Death of a Unicorn review: A horned horror with satirical ambitions that miss the mark

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd star in this gory, capitalistic, and rich critiquing B-movie – that sadly seems to lack in sharpened wit.

How does a unicorn transition from cutesy, sparkly birthday mascot to sharp horned killer, whose entrails are covered? Death of a Unicorn, Alex Scharfman’s debut feature, somewhat attempts to answer the question in blood drenched satire which combines elements of horror, fantasy and class comedy.

The film is set to be released by hip indie studio A24, known for their ridiculous concepts, but the movie does feature some medieval tapestry and Ridley Scott film references. With all its flair and carnage and the killer premise, the film's serious self-sabotage is bound to happen.

Disclaimer - This article contains author's opinions. Reader's discretion is advised.

Death of a Unicorn - From mythical magic to monstrous mayhem

Paul Rudd portrays Elliot, a widowed dad who is taking his distraught daughter Ridley to an isolated estate, where Jenna Ortega gives a razor-sharp performance. Their relationship is not good, and both their sorrows can almost be felt until one day on a Canadian highway, everything changes.

They have a unicorn hit. It is not just a simple unicorn, but a special one that has healing blood. Also, its horn can send out a help message by electromagnetic signals.

Next comes the very madness they were afraid of, but that was still inevitable, in the company of pharmaceutical mogul Odell Leopold, played by Richard E. Grant, and who has become sick and is really close to death being on the lookout for a successor in Elliot.

Once the unicorn corpse is brought to the Leopold family's place, then the Leopolds — Odell, the unscrupulous wife Belinda (Téa Leoni), and their stoned son Shepard (Will Poulter) — will be turned into cartoon representations characterized by greed and with their only ambition being to get the creature's carcass for a quick buck. Eventually, a herd of angry unicorns starts to attack the place.

Sharp cast, blunt script

Jenna Ortega channels Winona Ryder excellently, showing off Goth sarcastic humor with cold and accurate remarks. Her Ridley is the spirit of emotions in the situation that appears to be a little absurd.

Rudd, who is usually charming, has not only used his "mild-mannered dad" acting style but has played a very safe role as well, which is too mild for the crazy atmosphere. Poulter takes the lead by showing everyone he is capable of leading in a comedy scene through wild energy and clown-like activities, and this is despite Grant, his role, who seems to be of little participation though he has a villain part.

Save for the key cast members, the screenplay by Scharfman does not have the necessary teeth to depict the story's humor.

Without a doubt, the similarities to the Sackler family's greed and Purdue Pharma Western movie other serious political characters encourage the viewers that the movie cannot fully dive into its satirical examination of the obsession of big businesses for wealth, or which may be running out of big short movies.

Rather than it being a deep-seated part of the escapades, it feels as if the writers wanted to turn it into a real cartoon.

Lo-fi aesthetic, high-concept chaos

Scharfman clearly presents a pulp, B-movie style — from comically bad CGI to artificial and stunning set designs. The unicorns, apart from having nasty intentions, often appear as pantomime horses while the visual effects look like they jumped right out of the 60s camp.

But underneath the nostalgia lies a certain attraction, reminiscent of old sci-fi movies of the '50s and the kind of low budget that cult classics are known for.

However, one can't expect just ambition to be enough to make a movie. Although all the gore and gleeful weirdness are clearly there in Death of a Unicorn, it is not the actual concept. The horror part is never that scary, the humor is often not funny, and the social satire is dull. As The New York Times remarked, it is an "all the way through a goof" — only that it sometimes forgets to be funny.

Verdict: A bloody good premise, undercut by shallow execution

I'll give this movie an 8/10⭐

Death of a Unicorn is very effective when it ridicules its own stupidity — killer unicorns, hallucinations produced by psychedelic horns, and everything. Nevertheless, when the film opts to be a nice lesson in society, it becomes a miserable fail or a hard-hitting pharmaceutical company.

Ortega and Poulter turn the material into gold, while the film's totally crazy spirit is impossible not to love. Sadly, this horned horror doesn’t end up as deep as the intention behind it.