Death of a Unicorn: Film Review
I didn’t need to know much about Death of a Unicorn before putting it on my watchlist. A unicorn comedy-horror starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd? Sold! Unfortunately, despite some fun moments, this is ultimately underwhelming.
Alex Scharfman‘s feature directorial debut follows widowed corporate lawyer Elliot (Rudd) as he drags his teenage daughter, Ridley (Ortega), along for a weekend stay at the scenic estate of his employer, pharmaceutical boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). On the journey there, Elliot hits a unicorn with his car and takes the wounded animal to the mansion. Once they discover the unicorn’s purple blood has magical healing properties – and could potentially cure cancer – the Leopolds try to take as much of the unicorn as they can. That’s until its parents show up!
Death of a Unicorn is a silly film that needed to have more self-awareness and lean into its ridiculous conceit as much as possible. There are moments of goofiness, of course, but Scharfman uses the unicorn concept to make an eat-the-rich satire that descends into full-blown horror territory in the final act. I find the eat-the-rich genre very appealing, and while this doesn’t add anything new to it, there is still some sharp social commentary to enjoy (“Philanthropy is just reputation laundering for the oligarchy”).
Overall, this is tonally confusing, and Scharfman struggles to balance the comedy and the horror, particularly when it becomes an all-out gorefest towards the end. Scharfman needed to make a more decisive tonal choice for this to really shine. After all, this revolves around murderous unicorns – it should have been a blast and a silly, fun-filled ride. But it’s not consistently funny, and it’s not particularly scary either, although the horror moments were deliciously bloody and gory. Just don’t examine the CGI too closely.
Rudd and Ortega may have top billing, but Will Poulter is the star of the show as Odell’s clueless, insufferable son Shepard, who wears tiny shorts and loafers with no socks. He is brilliant. I reckon 80% of my laughs were down to Poulter, thanks to his line deliveries, facial expressions and the tone-deaf things he comes out with. Anthony Carrigan is also amusing as the family’s long-suffering butler Griff. Elsewhere, Ortega grounds the whole affair as the voice of reason, and Rudd surprisingly plays an unlikeable, spineless corporate stooge who listens to the Leopolds more than his own daughter.
I laughed at Death of a Unicorn more than most people in my screening, but it still fell short of the laugh-out-loud riot I wanted it to be.
In cinemas from Friday 4th April