Death of a Unicorn Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

A bloody creature feature, starring sparkly horned mythical horses & the comedic rapport of Rudd & Ortega as father-daughter. But can it maintain the magic?

Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Horror

Director: Alex Scharfman

Cast: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Stephen Park & Jessica Hynes.

Run Time: 107 min.

US Release: 28 March 2025

UK Release: 04 April 2025

German Release: 01 May 2025

I watched this last week on release day in Germany, out of pure curiosity, as I knew nearly nothing about this A24 release. The reason for this is that the marketing campaign was barely existent. Nevertheless, the combined forces of Jenna Ortega plus Paul Rudd had me intrigued enough… Also, I am a sucker for fantasy flicks. Sadly, coming out of the theatre, I left with mixed feelings. It wasn’t terrible, though it also didn’t use its full potential. So warp with me through time and space, as I review Death of a Unicorn.

Elliot and his daughter Riley accidentally kill a unicorn while en route to the weekend retreat of Elliot’s mega-rich pharmaceutical CEO boss. There, the big pharma man decides to exploit the creature's miraculous curative properties. 

Let me begin by getting the positives out of the way, as there are fewer. Scharfman’s research into the Unicorn has been thorough, using a refreshing turn of events by either flipping expectations of the mythical beast or doubling down on what is believed about it. The director/writer also managed to iterate this classical creature seamlessly into a modern context, which, speaking of; the “eat-the-rich” premise central to the plot, is deliciously overemphasised, giving the whole indie feature a satirical boost, mixing it with satisfying horror.

Unfortunately, much of the humour is mostly off, feeling either too on-the-nose or forced. The father-daughter dynamic is also not explored thoroughly, which leads to the final act’s reconciliation not being earned. The message behind the screenplay is noble; alerting audiences about the exploitation of rare natural resources, as well as the destructiveness that capitalism can have, yet it beats audiences over the head with its repetitiveness.

This is Scharfman’s directorial debut, noticeable due to the awkward pacing in parts, plus its very formulaic structure, which is easily foreseeable. A shame, as it showed promise, but opted for conventionality instead of boldness. 

A lot of the comedy is derived from the exaggerated dialogues, however, the jokes do not always land, even though some made me chuckle. Then there is a lot of “scientific” dialogue, or information via YouTube, used as exposition to spoon-feed viewers, instead of letting them come to a conclusion themselves.

Character-wise, this movie is packed with a lot of colourful personalities, though the focus lies in Elliot, who is desperately trying to re-establish a connection with his estranged daughter Riley, unfortunately, this leaves other roles unexplored.

Jenna Ortega, as Riley, is without a doubt the lead in this fantasy horror, giving a good enough rendition of a socially awkward, solitary teenage girl who has drifted apart from her dad. However, the way she is portrayed on camera comes off a little boring, at times even reminiscent of Lisa Simpson. Ortega is best in combination with co-star Paul Rudd, with whom she has solid chemistry. 

Rudd, who plays Riley’s father Elliot, gives his character a low-key funny side as he tries to appease his boss in any way. This comes at the cost of undermining his child, with whom he tries to repair their relationship. Just as Ortega, Rudd gives a fine rendition, yet is lessened by the script to a bland persona. Also, Elliot’s blatant disregard for his girl’s opinion doesn’t earn him his emotional redemption arc at the end.

Will Poulter gives undeniably the best performance in the whole film as Shepard. He is completely unhinged, giving the most ridiculous presentation as the snobby, entitled rich kid of pharma CEO Odell Leopold and his wife, Belinda. There isn’t much depth in the character, however, that can be forgiven as he is outrageously hilarious. 

The rest of the cast is rather forgettable, with the likes of Richard E. Grant, along with Téa Leoni, wasted. Both play Will Poulter’s parents, but are pictured as one-dimensional comic-bookish villains. The same goes for Sunita Mani, as Dr. Bhatia, or Anthony Carrigan, who is given a bigger role as the butler, nevertheless, isn't fleshed out. 

Technically, Death of a Unicorn is satisfactory, making good use of low-angled shots, tracking shots, as well as a variety of cuts. The camera is at times reminiscent of Jurassic Park, borrowing techniques, specifically a tracking shot around a car. While most of the story takes place at night, it balances out dark lightning with a strong colour palette. 

The design of the unicorns is refreshing, taken straight from historical paintings and tapestries, modelling them after those re-interpretations, rather than the modern iterations of a horse with horn. The practical effects are commendable, especially when it comes to guts plus gore. The same can’t be said about the iffy computer effects, which look unfinished, pulling audiences out of the experience.  

The music, composed by Dan Romer, is mystical, emphasising its fantasy subgenre, while inducing it with some tension-filled oomphs, lending the whole sound a supernatural atmosphere. 

Verdict: Scharfman’s debut was underwhelming. For one, the down-to-earth setting, mixed with folklore, bloody terror and dark comedy, worked well together. The satirical commentary on exploitation, as well as mankind's relationship with nature, is clever, even though it can repeat itself too much. Same goes for the humour, which felt out of place half of the time. That said, the one who never failed to make me laugh was Will Pouter, with a hysterically crazed act. Jenna Ortega, as the lead, portrays a smart teenage girl, but she is a little bland. Then there is Paul Rudd as secondary lead, who gives an equally mild-mannered recital. The father-daughter premise was interesting, nonetheless, it didn't earn its emotional catharsis. The cinematography is decent, the colour palette vibrant, while the tone is dark, though balanced. The music mixes fantasy and horror well, sounding otherworldly. Death of a Unicorn earns a decent 6.0  out of 10. 

Have you seen this creature feature by A24 yet? Are you planning to? Let me know what you thought in the comments below. As always, thank you very much for reading!