When lawyer Elliot Kintner (played by Paul Rudd) is invited to his ailing boss’s house in the Canadian Rockies, he brings his disgruntled teenage daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), along for the trip. The two get into an argument on the drive and, while distracted, hit what appears to be a horse. When they get out to investigate, they realize it’s a unicorn. Ridley reaches out for its horn and makes a spiritual connection with it before Elliot puts it out of its misery. Because they’re on a nature reserve, they decide not to leave it behind so they pack it into their car en route to Elliot’s bosses house. When the two finally arrive, they’re clearly bewildered by what they just experienced but are afraid to look out of sorts in fear of making a bad impression. Things get out of hand, Ridley pegs the family from the start and revenge is warranted.
Audiences say they’re clamoring for something new. Well, DEATH OF A UNICORN is definitely something new. It’s weird. There’s no other way to put it.
Having elements of a horror movie, the unicorn species looks like a hybrid between a horse and a werewolf, which is an interesting design choice. The werewolf motif works well, especially late in the film, when there’s true terror happening and the horse motif works well in the beginning when Ridley (and the audience) are supposed to feel for the cruel hand it’s been dealt.
As far as the comedy aspects of the film, Paul Rudd brings his typical casual humor vibe to his Elliot character but the hilarity is consistently provided by Will Poulter. Nearly every time he was on screen, the character of Shepard had the audience in stitches with either a ridiculous remark, a butt-kissing suggestion or a completely clueless comment.
Unfortunately, this is a movie that depends on CGI elements and they’re not the best, especially in daylight situations. From the moment the unicorn comes on screen, it looks cartoonish and unbelievable. And, since the entire story relies heavily on the viewer believing an animal that doesn’t exist exists, were the CGI better, it would seriously elevate the perception.
This is a fun-yet-weird ride. It’s simultaneously nothing you haven’t seen before and something you’ve never seen. If you enjoy A24 movies, Jenna Ortega performances or odd projects, DEATH OF A UNICORN is worth your time. If you don’t enjoy any of those things, look elsewhere.
JKG SCORE: 6.5
Untitled Film Project 