Leprechaun 4: In Space

What a delightful sendup of other movies.

It follows the plot of Alien, throws in some gratuitous sex, makes fun of marines, scientists, and women who will do anything for jewelry, puts in a dash of cross-dressing and Dr. Strangelove.

THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS HORROR MOVIE. The first in the series was a serious horror movie, by this point, the series is comedy with a horror motif.

Creativity is a funny thing. It can either turn out be be brilliant and inspired, or can turn into utter crap. L4 is a very original, creatively done film, which approaches the genre from a unique perspective, a combination rip off of Alien and Dr. Strangelove. Not that it is any good, it is actually a horrible film, but hey, it is different. The horror sequences are silly and cheesy (Like when the antagonist crawls up a soldiers member), the attempts at humor fall flat. The whole thing is just dumb, but hey, bring some friends and have a day letting loose on it. Look for the little guy to flash the Trimark symbol of quality at the end.

Leprechaun 4 is that rare film that takes you to a place you never knew existed. In this case it's the world of everyone's favorite leprechaun who has somehow ended up roaming around in space and decides to terrorize some unsuspecting travelers.

The acting is horrendous, the special effects are ultra cheesy, and the story, well, what story? And that's why this film is so great! My favorite part is the decline of Dr. Mittenhand. It creates a parallel to the life of one man, his struggles, his torments, and his eventual transformation into some sort of demented spider/human hybrid. Who hasn't dealt with that same trama and those same pains in their own lives? When his metamorphosis is complete, and he declares his new identity in the heart-wrenching line, "I am no longer Mittenhand, I am Mittenspider!" it is a true milestone reached in cinema.

And of course the Leprechaun represents the antagonist in us all. Big evil comes in quite the small package. The leprechaun, in his quest for his gold, is simply a puppet of capitalism and corporate greed. I think we could all learn a big lesson from this little fellow.

So, to summarize, I give this film a 7, because it is slow at points, but the occasional leprechaun in the pants scene redeems it all. Bravo!

The series hit rock bottom with this awful entry. This time the leprechaun (Warwick Davis) is brought to life again and tries to woe a young woman who is searching for his gold. Terrible special effects and sets and premise. No scares and no humor this time around either. Even usually solid Warwick Davis seems to be just going through the motions. A very disappointing outing.

Most film critics will tell you that sequels are, as a rule, inferior to their predecessors. By there very nature they are derivative, the bastard child of what was once a good idea. Sequels, especially ones of highly successful films, are almost necessarily cursed with a dearth of creativity, made simply to make money, a cynical perversion of the "art" of moviemaking.

That's why you have to see Leprechaun 4: In Space. A fearless fourth in the Leprechaun horror series, In Space breaks rules that either aren't written yet, or simply could not be broken by celluloid alone. A completely original feat, it was borne not from a good idea, but a very, very, very bad one. It succeeds a highly unsuccessful film, and if there's anything it doesn't lack, it's creativity. And trust me when I say this, L4 (as I like to call it) was definitely not out to make money. Rent it now! Rent it today!