by G. E. Uke, Reporter,

Walking into Death of a Unicorn, I expected an absurd monster movie like Cocaine Bear or Under Paris. I thought the premise that unicorns were horrible monsters instead of gentle angelic creatures didn’t leave a lot of room for maneuvering, but I was wrong. While it IS a dark comedy, it possesses two things that you rarely witness in such movies: measured wit and depth of character. And those things make all the difference. 

The premise of the movie is straightforward: a lawyer named Elliott (Paul Rudd) takes his surly teenage daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) on a trip to a remote mountain estate owned by the Leopolds, a family of greedy manipulative pharmaceutical tycoons. Elliott is desperate to pander to the Leopolds for a promotion, and things go wrong when he accidentally hits a baby unicorn with his car. Bringing the creature with him to the estate the Leopolds soon discover it, and things go downhill fast when the terminally ill patriarch Odell Leopold (Richard E Grant) regains his health by consuming the creature’s powdered horn. Instead of being thankful for this boon, he and his family summon mercenaries and scientists to ruthlessly exploit the creature. Odell, his wife Belinda (Tea Leoni), and their playboy son Shepard (Will Poulter) demonstrate the silver-tongued selfishness many narcissistic gaslighting one-percenters are famed for. And they do it in a believable way. Much as I hate to say this, I have met people like the Leopolds. Ridley is the voice of reason and decency throughout this entire process, being a maiden of pure heart. Her objections fall on deaf ears, and when the unicorn’s parents show up to reclaim their foal a bloodbath ensues. 

I’m just going to say it: I really enjoyed this movie. It delivers an interesting plot, interesting characters, detestable villains, and awesome monsters that were very cool to look at. Despite being horrifying, the unicorns are the protagonists. By the time they show up, any viewer with a functioning moral compass is eagerly anticipating the damage they do. And they do not disappoint. 

Apart from the strength and solid performance of its main actors, Death of a Unicorn goes a step further by depicting the unicorns as intelligent supernatural beings. They are understandably wroth over the mistreatment of their foal, but the magic they possess is an integral element of the plot. Unicorns are supposed to embody purity in mythology, and these myths have substance in this story. The evils of this tale of retribution are entirely on the human side of the fence, and the moral  is “f*ck around and find out.” Lots of finding out takes place, right up there with a few spiritual victories regarding what is truly important in life. Somehow, despite all the unicorn shenanigans taking place, it manages to also be a story about processing grief and family bonding. The interplay between Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega is so excellent that the two seem to genuinely care about one another, and as actors I enjoyed their chemistry.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Death of a Unicorn – 4 out of 5 dark comedies. Death of a Unicorn does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it well.

Please take a moment to FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE to our updated ComicsOnline social channels.
We appreciate your support!

INSTAGRAM – COMICSONLINE
THREADS – COMICSONLINE
BLUESKY – COMICSONLINE
YOUTUBE – COMICSONLINE
FACEBOOK – COMICSONLINE

Grab your favorite unicorn and join ComicsOnline for more reviews, more exclusive interviews, and everything geek pop culture!