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Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood
(Steven Ayromlooi, 2003)
You could chop Warwick Davis off at the knees and he still wouldn't be short enough to limbo underneath the standards of quality set by this series; so when I say that Back 2 tha Hood might be the best Leprechaun, I only mean that it's surprisingly competent. The story --- a group of friends incur the leprechaun's wrath after taking his precious gold -- is the template of every Leprechaun movie, but the lack of ludicrous embellishments and side-plots makes this version feel shockingly simple compared to previous entries. The urban setting feels more authentic than our last stay in the hood, and is mostly absent of racist undertones. Characters are thinly written, the performances adequate at best, but the chemistry between the core group feels genuine, and their lack of obnoxiousness is a welcome respite.
Warwick Davis has expressed interest in reprising the role once his children reach adulthood, but if this remains his swan song as the iconic villain, he leaves a strong last impression, demonstrating comedic chops and intimidating malice like a small, green Freddy Krueger. In fact, the tonal balance between humor and horror is the smoothest in the series. The characters are picked off one-by-one, slasher-style, but I liked that each character gets an opportunity to fight back. Most of the kills are hilariously over-the-top, such as a cop having his leg easily ripped off before futilely hopping on his remaining leg until he bleeds out and falls over. Obligatory height jokes are hit and miss, but there's several amusing visual gags and WTF tangents. And once again our leprechaun gets high and suffers from the munchies. ("This isn't gonna stunt your growth, is it?")
Like every movie in the franchise, Back 2 tha Hood indulges in silliness (e.g., a magic duel between the leprechaun and a witch), but it doesn't feel as childish as earlier entries. Part of that may be the noticeable absence of rhymes, which for me has always been the character's most annoying trait. Warwick Davis's wardrobe has undergone subtle changes, giving him a classier, aristocratic appearance that suits the random prologue explaining his origins. The fresh duds plus the excision of limericks result in a more sinister, bad-ass portrayal of the miniature menace than any previous Leprechaun can boast. Back 2 tha Hood doesn't quite match the entertainment factor of the Lep's visit to Vegas, but it's a surprisingly decent comedy-horror, especially in comparison to the dreck that preceded it.
Best Kill: Bong Impalement
Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood
(Steven Ayromlooi, 2003)
You could chop Warwick Davis off at the knees and he still wouldn't be short enough to limbo underneath the standards of quality set by this series; so when I say that Back 2 tha Hood might be the best Leprechaun, I only mean that it's surprisingly competent. The story --- a group of friends incur the leprechaun's wrath after taking his precious gold -- is the template of every Leprechaun movie, but the lack of ludicrous embellishments and side-plots makes this version feel shockingly simple compared to previous entries. The urban setting feels more authentic than our last stay in the hood, and is mostly absent of racist undertones. Characters are thinly written, the performances adequate at best, but the chemistry between the core group feels genuine, and their lack of obnoxiousness is a welcome respite.
Warwick Davis has expressed interest in reprising the role once his children reach adulthood, but if this remains his swan song as the iconic villain, he leaves a strong last impression, demonstrating comedic chops and intimidating malice like a small, green Freddy Krueger. In fact, the tonal balance between humor and horror is the smoothest in the series. The characters are picked off one-by-one, slasher-style, but I liked that each character gets an opportunity to fight back. Most of the kills are hilariously over-the-top, such as a cop having his leg easily ripped off before futilely hopping on his remaining leg until he bleeds out and falls over. Obligatory height jokes are hit and miss, but there's several amusing visual gags and WTF tangents. And once again our leprechaun gets high and suffers from the munchies. ("This isn't gonna stunt your growth, is it?")
Like every movie in the franchise, Back 2 tha Hood indulges in silliness (e.g., a magic duel between the leprechaun and a witch), but it doesn't feel as childish as earlier entries. Part of that may be the noticeable absence of rhymes, which for me has always been the character's most annoying trait. Warwick Davis's wardrobe has undergone subtle changes, giving him a classier, aristocratic appearance that suits the random prologue explaining his origins. The fresh duds plus the excision of limericks result in a more sinister, bad-ass portrayal of the miniature menace than any previous Leprechaun can boast. Back 2 tha Hood doesn't quite match the entertainment factor of the Lep's visit to Vegas, but it's a surprisingly decent comedy-horror, especially in comparison to the dreck that preceded it.
Best Kill: Bong Impalement