‘Death Of A Unicorn’ review: Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star in mythical monster movie

Dir/scr: Alex Scharfman. US. 2025. 108mins 

Unicorns are magical in writer-director Alex Scharfman’s characteristic debut, however they may also be fearsome beasts. A mix of social commentary, darkish comedy and horror movie, Demise Of A Unicorn boasts loads of raucous spirit however not the strongest execution, leading to an image whose many tones by no means fairly gel. Led by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who by accident run over a unicorn and uncover the deadly penalties, the movie works finest in its second half as a ugly however shallow monster film. 

Works finest as a ugly however shallow monster film

This wild style hybrid, which premiered at SXSW, will open within the US on March 28, with the UK launch deliberate for April 4. Demise ought to play properly with viewers who take pleasure in a large quantity of snickers and gore, and a hip forged might herald youthful crowds. (Hereditary writer-director Ari Aster serves as government producer.) However the image might play higher with midnight audiences than critics.

Elliot (Rudd), a workaholic lawyer for a pharmaceutical firm, is taking his malcontent daughter Ridley (Ortega) to his boss’ rustic property within the Canadian Rockies. On the drive there, although, he hits an animal and rapidly realises it’s a unicorn. Ridley is aghast at what her father has performed, touching the dying creature’s horn which creates a psychic bond between her and the animal. However as soon as Elliot’s callous employer Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) recognises that the unicorn has medicinal qualities, he sees a profitable marketplace for a potent new drug. Little do they know, nevertheless, that different unicorns reside within the woods, and are getting ready to hunt vengeance.

Scharfman provides the movie an absurdist bent, juxtaposing a seemingly simple story with one fantastical ingredient — unicorns are actual. Initially, Demise attracts its humour from how nonchalantly the characters behave as soon as they encounter this fairytale animal. Odell merely views the unicorn as a money cow, inspired by his unscrupulous spouse Belinda (Tea Leoni) and dimwitted son Shepard (Will Poulter). Disregarding subtlety, Scharfman illustrates the cruelty of rich drug executives, who’re so blinded by greed that they can’t even respect the majesty of this legendary creature.

The Leopold household can be unsympathetic to Ridley’s warning to not harvest the unicorn’s blood and physique elements, satisfied that nice hurt will come to them. Her suspicions show right as unholy sounds begin to emanate within the distance and ominous purple lights seem within the night time sky. With out warning, the unicorn’s towering mom and father descend on the mansion, their ferocious mood and jagged horn indicating their lethal intention.

As a satire of capitalism, Demise is pretty toothless. Even Elliot is vulnerable to the lure of the almighty greenback, unconvincingly insisting to his principled daughter that he is aware of this pharmaceutical firm is evil — he simply needs to make sufficient cash to supply for her future. However Rudd fails to make Elliot’s monetary anxieties resonate — equally, he struggles to deliver complexity to his character’s complicity in serving to those that exploit the sick for revenue. Odell and his brood will not be well-drawn, both, though Poulter is amusing because the addict son who discovers that powdered unicorn horn is one highly effective narcotic.

Demise tries to sentence society’s destruction of the environment and wildlife. That is hardly the primary horror movie during which the pure world strikes again, with the mom and father unicorns representing a violent response to humanity’s insensitivity. As soon as the assaults start, Scharfman phases a sustained, graphic life-and-death battle because the physique depend climbs and the few remaining survivors are chased round this beautiful dwelling by the terrifying unicorns. (The handful of results firms liable for creating the legendary beasts do a reliable job, though the movie’s restricted funds typically turns into obvious.) The image’s funniest moments derive from soar scares and grisly impalings, though their impression is blunted by the truth that the underwhelmingly out-of-touch Leopold household aren’t so comically loathsome that we relish their comeuppance.

Because the movie’s voice of conscience, Ortega is a likable presence. Ridley is not only attempting to guard her father from hazard but in addition attempting to save lots of his soul earlier than he will get seduced by this rapacious clan. Ortega and Rudd share some candy scenes, particularly close to the finale when Demise pivots towards a extra sentimental exploration of household, grief and forgiveness. This one final radical tonal shift is additional proof of the movie’s rambunctious, unpredictable trajectory. Sadly, the ending, like a lot of what got here earlier than, is lacking that sure magic, which not even a unicorn can present.