Leprechaun in the Hood (2000) Review: Check Out Ice-T’s Pimp Hand
“Lep in the Hood, come to do no good!”Synopsis: When three rappers want to get even with a pimp, they accidentally unleash a leprechaun who goes on a killing rampage in the ‘hood. | Watch now on Amazon |
Calamity Brains:
The Leprechaun series is all over the place in terms of quality and watchability. In the Hood, as the 5th entry, is still squarely in the camp side of things, but loses some of the over-the-top cheekiness we saw in Leprechaun 3 and Leprechaun 4. Instead, it tries for a splash of social commentary and some overly juvenile jokes, neither of which is an improvement. Still, with the addition of Ice-T, the movie remains watchable – and you’ll find yourself laughing rather than cringing at least a few times.
This odd and often disturbing blaxploitation parody of inner city life has a trio of young “good guy” hoods trying to make it big. Despite their general naivete and innocence, they still opt to make their dreams come true by stealing enough to fuel their big break. They decide to target pimp/record exec Ice-T, who happens to have captive one leprechaun (Warwick Davis). In the ensuing struggle, the leprechaun is naturally freed, and starts murdering everyone.
There are a lot of fun, silly, and just plain odd scenarios in this movie. A lot of the jokes miss their mark for me, and I was often torn between cringing and laughing. Still, at least the offensiveness is offered fairly equitably and with a sense of fun.* In the end, Leprechaun 5 is entertaining enough… but you’ll probably want a drink or some company to get through the transgender jokes and church rap.
*Tech Times has a [concerningly] in-depth piece on Leprechaun 5’s blaxploitation roots and subversive comedy that somehow manages to both make the movie sound more and less watchable.
Calamity Brains’ Rating: C
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