Death of a Unicorn Review: Paul Rudd & Jenna Ortega’s Unhinged Gorefest

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The movie “Death of a Unicorn” presents an unusual portrayal of the mythical creature with the iconic horn. Produced by A24 and Ari Aster (of Hereditary and Midsommar fame), this film delivers a daring, unapologetic take on the legendary unicorn, offering a different perspective from the fluffy image depicted by Agnes in Despicable Me. Despite some flaws, the movie manages to maintain an appealing level of madness.

Paul Rudd plays the character Elliot Kintner, a man who is traveling with his teenage daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega), heading to meet with his employer. The movie starts off showing us an important aspect of Elliot’s personality. On the plane, Ridley dozes off and rests her head on Elliot’s shoulder. Elliot drops a work-related document, and at first, he hesitates to disturb Ridley, but in the end, he reaches for the paper, causing Ridley’s head to strike the armrest. This one action demonstrates how much Elliot cherishes his daughter, yet he values his job enough to let his daughter experience some discomfort. The rest of the script develops and explores this theme as it takes us along on the emotional voyage of these characters.

The trip doesn’t fully live up to its potential, especially towards the end, as it follows some familiar patterns. However, first-time director Alex Scharfman delivers a commendable performance in this film, having spent years as a movie producer previously. He skillfully chooses Paul Rudd for a part that allows him to deviate from his typical roles. This role is distinctly different from his recent appearances in Marvel and Ghostbusters, stripping much of his natural charm from the film. The character Elliot is generally well-meaning, which elicits some sympathy due to his struggle as a single father trying to support his daughter who yearns for her mother. Yet, he’s not an easy character to support from the outset.

In the beginning, an unexpected incident occurs when Elliot unintentionally hits a magical creature resembling a unicorn. As we’re introduced to a vibrant assortment of characters that Elliot aspires to impress, Richard E. Grant and Téa Leoni portray the quirky parents, both talented actors who relish their roles in this film. Anthony Carrigan also gives an exceptional performance as the family’s butler. However, it is Will Poulter who shines brightest as Shepard, the eldest son. Every word he speaks and every action he takes is pure comedic gold, making him a hilarious gem of the movie.

In the initial 40-45 minutes, the film “Death of a Unicorn” skillfully explores the predicament faced by characters Elliot and Ridley, where Elliot is desperate to impress his family while they’re stuck with a near-dead unicorn in their vehicle, and Ridley yearns to escape the house and aid the unicorn. However, towards the beginning, the film seems to slow down a bit, particularly when there are several instances of Ridley conducting research on unicorns. The movie might have been more engaging if it had revealed less about the unicorns upfront, allowing us to learn about them through interactions rather than through research.

After dealing with all that, things start to become much more exciting! We witness our initial ‘unicorn kill’ and the film amps up significantly. It offers plenty of gory, action-packed sequences for those who enjoy such content and still manages to be quite enjoyable. The movie maintains a light-hearted, comedic atmosphere throughout, refusing to take itself too seriously and incorporating character development within this absurd scenario. At times, the visuals can seem a bit drab when characters are in dark forests. However, the film truly shines when they must evade unicorns inside a massive, opulent mansion belonging to a wealthy family.

In the movie, there’s a hint of ideas suggesting redistribution of wealth among the wealthy, particularly with the absurdly affluent family depicted. However, it doesn’t fully explore or emphasize this theme as profoundly as one might expect. Despite being quite amusing, the horror elements seem to follow a rather straightforward and predictable path. The frightening moments often occur exactly when you anticipate them, making it more of a comedic film than an authentic horror experience. However, the playful tone suits this movie well, given its self-aware nature and lack of ambition beyond that.

In addition, the transition to daytime in the last act seems overly sudden and disruptive when compared to earlier scenes. It’s as if a significant time gap has been skipped, with a substantial portion of the film appearing to disappear. However, despite these minor issues, Death of a Unicorn remains entertaining and amusing. It’s a decent realization of an extraordinary concept, even though it might not live up to its full potential. With its strong acting, this film is just enough to put a smile on your face.

SCORE: 6/10

According to the explanation provided by ComingSoon’s review policy, a rating of 6 corresponds to “Decent.” However, it falls short of realizing its true potential and offers an ordinary, unremarkable experience.

Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Death of a Unicorn review.

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2025-03-28 00:40