Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

This comedy horror from A24 brings together an unexpected cast and teaches them that it’s one thing to piss off a mama bear, but it’s quite another to piss off a unicorn.

The premise is right there in the title. Elliott (Paul Rudd) accidentally-on-purpose kills a baby unicorn. When his wealthy employers, the Leopold’s, discover the creature’s mysterious healing properties, they can’t see the warning signs through the dollar signs. The only person who senses the danger they’re in is Elliott’s daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega).

Drawing inspiration from The Unicorn Tapestries added a cultural texture I wasn’t expecting. The lore behind those medieval images gave the film a surprisingly grounded framework, especially considering the increasingly absurd events that unfold. All I’m saying is, you’ll never look at unicorns the same way again after watching them impale people and rip out their innards with brutal satisfaction.

There are some solid names on the cast list. As a Leopold, Will Poulter brings something fresh to the role of a nepo baby multipotentialite, while Jenna Ortega takes on the more serious position of ignored moral compass. Richard E. Grant is devilishly fun as the power-hungry patriarch, and Paul Rudd essentially plays himself. Even shoehorning in a widower backstory doesn’t save him from being the least interesting character on screen. Rudd’s character was easily outdone by the deadpan manservant Griff, played to perfection by Anthony Carrigan.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand what this film was aiming for, but call me greedy, because I wanted more. While the story clearly critiques greed, entitlement, and class divides, I would’ve liked a stronger resolution to those themes. Then again, the unicorns did eat the rich—and maybe that’s enough.

Suffice to say, I was Team Unicorn. Death of a Unicorn is unexpectedly fun. It’s more comedy than I anticipated, and while it might not shine as brightly in the long run, it’s another gem in A24’s crown as they continue their commitment to original, unpredictable filmmaking.

Was Death of a Unicorn what you were expecting?