Trimark Pictures presents

Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)

Harold: May I say what an honor is is to be working with such a great genius?
Dr. Mittenhand: And may I say how much I loathe and despise toadies like you?
Harold: Thank you. And may I say what an honor it is to be despised by such a magnificent mind?
Dr. Mittenhand: Oh, shut up.- Gary Grossman, Guy Siner

Stars: Warwick Davis, Brent Jasmer, Debbie Dunning
Other Stars: Rebekah Carlton, Brent Jasmer, Tim Colceri, Guy Siner
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith

MPAA Rating: R for (strong horror violence and gore; sexuality)
Run Time: 01h:34m:52s
Release Date: 2001-02-27
Genre: horror

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
C-	D+	C	C-	D-

 

DVD Review

In the future: Everyone will drink out of plastic glasses from IKEA.

After the release of the third Leprechaun movie, the producers were stuck. Let's see... where to go with the franchise? We've done the abandoned farm. We've done Vegas. Hey, I know! Space! Brilliant! Give that man a raise! What? He's a loon who wandered in off the street? Well, hire him, THEN give him a raise!

In the future: Napkins will be triangular.

Yeah, so, the leprechaun goes to space. Uh huh. Wow, is it as good as it sounds? Well, depending on your interpretation, yes or no. Yes, it is about as good as a movie about a leprechaun in space sounds. No, it isn't as good as you'd expect. I'm trying to be subtle here.

Now, you ask, how can I criticize this movie after my oh-so-clever (gag) review of the third Leprechaun movie, which was incidentally set in Vegas (the movie, not my review)? Well, Mr. or Ms. Smarty-Pants, I'll have you know the screenplay for that film showed that the producers had at least a modicum of wit and intelligence. Sure, the plot was absurd, but the dialogue was clever in spots, and laugh out loud funny in others, with nicely drawn, eccentric characters. No, really!

In the future: Disco balls will be widely used on spaceships.

So, this time, the film occurs in space. Because leprechauns aren't from Ireland at all. Ah, I see. Also, any continuity with the series has been shed. No, the leprechaun is no longer motivated by the theft of his gold; he wants to be king of the universe. You decide which is more plausible. Plus, he doesn't speak in verse anymore. I guess it was tough to come up with something that rhymed with "Venus." Anyway, ol' short and ugly is wooing a porn-starish alien queen on some desolate rock when a bunch of marines swoop in to rescue her. They explode the little guy real good, but he manages to hitch a ride back to the ship in a memorable nod to Alien. Ok, not so much memorable as stupid. So, the leprechaun emerges on the ship, from whence he shall come to club the dim-witted until they are dead. Amen.

In the future: Breasts will be large and plastic-y.

The acting is pretty much what you'd expect. Some people seem to have a sense of the intended tone of the film (Guy Siner as Dr. Mittenhand is probably the high point), but we still have our reliable cast of cardboard horror stars (except, oddly, for Debbie Dunning from Home Improvement). I say, if you can't deliver a line as believably as a porn actress, then maybe you should look into other professions. Just not porn acting.

The production values are actually pretty good. The CG effects are worse than those in The Last Starfighter, but the sets and costumes actually look decent, easily on par with Babylon 5. Well, except for the disco ball thing. Not the best choice.

Of course, I realize ranting about how bad this movie is seems a bit stupid. After all, the producers weren't trying to make a scary, effective addition to the horror genre; they were trying to mimic the balance of gore and comedy present in the previous film. Unfortunately, whatever elements of style or satire were in Leprechaun 3 have vanished. Behold, a new era of stupidity dawns.

In the future: This movie will still not be worth your time or money.

Rating for Style: C-
Rating for Substance: D+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: The image quality on this disc is somewhat better than the previous film in the series, but there are still some problem areas. At least the colors look good—well saturated and natural. Unfortunately, the black level is somewhat of a problem, with many darker scenes looking washed out and showing some excessive grain. The image is a bit soft on the whole as well.

Image Transfer Grade: C
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
PCM	English, Spanish	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The "surround" track is such only in name. Everything is isolated to the front soundstage, with an unimpressive mix between the center and front mains. Dialogue sounds a bit flat but is always understandable. Music tends to sound a bit shrill and unsupported, and sound effects sound harsh as well.

Audio Transfer Grade: C- 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 24 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, Spanish, French with remote access
1 Original Trailer(s)
Packaging: Amaray
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: Mercifully, only the trailer.

Extras Grade: D-
 

Final Comments

Look, if you really want to see a movie about a murderous leprechaun, make it Leprechaun 3. The discs are of equal quality, but Leprechaun 4 just doesn't cut the evil cereal mascot mustard. Of course, why would you expect any film with the title modifier In Space to be any good?

Joel Cunningham 2001-03-21