'Death Of A Unicorn' A Review

Death Of A Unicorn is a horror movie(billed as a horror/comedy) about Elliot(Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley(Jenna Ortega) as they travel to a remote lodge for a weekend business trip of Elliot's. On their way there they hit a unicorn and troubles ensue.

Rudd brings his patented aw-shucks affability to the role but it doesn't really play as his character, as written, is a shit and his shoehorned moment of redemption at the end is unearned and unmotivated. Ortega fairs better as the only recognizable human being in the entire cast but she is equally hamstrung by a script that feels like it was only in its first draft. The supporting cast have some spark- Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant- all playing terrible rich people and Anthony Carrigan as their obsequious servant is great. But there's simply not enough comedy and what of it there is lands inconsistently.

On a small budget the movie looks surprisingly good and it's judicious and effective with the CGI unicorn monsters where tension is well built, maintained, and paid off. The plot though and the characters inhabiting it are mostly bland, uncompelling, unbelievable, and at times grating. Writer/director Alex Scharfman fails at his #1 job which is to manage tone. The comedy almost categorically doesn't work, the attempts at social commentary(ie eat-the-rich) are confused, but the monster movie aspect is quite successful. All in all it's diverting but more streaming quality than cinematic.

A good idea with uneven execution.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.