Death of a Unicorn

Death of A Unicorn is theoretically a horror-comedy underpinned by thematic denunciations of greed and environmental exploitation. The horror is essentially non-existent, the comedy is trite and predictable, and the thematic moralizing is as deep as a puddle. This isn't overtly bad or insulting; but it is stale and flaccid. The movie's one saving grace, such as it is, is a likeable cast that includes Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter and Tea Leoni. They all seem to be trying hard to make something out of a script that didn't merit their talents, and their charisma makes you want to like the movie more than it deserves.

I got to see an early screening and it was as expected, campy, gory with comedic elements. It was a good popcorn movie. Some people complained that it was stupid which I don't get because its a movie about unicorns... So of course its a bit dumb, that's the point.

I compare it to Cocaine Bear (2023) because they are both marketed to be a silly comedy with violence, but this was way better than Cocaine Bear. It's aiming to be a cult classic film but missed the mark a bit. Also, not that funny which was disappointing but it had some jump scares and gruesome deaths so I was still engaged the whole time.

'Death of a Unicorn' is potential-laden, though unfortunately I just never really got my teeth into this one. The whole set-up is severely underwhelming, the whole plot with the rich family just didn't do it for me. It does pick up at the conclusion, which is where I see the potential.

A movie solely about the Kintners and the unicorns could've been ace, especially if it lent into the fantasy side of it; almost if it was (iffy association incoming) 'How to Train Your Dragon'-esque, just with all the gore and death that this 2025 releaes does hold. The final scene, as oddly over the top as it is, shows the promise.

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega are decent in their respective roles, not that I have any core moments to take from either of them here though. The Leopolds, as much as I wish they weren't in the film, are portrayed well enough by those on the screen, Will Poulter is minorly amusing to be fair.

I'm sure it'll work for a good many, but I can't say it did so for me.

I came to this movie without having watched a trailer. The movie does take a bit of time to set the pieces up for the déroulement of the main story. The issue is that the movie has a few continuity problems, which is due to the fact that the movie has essentially three locations, not counting the airplane in the intro: the woods (and it's surrounding), outside the mansion, inside the mansion. This means that during the rampage, there are times where the unicorn must have taken a coffee break or something because its night time in one scene and the the very next one its midmorning.

I did enjoy Anthony Carrigan's performance as well as Jenna Ortega's.

I won't be too harsh on this movie since it doesn't take itself seriously and all the actors know that but they express their flaws quite brilliantly.

This movie could work with the strange premise and shoddy CGI. But, it requires characters to be likeable or at least relatable. That's the big issue here. It plays hard into the fame of Jenna Ortega. She's supposed to be the maiden with a pure heart. But, she comes off mores like an angst teenager with a terrible haircut. Paul Rudd is decent enough, but you find yourself getting annoyed with him immediately.

The Rich Family: take your typical evil greedy rich family and that's all you get here. They're ready to make a buck. That's their entire drive. There were hints of depth that were destroyed by misplaced comedy. When the father is standing, the son's immediately reaction was great. Then they went hokey.

In the end, this is a forgettable movie. The premise should carry it better, but the characters ruin it. The CGI is bad. But, you can let it pass if the characters are relatable. This movie fails here.