it off wonderfully. Leprechaun: Origins, however, just makes another paint-by-the-numbers slasher film, leeching off the pre-existing Leprechaun brand.
I will now crush everyone's dreams by saying that Warwick Davis is not in this film. The creators said that they wanted to be “darker” and distance themselves from the original series. The problem is that this movie doesn't lend itself to any more respectability. It isn't actually all that much darker, just more cliché. While the previous installments were admittedly stupid as hell, they were at least fun and memorable. This movie doesn't fare so well in these departments. It's not awful, but also doesn't need to exist. The basic slasher checklist boxes are crossed off. The guys are bros mostly interested in drinking, the girls are irritating and wind up in the fetal position with fear before much of anything is actually going on.
The actors playing Hamish and Sean are especially good and it's at least a little fun to see their dynamic. The film also has a relatively neat concept, as in on paper. Other than that, it's essentially a basic monster movie utilizing the whole “Keep it in the dark” concept. Since I like the idea of the film, it's watchable, but they don't go out of their way to make it interesting. If someone is not a seasoned horror fan they may get a few surprises out of it, but if you're reading this review in the first place I can't imagine you'll have a hard time figuring out most of it. The major plot revelation early on wasn't necessarily expected, but the rest of the elements are fairly standard.
Overall, Leprechaun: Origins was a competent film. I didn't hate it and didn't think it was nearly as bad as the low ratings it's gotten. But the film is nothing original or memorable and that is the death-note of any horror film. If you're a big fan of the Leprechaun series and want to see the new installment based on that, you will more than likely be disappointed. In fact, the title is quite deceptive, as it does not tell the origin story of the Leprechaun killer that we horror fans all know. The only real connection is the mere concept of a Leprechaun of sorts being the villain in a horror movie. That and a reference to a corny line from the original film that doesn't fit this one at all.
But if you're looking for a combination slasher/creature feature that has at least one or two interesting moments, then give this one a chance. It's not amazing, but I've seen far worse. The acting, the effects, the story; none of these things are bad. But they aren't worth praising either. All in all, I don't regret watching Leprechaun: Origins, but it won't be one that I will go out of my way to recommend either.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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