THE PREMISE:

"Father-Daughter duo Elliott and Ridley hit a unicorn with their car and bring it to the wilderness retreat of a mega-wealthy pharmaceutical CEO." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

The set-up of Death of a Unicorn will likely remind many viewers of Jurassic Park. People enter a biological preserve filled with fantastic creatures only to suffer the wrath of said creatures at the cost of pride and greed; in this case, unicorns are shown way too early and too often to leave a strong impact. The characters are entertaining to a degree but do not graduate beyond stock caricatures that are difficult to relate to with satisfaction, save for the lead.

The Spielberg dinosaur film is still a great fantasy adventure, but the director forgot the best lesson he learned making Jurassic Park from his early creature feature, Jaws: less is more. Jaws still works today because it allows for a slow buildup that raises audience apprehension about the shark. Jurassic Park still works solely for its ground-breaking effects and its deep analysis of man's hubris. 

Death of a Unicorn shares none of these qualities.

Alex Scharfman, writer and director of Death of a Unicorn, indeed watched those two former films. Their influence is all over his new horror-comedy, the most recent addition to the A24 catalog. Death of a Unicorn delivers on unicorn carnage; the special effects artistry ebbs and flows between fun, practical props, and dodgy CGI presentation. But it lacks other qualities, such as a sense of wonder and strong characters. He also should've taken cues from Jaws, focusing more on character development and less on cheap tricks.

While all the cast does well, they aren't being asked to do much in the first place. Jenna Ortega, whose character Ridley, an angsty teenager, is easily the simplest to relate to and cheer on. Paul Rudd plays Elliot, Ridley's father, a lawyer who intends to secure a lucrative partnership with a wealthy family patriarch and a biopharmaceutical company's CEO. 

While on their way to their destination, the Leopold estate, Elliot hits a unicorn that wanders into the road. The unicorn blood removes Ridley's acne and cures Elliot's eyesight and allergies. This early revelation was interesting but, unfortunately, telegraphed the film's entire plot. 

Richard E. Grant plays Odell Leopold, the family patriarch. He is an old man dying from cancer. In her first acting role in fourteen years, Tea Leoni plays his wife, Belinda, and Will Poulter plays their son, Shepard. The Leopolds are collectively awful and seek to capitalize on the unicorn blood harvested from the dead unicorn lying in Elliot's car. 

The supporting cast is more likable and frankly more interesting, but sadly, their screen time is diminished. Anthony Carrigan, who many audience members may remember as Noho Hank from the HBO show Barry, plays Leopold's butler with dry humor and staunch stoicism. 

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Despite having unicorns with magical blood, this film does nothing exciting with the creatures. After the set-up with the unicorn dying, its parents, who also inexplicably live in the region, charge the estate for vengeance. At this point, Death of a Unicorn carries a beat-for-beat outline that is predictable and boring. 

The most magical moment happens in the initial interaction between Ridley and the young unicorn, where Ridley touches the horn and experiences an acid-trip-esque journey through the universe. Everything that follows, save for a few quick seconds, is a standard monster movie. 

I am awarding this film an average score because it delivers the bottom line of death and unicorns. You get plenty of each here. 

I expected something deeper coming from the A24 canon. Sadly, when you get done enjoying the unicorns, the blood, and the scares, you'll see the potential sitting in the air. You will want more. As a monster movie, Death of a Unicorn works and will entertain many people. But with the unicorn mythology, the talented cast, and the beautiful set pieces at its disposal, it could have been so much more.