The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)

I thought this movie was excellent. The acting, casting, script, direction, special effects and music were flawless. A warm-hearted visit to the land of Irish folk tradition and mythology, with adventure, romance and surprises at every turn.The script and screenplay were so well done that it is the best movie I have seen this year. The movie shows us just how good of a dramatic actor Randy Quaid is. Whoopi Goldberg is on-screen for maybe four minutes altogether, and cudos to the director John Henderson for understanding that her intensity works best in small doses. Colm Meaney was brilliant as Seamus (King of the Kerry Leprechauns).Roger Daltry was surprisingly good and did an inspired job as a somewhat receding and inept King of the Fairies. His acting job was particularly good in view of the fact that most of his fans remember him as leader of the dramatic and brash group The Who^.Daniel Betts (as Mickey Muldoon ) and Caroline Carver as Princess Jessica are one of the most attractive couples I have ever seen on screen. Zoe Wanamaker was great (as always) as Seamus' wife, Mary. Orla Brady plays a powerful woman, and it is heart-warming to see her fall in love with Jack (Randy Quaid).I could have easily issued nine stars to The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns. If some of the second and third battle scenes had been substituted with or altered (softened) by scenes of Irish magical spells confounding both sides, I would have. Certainly, Mickey and Jessica could have taught Jack and Kathleen these rituals and joined forces with the humans to thwart the aggression.The love scene underneath the barren tree was beautiful. My review would be incomplete if I did not mention the vivid characters played by Tony Curran (as Sean Divine) and Frank Finlay (as General Bulstrode). Obviously, everybody from hair and wardrobe on up was at the top of their game in this movie. A film with a great amount of kindness and imagination that missed a beat only during the later battles.Also, it has a great ending. I am grateful to all involved for this movie, and it is going into my permanent collection. (It's been over a year since I've added a film to it).

Considering this should really be filmed in Ireland, it was a shame to see my local home of Cornwall used for just about every scene!! How they got the surfers out of the water at Watergate Bay, Nr Newquay i will never know!! Shame about some of the special effects this could have been done so much better. Nice story though. Unfortunately, Randy Quaid cannot get away from his character in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. All I could think about was his RV and dumping the toilet waste down the drains!! Think they needed someone unknown to take the lead role. Very disappointed to see Whoopi Goldberg as the Banshee -stick to wearing a nuns habit please!!!

Faries, leprechauns, magic, commedy. A wonderful little world of magic, fantasy and beauty combined with love stories and a beautiful soundtrack.An amazing picture for the whole family

A nice story of Leprechauns and Fairies. It stars Randy Quaid in probably his most subtle role to date, which is fitting and appreciated. Colm Meaney is excellent as the leprechaun, Seamus Muldoon. This movie falls a little short of being a classic in the fantasy genre, but it's a decent enough tale for the St. Patrick's Day season. It was made for television, so it lacks a little of the bigger production but the costumes are good and the special effects aren't bad. Probably the biggest fault of this movie is it's running time at nearly 3 hours. It has a fair bit of romance thrown in along with the battles in the forest, Irish song & dance, and other bits of merriment. I think the wee ones might be more patient with this epic length movie, while older folks may grow a bit weary waiting for it to play out.**1/2 (Out of 4)