Leprechaun 4: In Space
1996
Starring
Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun
Brent Jasmer as Brooks Malloy
Guy Siner as Dr. Mittenhand
Jessica Collins as Dr. Tina Reeves
Rebekah Carlton as Princess Zarina
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Sticks
The Leprechaun series reaches new heights as we venture into the final frontier. Star Warwick Davis is no stranger to being in a galaxy far, far away, and soon makes the rest of the cast regret their decision to ever cross a leprechaun and his gold. One of the first of the horror series to have a sequel set in space in the far future, this one is tongue and cheek over the top, completely borrows from several movies, throws in almost every sci-fi cliche imaginable, and yet somehow manages to be an enjoyable movie. How this was accomplished is a mystery to me. The fact that it was pulled off is one of the miracles of modern times, or maybe it was just the luck of the Irish. Why is the Leprechaun in space in the first place, you may ask? The answer is a closely guarded secret. Because it doesn’t exist.
It’s the future, in space. The Space Marines are preparing to launch a search and destroy mission for an alien creature, who just happens to be the Leprechaun. Old Leppy has been pilfering gold shipments so the space marines are there to shoot off his Blarney Stones. Their Sergeant Hooker has half his head replaced by a metal plate, and our main character is Sgt. Brooks Malloy, who looks like Frank Stallone meets Joey Travolta. Debbie Dunning from Home Improvement is also among the space marines, playing the Vasquez-based marine. Rounding out the Marines you should pay attention to is Sticks, played by Miguel A. Núñez Jr., as the token black guy. The unit is assigned a female Dr. Reeves to accompany them on their mission to collect samples of dead aliens. This is reinforced by the commander of the ship, Dr. Mittenhand (“Mittenhand”?), an eccentric German scientist who speaks to the crew only by TV monitors.
On the planet, we see the Leprechaun has kidnapped himself a Princess, Zarina, who he intends to marry and become a king, which has always been his dream. Princess Zarina is swayed by the large amount of jewelry the Leprechaun displays for her, at least until the Space Marines arrive. Space Marine number one gets himself carved up by a green lightsaber wielded by the Leprechaun. That’s the only one he knocks off for now, as the rest of the Space Marines arrive guns blazing. Leprechaun and them have a shootout, but it ends tragically with the death of the Leprechaun as he is blown to bits jumping on a grenade saving his princess from harm. The firefight over, the Space Marines prepare to head back, but first one of them takes a whiz on the corpse of the Leprechaun, where he gets some green electricity zapping up into him. Haven’t people learned by now it’s never that easy? The Leprechaun is just getting started! In space.
Back on the ship it’s party time for the Space Marines, and Dr. Tina Reeves tries to heal the injured Princess Zarina. Wormy assistant Harold bugs her and annoys Dr. Mittenhand as well. At the party, Debbie Dunning and the Pee Space Marine wander off for some sex, only to have the Leprechaun emerge from the pants of Pee Space Marine instead of his wang. This understandably kills the pee-happy lad, and sends Debbie Dunning screaming. Back at the party, Brooks strikes out with Dr. Reeves. Good luck next time. Leppy toys around with Debbie Dunning, and she manages to escape and warn the others.
While Harold is perving on the unconscious Princess Zarina, they make a discovery that her body regrows missing parts, as her injured hand rebuilds itself. This gives Dr. Mittenhand some hope, as we shall see why later, and experiments are planned. The Space Marines go into the garbage disposal areas to hunt down the Leprechaun, but that just ends with a space marine being devoured by flesh eating bacteria. Of the future. In space. The space marines have had enough and confront Dr. Mittenhand, who emerges from isolation, and is revealed to be just a head and an arm connected to a mechanical body. As now it is clear that they are staying so he can regrow himself a body, he renegotiates their contracts for 100 times what they were being paid if they kill the Leprechaun, and they agree. The Leprechaun wants the Princess as well, and will not be detoured by a bunch of space jarheads.
Debbie Dunning becomes a railing kill victim, and then the Leprechaun is off to where Dr. Mittenhand is at, but first he smashes Harold’s face into a pancake. Dr. Mittenhand and him trade barbs, before Leprechaun gets his princess back, and they take the DNA concoction he was going to drink and add some spiders and scorpions, then inject Mittenhand with that. The remaining Space Marines arrive, chasing him into a back room. The Leprechaun takes Sergeant Hooker hostage, and then Princess Zarina bares her breasts to the remaining cast members. And what lovely breasts they are. This is because on her planet if the Princess bares her breasts, it’s a death sentence. Or it’s the sign of scriptwriters giving her and excuse to run around topless that doesn’t involve her having Leprechaun sex. As the good guys are now down to Brooks, Dr. Reeves, and Sticks, they have little time to ponder their fate of being marked to death by Princess Boobies and must go save their Sergeant. Leprechaun has him doing nightclub numbers in drag in the party room. While Our Heroes are dealing with this, Leprechaun sets off the self-destruct for 15 minutes, and goes looking for his gold.
Eventually they have to kill Sergeant Hooker, and it is revealed he is really a robot. During the fracas, Dr. Mittenhand has been reborn as Dr. Mittenspider. Sticks is sent to the bridge to try to stop the auto-destruct, where he encounters Dr. Mittenspider, who is hungry. Leprechaun finds his gold, but finds it all shrunk down thanks to Mittenhand’s shrink ray. As Brooks and Dr. Reeves shoot at him, he gets hit by the ray, only it is reversed to grow ray form, and he becomes huge. Dr. Reeves is sent to the bridge to help Sticks, and Brooks fights the now giant Leprechaun alone. Various attacks from Dr. Mittenspider tear away most of Dr. Reeves’ clothes, a process started earlier in the film by other elements, so she is now in just a tank top and underwear. Not that I’m complaining. Giant Leprechaun continues the parallels to Aliens by getting sucked into space, where he promptly explodes, due to bad science. Or maybe Leprechauns just explode in vacuums, I cannot say.
Brooks races to the bridge, Dr. Mittenspider having been taken out earlier, the three of them come up with the password that shuts down the auto-destruct in the nick of time. Meanwhile, in space, no one can hear the pieces of the Leprechaun scream. But they can see his giant hand give them the finger, which they heartily say “Same to you, buddy!” and our picture comes to a close.
By far the best Leprechaun/space movie ever made, and is pretty good campy fun. Dr. Mittenhand is a great German Scientist stereotype who reminds you of Dr. Evil (and Blofeld from James Bond, naturally) though this movie came out a few months before Austin Powers. It throws in most science fiction staples, the only major missing components are cute robots or cute aliens. The movie borrows heavily from Aliens, and one thinks if Starship Troopers had been out at that time, they would have borrowed a lot from there as well. Maybe when Leprechaun is done in the hood he’ll go back into space for another adventure. One can only hope. I give this movie 2 four-leaf clovers (an 8 for you normal people.)
Rated 8/10 (infected pee, flattened head, still can’t dance in the future, injected, swordfish, metal head, suave Leprechaun, eaten by flesh eating bacteria)
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