Do you brake for unicorns? Great, then you’re automatically better than Paul Rudd.
After dragging his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) to a weekend business trip, Elliot (Paul Rudd) almost immediately runs over a fantastical baby unicorn. While Elliot freaks out, Ridley manages to form a connection to the now suffering unicorn before her father inconveniently bashes the creature’s head in with a tire iron. After stowing the body away in the back of their rental car, the two continue on. While Ridley silently freaks out, Elliot remains confident that the business trip will set their family up for life, hoping to give his daughter a sense of security after the death of his wife.
The two soon arrive at the Leopold Estate, where Elliot attempts to save face in front of his boss, Odell (Richard E. Grant). As his lawyer, Elliot is in charge of managing Odell’s finances in his final, cancer-plagued days. However, despite Elliot attempting to prove himself as a loyal family man, the dead unicorn in the backseat is quick to reveal the deeper issues in his relationship with his daughter.
Soon, the Leopolds discover that the blood of the dead unicorn possesses a healing power, capable of ridding acne, allergies, poor eyesight and even cancer. Fueled by the possible monetary gain of such fantastical powers, the Leopolds and Elliot are quick to make a list of rich, sick people who would pay the big bucks for a taste of the elixir. Blinded by dollar signs and investments, the Leopolds rope scientists Dr. Bhatia (Sunita Mani) and Dr. Song (Steve Park), along with the Leopolds’ butler, Griff (Anthony Carrigan), into their scheme. Ridley, meanwhile, uncovers the truth of the unicorns — the creatures were once hunted by humans for their powers, causing them to slaughter those who tried to hold them captive. Despite the evidence, the Leopolds and Elliot disregard Ridley’s concerns, hunting down other unicorns to mine for themselves. In revenge, the unicorns begin to slaughter those who attempt to slaughter their family.
While full of funny moments and talented actors, the film also suffers from an overly packed story. Trying to both be a “father-daughter” and “eat-the-rich” horror-drama-comedy in one cheapens the impact that either plot could’ve had. In fact, the “father-daughter” relationship seems more like “father who fails his daughter at every turn but gets forgiven anyways while said daughter actively tries to save everyone’s lives but is ignored.”
The character who perhaps showcases this disjointed nature the most is Elliot. Unlike the Leopold family, Elliot does not seem like an outwardly bad person at first. However, throughout the film, he constantly fails to listen to and protect his own daughter. Instead, he is focused on money and profit. While he may argue that every decision he makes is for Ridley’s betterment, he fails to simply be the father she needs in her time of grief. Elliot’s karma never comes, despite his character being full of flaws. Perhaps there are some stars who simply refuse to fade away.
Although the film may struggle to find its footing within its 1 hour and 47 minute runtime, the actors’ performances help it to go down easy. The Leopolds’ son, Shepard (Will Poulter), in particular, is a standout in the film as he goes from privileged child to unicorn-horn drug addict. Carrigan starts off a quiet butler moving in the background, but by the end of the film is throwing sassy remarks right back at Odell’s wife, Belinda (Téa Leoni).
Additionally, the film is visually stunning. Sweeping shots of the Canadian Rockies, the complete understanding Ridley experiences when touching the unicorn’s twisted horn and the unicorns themselves are all surprisingly beautiful. While gory at times, the film is captivating, whether it be a simple conversation or an unexpected death.
Interestingly enough, there does seem to be an underlying message within the film: History will seek revenge on those who fail to learn its lesson.
Throughout the film, Ridley tries to convince her father and the Leopold family that causing harm to the unicorns will cause harm to them. She references old tapestries that outline the dangers disrupting the unicorns’ peace will pose, but her cries fall on deaf ears. As such, the only ones who survive the wrath of the creatures are those who simply admired them and did not seek to steal the unicorns’ prized possessions for themselves — well, for the most part at least.
This leads to the biggest pitfall of “Death of a Unicorn” — it fails to stand on its own morals. Almost every character, besides Ridley and Griff, is a terrible person. Regardless of their reasons, they actively decide to hunt and kill peaceful creatures;after facing the repercussions, they double down on their harmful actions instead of admitting their faults.
Perhaps the ambiguous ending suggests that the humans of the story get their comeuppance, but its lack of clarity certainly takes away from the message. It is highly ironic that the very creature that gifted eternal life also brought death to the corrupt humans.
Still, “Death of a Unicorn” raises the question: if we continue to fail to treat our community and world without compassion, will it destroy us? If we fail to stand up against the rich and powerful who want to mine our Earth and demolish the good we live alongside, will we go down too? And if we fail to listen to others calling out injustice, will we turn into the perpetrators?
Maybe the film should be praised for its “eat the rich” ideology, but it certainly should not be praised for its “love saves all” mentality. While the Leopolds are selfish and egotistical, Elliot is no better. At least the Leopolds don’t pretend to be good people. In an effort for self-preservation, Elliot is quick to disregard his own morals. Even the scientists continue to make immoral decisions despite knowing the harms.
Overall, while “Death of a Unicorn” is a fun ride, it fails to delve deeper into the very morals it begins to outline. By not forcing the flawed characters to face real, deserved consequences, the story and its message falls flat.
“Death of a Unicorn” hits theaters nationwide on March 28.
