Review | ‘Death of a Unicorn’ is another unfortunate A24 dud
Photo Collage by Braylan Enscoe, Staff Photographer
The trailer for “Death of a Unicorn” had me counting down the days until its release. First off, showing me a trailer that leads with the A24 logo is like dangling a turkey leg in front of a chihuahua. From Will Poulter’s cheeky one-liners to Jenna Ortega simply gracing the screen with her presence, I thought I was in for a fun one. Turns out, I was not.
“Death of a Unicorn” is another postmodern satire that doesn’t deliver on the humor or the horror. The film follows Ridley Kinter (Jenna Ortega) and her father Elliot (Paul Rudd) as they spend the weekend at a sprawling, isolated estate where Elliot’s boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), Odell’s wife Belinda (Tea Leoni) and their son Shepard (Will Poulter) reside. On the way, Elliot hits a baby unicorn with his car, and after touching its horn, Ridley becomes spiritually connected to the creature.
They hide the unicorn in their car, but upon arrival, the creature is quickly discovered by the Leopolds. After a splatter of the unicorn’s purple blood magically heals Ridley’s acne, the Leopolds begin experimenting on the creature and successfully cure Odell’s cancer. Despite Ridley’s desperate warnings, the Leopolds bring in a team of scientists to begin extracting this miraculous resource, prompting the arrival of two dark unicorns that begin vengefully killing anyone who stands between them and the baby. As Ridley and Elliot face the unicorns’ wrath, they soon realize the real threat: the Leopolds will stop at nothing to harness this newfound power.
Let’s review some history. “Eat the rich” is an anti-capitalist political slogan attributed to Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It comes from a statement Rousseau made during the French Revolution: “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.” Today, the phrase has been adopted as an unofficial subgenre that has gained significant popularity in independent film, and Alex Scharfman’s directorial debut is yet another iteration. After “Saltburn,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “The Menu,” “Triangle of Sadness” and “Mickey 17” were released in the last three years, Scharfman is ultimately beating a dead horse. Or a dead unicorn, in this case.
There are plenty of fantastic films that criticize economic inequality and satirize the 1%, whether it is Luis Buñuel’s 1972 comedy “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” or Bong Joon Ho’s 2019 Best Picture winner “Parasite.” A good social satire employs subtlety and strategy in its depiction of a concept or group, aiding the audience in suspending their disbelief and trusting that they will absorb the right message.
Take the affluent couple in “Parasite,” for example. The wife is dull but well-intentioned, and the husband has a strict code of honor. They’re likable in the beginning of the film, and because they feel like real, dimensional humans, it creates a greater impact on the audience when their insensitive nature and true values are gradually revealed through their actions and subtext-rich dialogue. Viewers get a better understanding of how these people think in real life, and even feel a sense of betrayal by the end of the film.
On the other hand, “Death of a Unicorn” presents evil caricatures of the ultra-wealthy as it spoon-feeds on-the-nose social commentary to the audience. Almost every line spoken by one of the Leopolds demonstrates greed, selfishness and a lack of regard for either the environment, animals, their employees, or each other. Humans are not this one-dimensional, and without complex characters, the film becomes far less compelling, while the audience learns nothing new. The Leopold family is the least believable aspect of the entire film, and it’s a film about killer unicorns.
The film was lackluster in more aspects than just its efforts at satire. Some performances felt generally phoned in, especially from Rudd and Grant, who seemed disappointingly unengaged. Ortega once again embodies an emo teenager with charm, Poulter is amusing and convincing as a neglected nepo baby and Anthony Carrigan is a comedic standout as Griff, but these solid performances are not enough to buoy their older co-stars.
The film had impressive set dressing, but the combination of a drab color palette and flat lighting resulted in the characters blending into their surroundings. The film has been described as ‘‘‘Jurassic Park’ on acid,” but Scharfman seems to lack the patience to build palpable suspense when the unicorns are on the hunt. The gore and violence did not feel believable and the unicorn visual effects were noticeably underwhelming at times.
The only endearing part of the film is the relationship between Ortega’s Ridley and Rudd’s Elliot, an uninvolved father who learns to reject the Leopolds’ greed and prioritize his family. They share a touching moment after the climax that is easily the most memorable scene in the film.
“Death of a Unicorn” ultimately asks the audience to empathize with animal rights, but because this genuine message is communicated with a lack of nuance, it ends up feeling corny and forced. Audiences deserve more trust from modern filmmakers — especially from films being released with the A24 seal of quality. If you deliver a film with nuanced characters and a unique take on a theme, your film is far more likely to resonate with audiences.
We’re already tired of the “eat the rich” film, and I believe it’s time to find a new privileged group of people to make fun of. How about kids who grow up with their own ponies? I always thought that was so unfair.
