Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
A24 has made recent efforts to broaden the material they produce. Here, “Death of a Unicorn” takes some beats from “Jurassic Park” and mashes it up into a wonky story of its own. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star as a father daughter pair, who’s relationship has deteriorated after the passing of their mother. They travel to a business retreat, where the father attempts to impress his bigshot pharmaceutical clients. But on the way they hit a unicorn, transporting it back to the client’s home to avoid police investigation. Once the family sees the majestic animal, they waste no time finding the nourishing elements of the unicorn’s body. But the group fails to realize that an angry family of unicorns want their child back, willing to do anything to get it back.
Positives:
The premise didn’t do much for me upon the release of its trailer, but I decided to give it a chance. I’ll admit the film has fun to be had, creating a whimsical sense of humor and horror throughout its ridiculous plot. The film’s remote location in the woods is perfect for a story like this, creating an opportunity for a mythological creature to be lurking in the woods. But the twist of giving unicorns a murderous rampage of revenge was equally hilarious and horrifying. The film attempts to subvert genre expectations by being a comedy, slasher, and family drama all at once. While the tones could have been balanced better, I enjoyed how the story explores different ideas. Whether it be highlighting the importance of family, respect of animals, or greedy exploitation, each idea gets time to be explored while not being preachy.
The performances were enjoyable too. Paul Rudd plays the biggest jerk of his career, although he gets a nice arc by the end. Jenna Ortega gives a similar performance as she has in the past but her portrayal of an angsty teen does the job nicely. Richard E. Grant and Téa Leoni do a great job hamming it up as the greedy pharmaceutical executives. But Will Poulter is the performance worth highlighting as their snobby rich son. The film never lacks creativity, which is great in a story like this. The formula of the original “Jurassic Park” movie is evident, where people are wielding a power that they don’t understand, ignoring the consequences for scientific development and profits. Then, things go very wrong once nature is unleashed. But the absurdity of seeing killer unicorns coming after these people is undeniably fun. This isn’t a game changer but it’s certainly a fun excursion.
Negatives:
Although I appreciate the unique approach, the film lacks cohesion. First time director Alex Scharfman gets a lot right but fails to balance the tonal shifts. I’m not naturally drawn to horror-comedies so this was already a tough sell. The tone fluctuates at strange times, never finding a good balance between horror, comedy, and drama. It feels as if audiences are being jerked back and forth, never committing to one tone enough. The many tones also reflect the ideas being explored as well. The themes never get enough time to develop, instead covering too many topics to feel warranted. If the film abandoned one tone and decided to focus on less themes, the story would flow much better. The CGI on the unicorns is also lackluster compared to many big studio films. This didn’t bother me too much because the film is silly in nature, so the campy presentation almost felt natural.
Conclusion:
While “Death of a Unicorn” is rough around the edges, the creative gambles pay off enough to recommend a watch. The cast does a nice job in their respective roles and the story has some thoughtful ideas it explores. But the jumbled tone conflicts within its own story at times, making these ideas feel undercooked. Those looking for a wonky, off the beaten path experience should definitely check this one out. But if a story about killer unicorns mowing down greedy pharmaceutical executives doesn’t sound entertaining, skip it. Personally, I enjoyed it more than expected.
