Death of a Unicorn
⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
Unicorns play different roles in the various seasons of life. For children, they represent something magical in an imaginative world of mystical fantasy. As parents, they provide ways to introduce regular parts of the fairytales shared with their children. Yet, as adults, these creatures eventually turn into a sceptical throwaway line that falls into the realm of disbelief as mere children's imaginative dreaming.
Many may not realise that these mythical creatures have been part of human lore throughout history as a representation of power and healing. Writer/director Alex Scharfman taps into this rarely seen side of his latest comedy-driven horror. Paul Rudd (Ant-man) plays widower and lawyer Elliot Kintner, who is the estate of his boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) and his family. He is looking forward to spending time with his daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), who is still struggling with the death of her mother and has joined him for the weekend. They accidentally run over a unicorn foal as they drive through the surrounding wildlife reserve to the Leopold’s home. They must bring the creature to the expansive residence and determine what to do with the body. Yet, when the wealthy family realise the healing properties of the unicorn’s blood and horn, they consider the wealth that could come their way until the young animal’s parents arrive to rescue their offspring’s body.
As a satire and an ‘eating the rich’ metaphor, Alex Scharfman must be given credit for the creativity of this supernatural adventure. The characters are all in place to provide an adequate level of absurdity and humour to give the uncomfortable laughs that come from the realisation of the untold riches that could come from this tragic event. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play more of a straight bat as father and daughter with a redemptive story arc for their relationship. Téa Leoni (Madam Secretary) and Richard E. Grant (Saltburn) perfectly embody the entitled wealth meant to personify the true villains in this horror. Yet, the comedy comes from Will Poulter (Warfare) and Anthony Carrigan (Gotham), who understand that their roles are meant to take this story beyond satire into the ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the concept, the players and the setting are set up for a successful execution of this bizarre fantasy comedy. Still, this winning formula fails to palpably mix together and deliver the desired magic. There is a suspension of disbelief needed and willingness on offer with the title to embrace this farcical tale of pharmaceuticals and mysticism. Yet, each element of the story either didn’t go far enough or stepped too far over the probability line to provide the entertaining fusion of these worlds to keep audiences along for the ride. Most of the comedy fell flat, much of the gore went too far, most of the relationships weren’t believable, and it fell apart once they shot the baby unicorn in the head. The set-up had promise, but the final result bled out on the table of possibilities.
Death of a Unicorn was like the young foal trying to return to life. As the story goes, each time the film tried to come to life, something or someone would beat it down and kill it. Despite its promising set-up and original concept, this movie remained roadkill.
Want to talk about God? Get the conversation started with the Dive Deeper campaign.
Reel Dialogue: Can we explain the supernatural?
Even though this film has glaring weaknesses, it does knock at the door to discussions of faith, the supernatural and God. It was like going through a poorly executed lesson in apologetics. Fantasy and myth open the door to considering something beyond life’s realities. Granted, the film fails to explain much about the supernatural or God, but all one has to do is think about the healing and resurrection process, which are difficult to miss, and the discussions naturally will flow.
This extensive discussion needs more specifics than a film review will allow. The audience should know that the Bible is logical, practical and accessible without belief. Also, people should understand that science or logic cannot explain some things. Some things in life go beyond our imaginations and our abilities. This aspect of life should not be feared as much as embraced. The challenge is looking for the answers to the unexplainable and supernatural. A great place to start is the Bible. Give it a try; the answers might surprise you.
Where to start? The Gospel according to Luke
If you would like to discuss topics from this film and the Bible. Reach out to us at Third Space. We would love to chat about this and more.
