Leprechaun: Origins, 2014 (A 00s-10s Throwback/Remake/Reboot)
Look, sometimes after a few fancy steak dinners, you reach for a microwave burrito, right?
While, for legal reasons, the plot description of this film on several websites makes it clear that this film is NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE EARLIER LEPRECHAUN SERIES, the use of the word in the title and the word "origins" clearly implies that you're in for a prequel of sorts.
(EDIT: Okay, apparently this film IS a continuation of the original series. They just needed to help fans understand that all the fun parts of the original series would not be present. BAFFLING!)
Four college aged students (I mean, they are supposed to be college aged, but one of the actors is in his 30s) are on a road trip through Ireland. They end up in a small village where some locals tell one of the women, Sophie, about some historically significant stone formations and she convinces the others to stay to check them out. They are put up in a very rustic cabin by the locals, but soon realize that they've been set up as a sacrifice.
I mean, where to even begin?!
I kind of imagine the director was called in and the conversation went like this:
DIRECTOR: I'm so thrilled to be filming a new
Predator movie!
PRODUCERS: You are actually making a Leprechaun film.
DIRECTOR: . . .
PRODUCERS: Why, what were you envisioning?
DIRECTOR: Well, you know, a creature with predator vision. He'll do a lot of growling and even some of that classic Predator clicking under the growls. Ooh! Also I thought that at some point he could pull out someone's spine?
PRODUCERS: So . . . Leprachaun but he's a Predator?
DIRECTOR: Yes! Also, the creature costume doesn't really . . . move. So before filming any scene with the monster, I'll need to cover the lens with Vaseline. Like, really smear it all over the place.
PRODUCERS: Sure, why not.
And while the movie is very stupid, I wish that it had been a bit more visually engaging. Almost the whole thing takes place at night, and the lighting and color design is really muddy. The characters aren't at all distinct, aside from one of the villagers who is conflicted about killing the tourists.
This is also one of those movies that really likes talking about rules and then just doesn't follow them.
Probably would be fun to watch with a group to make fun of it, but not quite "enjoyably bad" enough to recommend as a solo watch.