Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood

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We've reached a milestone, ladies & gentlemen! Here we have the first 'No-Brainer' review that is the sequel to a former review on the list. By this point, the 'Leprechaun' series has essentially fallen into the comedy/horror subgenre because, honestly, ARE we supposed to take this seriously? The titles of the two 'Leprechaun: Hood' movies are enough to make one wonder if these are meant to be as goofy as they are. All that said, however, it's still a "Hood movie" directed by a white dude named Steven Ayromlooi. So there's also that.

The film opens with an animated prologue that, in all honesty, is actually pretty cool. Revealing the origins of Leprechauns, we find that they were summoned by an ancient king for protection of his gold. When the king one day passed, the Leprechauns all went back to their places of origin except one named Lubdan (Warwick Davis). Through the years of his life, he goes full-Gollum, obsessing about the gold he stayed behind to guard. For the real origins on Leprechauns, look into Irish folklore - things get pretty interesting over there! Anyway, the film then moves to present day where Father Jacob (Willie C. Carpenter) finds the gold, has a struggle with the Leprechaun, and manages to banish him by summoning demonic hands, just before he dies from his injuries in the fight.

Fast-forward one year... what was the point in that last scene? Don't bother asking. We move on to a couple of friends, Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and Lisa Duncan (Sherrie Jackson) who have their fortune told by a psychic named Esmeralda (Donzaleigh Abernathy). She warns them that they will come upon great wealth, but it must be turned away, or else it will summon an ancient evil. The Leprechaun's gold is later found by Emily, and split between four friends; Emily, Lisa, an ex-boyfriend named Rory (Laz Alonso) and stoner, Jamie Davis (Page Kennedy). With the intention to use it for their financial problems, the group finds themselves on the run from the killer Leprechaun. So, same old story, different movie, basically.

Just to take a look at what may perhaps be obvious already, yes, there are plenty of stereotypes going on here. It's often a bit much. But at the same time, I have to admit that most of what the Leprechaun does is actually hilarious at times. The guy smokes a bong and laughs so hard he falls over, and has a funny phone conversation at one point, describing himself to the girl on the other end. The funniest part about it is just how polite he is for such an evil character. It's all so stupid but I can't deny I laughed at that stupidity. I actually almost wanna say that it's worth checking out just for how stupid it is.

I'm not entirely sure if there's really a such thing as a good 'Leprechaun' movie (although I do have a lot of fun with the first one, and some, I haven't seen yet) but there is something fun about... well, parts of this. Other parts that reach for comedy in this, however, are also pretty awkward. As mentioned before, stereotypes do play a big role here, and in the meantime, the plot is the same as ever - just a chase involving a Leprechaun and whoever steels his gold. It's just as silly and stupid and off the wall as it sounds, so take that as you will. It's not a high recommendation for a good-bad movie, but if the curiosity hits you for something this weird, I also say go for it. Just keep in mind, the laughs are mostly for all the wrong reasons.

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