- Release year: 2025
- Director: Alex Scharfman.
- Producers: Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Theresa Steele Page, and Alex Scharfman.
- Screenplay by: Alex Scharfman.
- Cinematography by: Larry Fong.
- Music by: Giosuè Greco and Dan Romer.
Synopsis: after running over a unicorn, a man and his daughter meet up with his filthy rich boss, who’s got some ideas on what to do with the animal.
Shotgun Commentary: eat-the-rich narrative with killer unicorns and zero innovation.
Review
Death of a Unicorn is a horror comedy that provides nice entertainment without necessarily being unforgettable or life-changing. As far as stories go, this one is as predictable as can be, which makes for the perfect “comfortable horror” experience for audiences who are still acclimating to the horror genre.
The Menu (2022) meets King Kong (1933) in this careful-what-you-wish for story about humanity’s greed and the insatiable thirst for money and power of the higher classes. The story itself is pretty amusing, with the unicorn factor as its main attraction and source of mystery.
Every work of art depicts these mythological creatures as they wish, which makes them unique in every single representation, thus a new mystery every time. Still, if one was to compare this particular version, it is remarkably similar to the unicorn featured in Supernatural (2005-2020), mostly in the attitude. Then again, the animal’s time on screen in the show is a matter of seconds, so the film’s version is understandably more elaborated.
Villains’ tails
Unicorns aside, the story is pretty simple. A family of immensely rich people take advantage of the best worker in their company to get as much profit as possible from the death of the head of the family. That is, until the unicorn is discovered and changes their plans into profiting from the animal. Essentially, rich people abusing everything around them, nothing new there.
As for the cast, the rich family is formed by Richard E. Grant as Odell, head of the family, Téa Leoni as Belinda, Odell’s wife, and Will Poulter as their son, Shepard. Grant’s roles are pretty much limited to rich, heartless men, so there’s not much novelty there, as for Leoni and Poulter, they both have played really similar roles in the past. In conclusion, neither the story nor the characters have an ounce of novelty in them.
Death of a hero
Sadly, the protagonists are in the exact same position. Jenna Ortega plays rebel teenager Ridley, the only character who actually has a clue but is too indie for people to take her seriously. Ortega is making a career out of the same type of role, which is great considering she plays it so well. Still, one can’t help but wish she did something outside the Burton sphere once in a while…
Naturally, Ridley’s father Elliot, as a lovable man with lots of insecurities and defects who gets bullied but actually has a good heart, could only be played by Paul Rudd. This might be the most annoying type casting of all because the development of the character actually allows you to have hope.
You think that, maybe, just this once, a Paul Rudd character will be a bit different from all the other Paul Rudd characters. Well, this critic is here to tell you, abandon all hope. Much like Ortega’s rebel teens, Grant’s cruel billionaires, Leoni’s posh capitalists, and Poulter’s clueless a-holes, Rudd keeps holding on to the one role he knows. Then again, so does De Niro, and he’s still kicking, so who can blame any of them…
All in all, Death of a Unicorn is an alright film. It delivers just the right amount of average entertainment for a fun cinematic experience. Nonetheless, it is not a great loss if you wait for it to come out on streaming or to pop randomly on your TV. The unicorn depiction is quite interesting, but every thing else is pretty much as you imagine it to be. No great shocks or revelations on sight.
Thanks to EFD for big-screen access! Death of a Unicorn will be released the 4th of April.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Always listen to the person who has actually done some research.
- Don’t blame others for your choices.
- To be afraid to try new things. You know, different shoes…hairstyle…roles in films… That kind of thing…
What’s your take? Have you watched Death of a Unicorn? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀