Death of a Unicorn is a fun trip to the cinema thanks to its talented cast, notably the brilliant comedic work of Will Poulter and Téa Leoni, and while the film unleashes a wild and bloody creature feature, the entire production feels rather safe and never fully embraces the madness of its premise.

 

When audiences think of a unicorn, a majestic magical creature instantly comes to mind. One that is fuelled by wonder, kind natured and possessing the ability to heal and prevent death with its blood. What doesn’t come to mind are bloodthirsty, highly intelligent, vengeful creatures capable of mayhem, terrifying acts of violence and unfathomable carnage. But that is what A24’s latest horror comedy Death of a Unicorn starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Téa Leoni, Will Poulter and Richard E. Grant is all about. Part horror comedy that is what you would imagine an R-rated Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom with unicorns would be, part social commentary on the greed and unchecked privilege of the upper elite, it’s hard not to have fun with the film even if it is a little too on the nose and the jokes start to get a little stale by the end of the film.

 

In terms of story, Death of a Unicorn is about what you would expect it to be. Through and through, it is a creature feature that highlights shocking and gory kills, delivering what fans of the genre expect from it. Best described as Jurassic Park but with bloodthirsty unicorns (and specifically Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom given the film’s single location), the film follows the escapades of a wealthy family, their lawyer and his daughter after they accidentally kill a unicorn and discover its magical healing qualities. But it turns out the unicorn’s parents are ready to avenge their fallen child, descending on the Leopold estate and starting a rampage to kill all those harbouring the body of their child. Unicorn mythology is woven nicely into the story, with their healing and everlasting life powers being central, even if the plot that unfolds feels very standard for the creature feature genre. Writer and director Alex Scharfman creates some great comedic moments with his screenplay and deploys some entertaining set pieces, proving that there are multiple, gory and shocking ways that unicorn horns can cause fatalities. What unfolds is an enjoyable film that is not short on entertainment, thrills and even the odd jump scare, delivering a film that viewers will no doubt have fun watching with a crowd.

 

But what exactly holds Death of a Unicorn back from being a great film? There’s a few things. While the commentary on the greed of the upper class is not without its merits or strong comedic moments, it feels rather surface level and basic at times, which as the film unleashes its “eat the rich” plot, it’s a little too on the horn. Especially when the commentary does not necessarily evolve or become incredibly smart, making it start to feel a little tired as it keeps repeating itself over the film. For an A24 film, despite the gory kills and the film’s premise, the entire endeavour feels too commercial and does not push the boundary as many A24 horror films have before. The premise is never taken far enough or becomes strange enough to make it feel like a true A24 film, instead making it feel like a film that could have easily been produced by another studio such as Searchlight Pictures or Blumhouse. It’s not a film that I would say is not entertaining nor bad by any means, as there is some great talent on display and I personally had a fun time watching it, but it feels like it is rather toothless at times despite the carnage that unfolds on screen.

 

Even with the story and commentary starting to run its course by the end of the film, with the cast Death of a Unicorn has, it maintains its entertainment value right to the film’s final shocking moment. Rudd and Ortega are dependable as ever as the film’s central characters Elliot and Ridley, creating the emotional throughline of the film and welcoming the craziness of the film’s story. Grant is perfectly cast as the rich and entitled Odell Leopold, wearing his character’s privilege with a regalness as he ignores every warning sign in front of him and pursues the unicorns for the profit and everlasting life they promise. Though, it is Leoni and Poulter who steal the show. Poulter never misses with his comedic performances, and he is a riot as Shephard Leopold, turning his character’s entitlement, stupidity and drug problems into a never ending gag that delivers constant laughter over the entire film. Leoni slays as Belinda Leopold, putting a damning spin on the rich wife using her philanthropic endeavours to make her seem more important and knowledgeable than she is, never for a second hiding her character’s greed and ignorance. It’s a fine line that Leoni walks, but she does it with such a demanding screen presence and wicked comedic timing that she often delivers some of the best comedic moments of the film, especially while sharing the screen with Poulter.

 

Given that the film centered on a mythical creature, the filmmaking team uses CGI to bring to life the unicorns. Sadly, the CGI is not as strong as it needs to be, making the unicorns somewhat unconvincing when the shot focuses solely on them and they are well light, but when it’s only a hoof, horn or mouth on screen or they are shrouded in darkness, it’s more convincing. Though the dark lighting helps the CGI be more convincing, it does not lend itself to a particularly good looking film as it is hard to see what is happening at times, sadly dampening the story’s terror. The set for the Leopold’s mountain retreat is well laid out, creating a fun environment for this creature feature to unfold in due to the strong production design, while the costuming of the characters does a great job of highlighting the class divide between the Leopolds and the rest of the film’s characters.

While it does not reach the heights of some of A24’s greatest horror films that have pushed boundaries for the genre, tested audience’s tolerances for what terrors they are willing to experience on the big screen, and rattled viewers to their core, there is no denying that Death of a Unicorn is a fun outing to the theatre. With a commentary on the upper elite class and their privilege that becomes the meal for a creature feature that gives a new meaning to the phrase “eat the rich”, there is lots of laughter, carnage and entertaining set pieces to behold even if the commentary feels a little too tame given the subject matter. With the splendid pairing of Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega leading the film and the scene stealing comedic two punch of Téa Leoni and Will Poulter, Death of a Unicorn is an entertaining horror comedy full of laughter, brutal kills and nonstop entertainment even if it does not have the sharp horn it envisions for itself.