The origin film is a staple of the now, insanely popular and relatively commonplace, superhero genre. In only mention this due to the title of seventh film in the generally goofy "Leprechaun" series. "Leprechaun: Origins" is the first film in a little over a decade, since Warwick Davis reprised one of his most notable roles in "Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood." That title alone should give you an idea of what the series was all about, six films in. Serving as a reboot to the series and a return to the more horrific roots of its parent genre, "Leprechaun: Origins," at least by title alone would evoke images of how everything in the prior six films came to be. Add in Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl, a WWE wrestler whose entire career has been based around playing a leprechaun and we have a recipe for an "authentic" leprechaun-tinged horror film. Right?

Following a foreboding, although hackneyed and uninspired opening, which, sadly is the film's most thrilling moment, "Leprechaun: Origins" establishes a sad fact: we will see very little of our title character. Instead, we get straight from "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" a less technically sound version of the raptor attack in the tall grass, only two unwitting nameless humans are the prey to our still unseen Irish imp. Fast cut to what is intended to be our band of heroes, an indistinguishable cast of twentysomethings who find themselves in Ireland for a generally unclear reason, and "Leprechaun: Origins" begins a slow, pointless death march to the end bafflingly long end credits (seriously, the film only runs 75-minutes and the credits are at least 12-minutes).,

The only real appeal of the original "Leprechaun" saga, beside the descent into pure camp of the latter films, is Warwick Davis' performance. Managing to be equally creepy and funny, Davis' work deserves more praise than it gets. Being a WWE fan, I expected that Postl would at least bring some sort of screen presence; I was horribly wrong. Postl's incarnation of the Leprechaun is behind heavy makeup, looking more like the offspring of Pumpkinhead than a creature of popular Irish folklore. We rarely get a good look at the creature and Postl's appearance wasn't headlines on the DVD cover, I could have easily been tricked a the creature being a CGI creation. Oh yeah, he has his own yellow-green Predator-esque vision that director Zach Lipovsky can't even utilize to create the most generic horror-like atmosphere.

There really is a logical explanation for everything that happens in the film buried amidst the poorly edited meandering mess that made the final cut. The creepy, stereotypical backwoods Irish villagers did something awful and our cast of collegians are collateral. I honestly don't know what is more insufferable about the film though: the meandering, poorly acted storyline or the terribly staged leprechaun attacks that don't even provide any shocking gory moments expected from a low-budget horror offering. Postl's imp is a pale imitation of Davis' maniacal menace and furthermore, one of the least scary horror film creations I've ever witnessed. Only the dizzying, low-fi score managed to induce any feeling in my mind other than sheer boredom. The bottom line is don't be fooled by the title, "Leprechaun: Origins" is a pathetic reboot having nothing to do with the original and of similar quality to other lesser horror reboots, namely "Hellraiser: Revelations."

The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is a major disappointment. Colors have an overall desaturated quality to them, while detail is below average, hampered by very apparent DNR. Contrast is a tad too high and the image in general barely looks like standard definition.

The Audio

The Dolby Digital English 5.1 audio track is mildly impressive at times, with decent surround effects during the disorienting leprechaun attacks. Dialogue is clean and clear, while low-end effects are used to moderate effect. English and Spanish subtitles are included. The Extras

Two disposable featurettes house the special features section: "Leprechaun: A Legend Reborn" and "Behind the Blood."

Final Thoughts

A poorly sketched plot, supplemented by equally inferior set pieces, "Leprechaun: Origins" is a complete waste of time and effort for all involved. Add to that a DVD presentation of sub par quality and I'd argue the most bottom barrel Netflix horror offering is going to entertain before this. Skip It.