Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997)

The Pinnacle of the Leprechaun Series - 10 stars off the Chart!

This the best Leprechaun Show ever and unfortunately the last good Lep flick. Lep in the Hood is just plain stupid. None of the Leprechaun movies were ever scary except perhaps the very first one. I think when the producers realized the comedy potential of the Leprechaun Series they just kept making each movie funnier until they exhausted the idea with the totally flat "Leprechaun in the Hood". I laughed so hard I couldn't breath when the space marine took a leak on the Leprechauns body only to later give birth to to the wise cracking Leprechaun via his own urethra! That's comedic genius to tenth power! It just keeps getting better. I tell everyone about this movie. The two best Lep movies are w/o a doubt Leprechaun in Las Vegas and Leprechaun in Space. January 31, 2007

LAMErechaun a PG13 rated movie if theyd just cut 1 pethetic un-needed scene)

The first 3 Lep movies have been ok. But this one, oh man...

PLOT
Leppy is for some reason living on another planet and he has kidnapped some kind of alien princess who he intends to marry to make himself king and then do away with her once he has the power. But marines come along and wreck Leps day when they blow him away and take his bride-to-be. Leppy regenerates on a space ship of the marines and a science team and starts killing them off in search of his bride-to-be and gold. The marines fight back, blah blah blah.

OPINION
This movie sucks so badly on so many levels. Firstly the acting. Warrick Davis plays the character just as well as he always has, tho he's been given some really crappy lines to say. But he doesn't fit in well with the bad dialog and speech of the other zany characters. The German doctor is a combination of German stereotypes of a cross between Hitler and Siegfried of Get Smart with a lot of Corporal Clinger or whoever it was from that show. He is just an annoying voice and the actor even lets his English accent slip through quite often. The Marine captain is a joke gone wrong. You cant even laugh at how bad it is, it's just pathetically bad. The other actors are somewhat trying to act, but they're not going to have and future roles offered to them from this movie, thats for sure. I recognized one of them from Jason Takes Manhattan and he must be kicking himself he's been in two stinker horror flicks. The leading roles are a guy and a girl who you just don't care for and wont be admitting they did this movie when people ask them about themselves.

EFFECTS: The effects are terrible. There is no death scene worth looking at here, cause they are all cut away shadow kind of things to leave to your imagination, cause they think its better that way but really it's because they spent all there money on the crappy CGI effects they put in.

I wouldn't even say the special effects of this movie where up to children's television standards. They where REALLY bad effects. The opening scene of them landing on the planet and a thunderstorm is around them as it pans to the cave they are in is super-dooper-BAD effects. I guess in 1997 they could claim there CGI technology wasn't so good... but who are they kidding, these graphics looked knocked up in about 5 minutes. Not to forget pointing out the unnecessary nudity of a women who flashes her breasts (that aren't worth looking at) because on her planet that is how her people give you the there version of the "kiss of death" ... uh-huh, more like brainless producers adding something they THINK will take your mind off the bad acting going on.

Even at the end for absolutely no reason the heroine loses her pants and runs around in a one piece swimsuit... gimme a break, it's just PATHETIC to throw that in for the hell of it. it WONT attract ANYONE but a desperate 12 year old not old enough to by porn and who's parents have net nanny on there computer. it's so lame. IT DOESN'T ADD ANYTHING TO THE MOVIE it takes it away.

No bonus features, thank god. i wouldn't have watched them anyhow. Theres just the trailers of part 1, 2, 3 and 5. This is the worst in the Leprechaun series. This whole movie should have been cut down to an hour and been a TV episode of some lame-horror show they would put on somewhere. Not good enough for the twilight zone or Tales From The Crypt..hell, not even Freddy's nightmares! It wasn't scary and I wouldn't say there is any form of gore anywhere in the movie. maybe they could make it an episode of Goosebumps seeing as how PG rated the whole thing is without the nudity that should be cut out for being the most useless and pathetic scene in the whole film. THATS WHAT GAVE IT AN R-RATING...JUST THAT PATHETIC LITTLE UN-NEEDED SCENE!!!!!! If that scene gets cut, its PG13!

If any of the actors in this film ever caught a leprechaun, there first wish would be that this movie never got made or they just weren't in it.

I cant dismiss it as the worst thing I've ever seen tho, I didn't get tired and want to turn it off, i kept watching it, to see how bad and lame it would get. And it does become lamer and lamer as it goes.

I give it one and a half stars. June 3, 2006

I am not Mitten-heim...

I am... MITTEN-SPIDER!!!

If you are opposed to a movie that includes that line, stop reading now. Even hardcore lep fans have been turned off by this amount of cheesiness.

Nearly everything in the movie is random. No explaination is even given for Lep being in space.

Random clothes get torn off.

There are even random, gratuitous breasts.

The acting and cinematography are on par with the Star Wars Christmas Special (that will automatically turn anyone off to this movie who has seen the Christmas special... that .02% of you).

That said it's a comedy goldmine. There's always an excuse to laugh at what's on the screen.

It has to be seen to believed, so I'll stop talking. If you're going to buy this movie, you know who you are. January 13, 2006

Killer Tomatoes

If you enjoyed "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" you will love this film. That really sums up the whole thing. Don't expect great special effects or deep story lines. It is simply a piece of mind candy that is loads of fun to watch and laugh at, it is packed with all the stereo types, cliches and cheesy effects you expect from a great B movie. After catching it at 3:00 AM on TV, I enjoyed it enough to buy a copy. This is the only one of the "Leprechaun" series that I bought, or ever will buy.
December 11, 2005

Leprechaun 4: In Space (Three Stars)

This review refers to the edition found in Trimark's "Leprechaun: Pot of Gore Collection" boxed set.

THE WHO'S WHO: Starring Warwick Davis, Brent Jasmer, Jessica Collins, Tim Colceri, Miguel A. Nunez Jr., Debbe Dunning, Gary Grossman, Rebekah Carlton, Rick Peters, Geoff Meed, Michael Cannizzo, Ladd York, Guy Siner. Score Composed By Dennis Michael Tenney. Directed By Brian Trenchard-Smith. (R) For Violence, Very Mild Gore, Profanity, Nudity and Mild Sexual Content; 95m.; 1996.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?: Most of the filmmakers who took the nasty little Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) to Las Vegas have returned to put him in outer space for this fourth entry in the long running series. Somewhere in the future, a team of marines arrive on the planet Ithacon to save the beautiful Princess Zarina (Rebekah Carlton) from a loathsome alien menace (our homicidal anti-hero) who wants to wed her so he can rule the universe as a king. Somewhere along the line, the mission's priorities are changed by the shifty Dr. Mittenhand (Guy Siner) who has a more scientific purpose in mind for the rescued princess. There's a variety of new elements being added to this sequel; some of them work while others fall horribly flat. The worst aspects come from contrived plot points involving genetic experimentation and flat, lackluster settings that make the production feel unnecessarily claustrophobic. Even the Leprechaun's lair in the opening moments of the movie feels tiny and cramped, unlike the beseeming scope of the one utilized in "Leprechaun 2". Another disheartening fact is Dennis Michael Tenney's score. One would think it would have been impossible for him to create a backdrop more bland than the one he composed for part three of the franchise, however he proves it can be done with this humdrum hack. Fortunately for die hard "Leprechaun" fanatics, the best aspects of the film far outweigh the drawbacks. The agreeably corny one-liners prove that director Brian Trenchard-Smith hasn't abandoned the taste for lunatic comedy he displayed in "Leprechaun 3". Gabe Bartalos has done another wonderful job on the Leprechaun's make-up, not to mention the superb craftsmanship he displays on another monstrous creation during the latter half of the film. But the highlight of this entry is the underappreciated cast who put more effort into the movie than it probably deserves. Jessica Collins is a delight as Dr. Tina Reeves, overshadowing Lee Armstrong's leading lady role from the prior film. Brent Jasmer is personable enough in his role as Sergeant "Books" Malloy, he just doesn't have the overwhelming natural charisma John Gatins had in "Leprechaun 3". Rebekah Carlton is good as the Dominian Princess Zarina while veteran actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. turns in another venerable performance as Sticks, adding to his list of horror credentials. Guy Siner makes a fair Dr. Mittenhand, but often times Gary Grossman steals scenes as Mittenhand's assistant Harold. The best support is provided by Tim Colceri as Sergeant Hooker. His transformation from a metal head marine into a transvestite assassin has to be seen to be believed. While the new cast stands out in this one, Warwick Davis' acting is old hat. He doesn't shimmer with the brilliant enjoyment he displayed in the previous three films. He's not exactly bored by the proceedings either, just overly familiar with the material he's been given. Overall, this is a fairly solid entry in a series that was slowly losing ground. With each passing installment, the filmmakers had to rely on new gimmicks to lure fans back to the franchise. While the addition of a space motif was a novel approach, true "Leprechaun" fans would have been just as happy to see our malicious villain stalking his victims back on Earth in a film more reminiscent of the first two entries.

THEY SAY THEY'RE SPECIAL BUT...: The 1.33:1 full screen for this film is the clearest presentation to grace a "Leprechaun" DVD yet, although its clarity does betray the monetary limitations of some of its special effects. Still, the colors are intense, flesh tones appear natural and black levels are deep and even. The accompanying audio track is full and bright, especially for a regular stereo sound track. There is also a Spanish language track on this film as well as English, Spanish and French subtitles. Subtitles are off-white in color and are fairly easy to read. The front cover for this DVD finds the beastly Leprechaun hovering in space with white/green lightning shooting forth from one of his fingers. Beneath him is a vehicular module next to a small American flag, both residing on the surface of some darkened, bleak outer space world. The back cover sports a bevy of photographs, information pertaining to the film and the twenty-four chapter stops which separate this ninety-five minute movie. The DVD itself is a silver-topped affair imprinted with the title of the film as well as other small bits of data. Opposite the disc is the exact same "Trimark DVD: The Ultimate in Home Entertainment" booklet that has bedecked the inner case of each previous entry to the series. Much like the other "Leprechaun" films, the only special feature found here is the original trailer (1:35) which is fairly funny and gives an accurate representation of the film's contents.

THE YOLK'S ON YOU: It's not much of a hidden feature, but it'll have to do. On the main menu for this disc, highlight the Trimark symbol in the lower right hand corner. You'll have access to trailers for the films "Leprechaun" (2:01), "Leprechaun 2" (1:16), "Leprechaun 3" (1:04), and "Leprechaun in the Hood" (once again displayed as "Leprechaun 5") (1:57).

THE LEWD AND NUDE ALERT: Viewers get to see former "Home Improvement" actress Debbe Dunning (as Delores) strut her stuff on the dance floor in a silver tank top and a pair of shorts. She also mimes milking one of her breasts before exiting for a tryst with her boyfriend Kowalski (Geoff Meed). We then get a few brief glimpses of her lovely breasts encased in a bra as she "shakes hands with the big guy". A vision of a nude Tina Reeves (Jessica Collins) appears outside a laboratory door, unfortunately Collins doesn't show anything revealing. That's a shame considering how enthralling she is. At least salacious viewers are treated to a few shots of her fine backside in tight clothing throughout the duration of the film. As an extra bonus, during the last act, Collins gets stripped of her red pants and spends the rest of the movie running around in a pair of little black panties. For those disappointed by the lack of nudity on Dunning or Collins' part, Princess Zarina (Rebekah Carlton) does give a very long view of her small but magnificent bosom just over an hour into the film.

THE GORE REPORT: In the early going, an alien life form gets fragged by an overanxious space marine, leaving quite an interesting carcass. One marine is reduced to a skeleton after encountering some flesh eating bacteria, though it's not a particularly gory scene. There are a few more smatterings of gore in other scenes, but there's nothing really worthwhile for cinematic bloodhounds to drool over.

SAY AGAIN: "Listen, you little pencil-necked geek! You give me the doctor...now, before I jerk out your teeth and sh*t down your throat!" - Sergeant Hooker (Tim Colceri). "Thank you, I've already had my lunch." - Harold (Gary Grossman).

THE FINAL SAY: Yes, I recommend buying this DVD. It's always a risky proposition to take an established horror character into the far reaches of outer space. While this fourth film doesn't live up to the expectations set by the original trilogy, it does feature some hilarious moments and should please anyone looking for a halfway decent time killer.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: "Crazy For the Guy" Performed By the Deborah Holland Trio. August 1, 2005

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