A24’s new creature feature is a brash genre-hopper that sees unicorns turned into violent monsters after Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega accidentally run over one of them. The movie is a culmination of comedy and horror, whilst serving a meaningful story that tackles generational themes and corporate greed.
★★★★☆
Writer and director Alex Scharfman, who also makes his feature debut, impresses with not just a confident blend of tones but also strong inner themes that keep the creature-feature genre alive enough.
Scharfman proves a very natural filmmaking presence, especially with a modest $15 million budget and having to work with a star-studded cast. Every aspect of Death of a Unicorn feels satirical and cavalier, meshing animal killings and gore with stellar humour to tell a classic ‘eat the rich’ narrative. This comes from his movie’s villains, the eccentric Leopalds (led by the free-spirited Richard E. Grant), whose limitless affluence masks their moral bankruptcy. Upon seeing the animal’s magical healing abilities, they wish to use the unicorn’s essence for experimentation and further profit. The movie’s strongest comedy stems from its dialogue, which feeds into the aforementioned ‘eat the rich’ narrative. A prime example is: ‘They’re going to hate us on the non-profit circuit – nice knowing you, cancer charities, am I right?’
There are also subtle nods to fellow creature-feature movies. Jurassic Park certainly springs to mind, where the story largely aims at the greedy corporate snobs who believe the laws of nature are man’s to control. They are certainly far less likable than the jovial John Hammond, yet the issue of corrupting life through mad science experimenting is a clear homage to the Spielberg classic. There are also shades of An American Werewolf from the comedy-horror amalgamation and the atmospherically remote location.
Moreover, the movie is a stellar cautionary tale about the abuse of an uncanny phenomenon all for capitalist motivations. Except for Ortega’s teen, all characters are fuelled by money and power over utilising the deceased unicorn’s magical abilities. Ortega shares a connection with the unicorn from touching its horn before it is killed.
Scharfman wants to portray a story of optimism in Generation Z’s relationship with nature, which will prevail even with the previous generation’s abuse of it.
Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play father and daughter as well as variants of their usual types; Rudd is once again comedically mild-mannered, replicating Scott Lang’s fatherly issues from the Ant-Man movies, while Ortega is a less gothic version of Wednesday Addams.
That being said, the two are a treat to watch and seem very at home with Scharfman’s script. Ortega proves an interesting moral compass for the audience, whereas Rudd’s charm never falters, and his character has the most noteworthy, if not predictable, arc. Richard E. Grant is infectiously unctuous, playing another upper-class Brit to add to his resume.
Amidst the cast of cavalier performances, Will Poulter is the definitive standout as the spoilt son of Richard E. Grant. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that he is starring in two movies from A24 at the moment, the other being the suspenseful Warfare. The contrast of the two roles released almost simultaneously will make him stand out as one of the best young actors of this generation. While his co-stars seem to unapologetically embrace their typical acting traits and do so brilliantly, Poulter seems to rise above them and handle Scharfman’s vaudeville script and tone, all while making it look easy. He unquestionably generated the biggest laughs in the cinema.
As for the unicorns themselves, the effects on them cannot hold a candle to Spielberg’s dinosaurs, but they look decent nonetheless. In fact, given the premise, their effects lend themselves to looking more supernatural than photo-realistic. In typical A24 fashion, something whimsical and loving like a unicorn is turned into a twisted, monstrous version that belongs in a Brothers Grimm text, and they look particularly scary, slowly stepping out of the shadows, snorting menacingly, before the carnage unfolds.
The Verdict
Death of a Unicorn’s tone and familiar premise may not be for everyone. Still, it is unashamed of how daft, silly, and OTT it becomes, which is, at the very least, what audiences can expect.
Words by Joseph Jenkinson
Death of a Unicorn released in UK cinemas on April 4th.
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