Death of a Unicorn

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega are widowed father and daughter Elliot and Ridley, who are journeying to spend a weekend with Elliot’s boss Odell Leopold and his family at their estate.  Their personal relationship strained after the loss of Elliot’s wife, and Ridley’s mother, the pair argue in the car, leading to the vehicle crashing into a creature.  Checking to see if the beast is alive, they discover it is a unicorn, and Ridley touches its glowing horn and finds her mind pulled into a strange cosmic vision – which is broken swiftly as Elliot bludgeons the beast with a tire iron.  Hiding the creature’s body in their car, the pair continue their weekend.  But their secret can’t stay hidden, and soon it is discovered that the bone and blood of the beast has miraculous healing powers – something which the Odell family see as an opportunity to exploit for more wealth.  But it appears that wasn’t the only unicorn, and these great beasts hold a vendetta against those who harm them.

Death of a Unicorn is a simple monster movie, and there are a lot of similarities with, say, Jurassic Park, only we swap out the velociraptors for unicorns here.  There isn’t really anything new on offer, even in the sub-stories woven into the characters, and there’s very little depth to the overall themes.  The hints at a cosmic awareness that comes from bonding with the unicorn is just that, a hint – there’s no exploration of sub themes and ideas, simply a fun, funny, and brutal monster flick.

The cast were enough to draw me in.  Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega are a smart central pairing, and grant the strained relationship some authenticity.  Rudd’s Elliot wants to do the best for his daughter, which he thinks means getting promoted, earning more money, and ten years later being set for life – but she just wants emotional connection and her father to acknowledge the huge gap in their lives.  As their fractured relationship in thrown into the eccentric world of the wealthy, Richard E Grant chews up the scenery as the head of the Odell household, whilst Tea Leoni is arrogant wealth personified, and Will Poulter is having fun as the spoilt rich kid Shepherd.  But it is Anthony Carrigan as the butler Griff that becomes the true gem of the supporting cast, as he panders to the desires of this family, all the while clearly hating each and every one of them.  The characters all have a part to play, and all bring something different to proceedings.

The unicorns themselves are wondrous creations, even if there are a few moments where the tight budget clearly restrained the effects a little.  But if you want some bloody and gruesome deaths, it doesn’t hold back as the beasts start their rampage.  The layer of black comedy ensures that it doesn’t become oppressively gory, and even despite a few rather contrived moments among the mayhem that stretch credulity, it all comes together well enough for a fun monster flick that doesn’t outstay its welcome.  

Probably the most commercially accessible A24 film to date, this is a fun, popcorn creature feature with a simple premise and a great cast.