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I usually tell
people that the only holiday I ever keep
up with is Halloween. I claim to not know
when Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even Groundhog
Day is. But that is simply not the truth.
I celebrate each in my own little way on
the day I’m supposed to. Take today
for example. It’s St. Patrick’s
Day and what better way to spend it than
by watching the new Lions Gate “Leprechaun
Triple Feature” release? Forget green
beer and silly hats. Let’s get together
and see what kind of mayhem and carnage
can be brought about by messing with a little
three foot man in green. That’s right…
a leprechaun.
And I’m not talking about the guy
that pops off of the Lucky Charms box (which
admittedly would be a little frightening
if it really happened), or the happy, dancing
little people that hung out with Darby O’Gill…
oh no… I’m talking a ticked
off Warwick Davis, looking like a troll
from hell (ok… a leprechaun from hell…)
and wanting his gold back. And good old
Warwick did this through 6 (count ‘em
6) films, bringing the little green man
not only into space… but into the
(Lord help us) ‘Hood.
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But I’m not here to tell you about those
last 3 films. I’m only here to remind you
about the first 3, which have been collected by
Lions Gate and released as a Triple Threat Set.
That’s right, “Leprechaun”,
“Leprechaun 2” and “Leprechaun
3” have all been brought together so you
have something to do tonight. Let’s get
started shall we? “Leprechaun” is
famous for three things… starting off the
franchise, starting the quote “Where’s
meee gold?” and starting the movie stardom
of Jennifer Aniston. Yup, Jennifer Aniston had
only previously been in a handful of TV shows
when she starred as Tory Reding on the big screen.
For the most part, she gets to scream and fight
a Leprechaun (quite an auspicious start, no?).
“Leprechaun” is the simplest of the
bunch as it comes at you pretty straight forward.
Irishman captures Leprechaun and gets a pot of
gold. Years later, the Leprechaun tracks him down
to get his gold, killing the man and his wife
in the process. But before the Irish guy dies,
he is able to trap the fiendish sprite in a create
using a four leaf clover to hold him. Of course,
as is the case in any good horror flick, some
teenagers come along and set the monster free,
allowing him to do maximum damage before once
again being vanquished. Along the way I learn
one very important thing. If I’m ever being
stalked by a vengeful Leprechaun, pick up a lot
of dirty shoes. (Trust me…)
“Leprechaun 2” can quite easily be
called “The Bride of Leppie” as the
main premise of the film follows the age old tradition
of finding a mate for our monster. It seems our
hapless hero(?) can only mate every 1000 years,
and the last time he had a chance he was thwarted
by the intended bride’s father. Since 1000
years without a little (no pun intended) nookie
really makes for a frustrated Leprechaun. So now
that the time has come around again, he tries
even harder (oddly enough with an ancestor of
his first intended). Capturing her heart…
well actually just capturing her and holding her
in his bachelor pad we learn a little too much
about the mating habits of the East Irish Green
Bellied Leprechaun (cue the Discovery Channel
music…). A few horrid deaths and an unfortunately
blamed boyfriend later, all’s well that
ends well… until…
“Leprechaun 3.” Here we are re-introduced
to the titular character as he is carried into
a Las Vegas pawn shop, wrapped in a blanket and
frozen solid with the help of a magic amulet.
Of course, once the ‘statue’ gets
into the hands of the pawn shop owner the amulet
is taken off and he springs to life and begins
working on another laundry list of killings. Along
the way, he bumps into young Scott (also a newbie
to Las Vegas) and noticing that he is hungry,
gives him a bite… on the neck. When some
of the Leprechaun’s blood mixes with his
wound, Scott starts turning into a Leprechaun
(though he never howls at the moon or stays clear
of the moors). From that point on, well…
everyone gets a wish… but not any that would
make you green with envy.
Needless to say, every one of these films is definitely
B-Movie fare. There are no Academy Award winning
performances, or even special effects. But all
three offer a brainless good time on an otherwise
boring St. Patrick’s Day.
Leprechaun
Directed by: Mark Jones
Starring: Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston, Mark
Holton, David Permenter
Leprechaun 2
Directed by: Rodman Fletcher
Starring: Warwick Davis, Charlie Heath, Shevonne
Durkin,
Leprechaun 3
Directed by: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Starring: Warwick Davis, John Gatins, Lee Armstrong,
John DeMita, Michael Callan
Extras: None
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: 3/11/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Leprechaun Triple Feature a C+.
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