Last summer’s Cuckoo was the only horror movie that had scientists breeding human-cuckoo hybrids to enact large-scale mind-control, and Death of a Unicorn also has a unique premise. It looks at the animals that are often pictured in front of rainbows as a symbol of wondrous bliss and happiness and wonders: What if they’re also vicious killers? If that sounds like the setup for a rip-roaring horror comedy, you may want to temper your expectations about this movie that shows how an original story idea isn’t enough to succeed.
We begin with Elliott (Paul Rudd), a recently widowed corporate lawyer and vice president, driving through the forests of Alberta with his teenage daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) to the secluded mansion of his boss (Richard E. Grant), the founder and CEO of a pharmaceutical giant. Elliott is so busy complaining about the lack of cell service and sneezing from the pollen up north that he runs over a baby unicorn in the road. The animal’s purple blood instantly cures Elliott of his allergies and clears up Ridley’s acne, and when it later does the same for the CEO’s terminal cancer, all bets are off. The billionaire sends his armed guards out into the surrounding wilderness to round up and harvest all other unicorns in the area, while everybody ignores Ridley’s hasty historical research, warning that the animals won’t respond well to captivity.
Ortega’s 5’2” stature makes it easier for the other actors to bend down condescendingly while they’re talking to her. Unfortunately, this lends itself to a recurring bit where Elliott keeps telling Ridley to be quiet and not offend his boss while they’re sitting on a pharmaceutical gold mine. Elliott does turn out to be acting on a promise he made to his late wife, but there’s too much of him acting like a bad dad for no reason, whether that’s the fault of first-time writer-director Alex Scharfman or whether Rudd just had some off days shooting.
The film does have Will Poulter as the CEO’s do-nothing son, and this British actor plays venal as well as anybody. He’s a reliable source of comic relief here — when the layabout first glimpses the dead unicorn in his driveway, he says, “I feel like I shouldn’t be wearing swim shorts in this moment.” He doesn’t get much help, though. Scharfman’s attempts to satirize Big Pharma and the way rich people relate to their underlings don’t generate much in the way of laughs, and the revenge killings by the mommy and daddy unicorn as they pick off the CEO’s bodyguards, scientists, and servants are neither funny nor innovative. The mythical beasts don’t look good, either, especially in the light of day. Death of a Unicorn is an interesting oddity, but it mostly squanders its comic talent.
Death of a Unicorn
Starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega. Written and directed by Alex Scharfman. Rated R.
