Death of a Unicorn: An Intriguing Idea That Needed More Creative Execution (Blu-ray)

The Film:

When most people think of the mythical beasts known as unicorns, they tend to think of creatures that represent peace, purity, and even magic, all of which are very common depictions throughout history. However, writer/director Alex Scharfman has opted to give us an entirely different view of the beloved fantasy creature with his debut feature "Death of a Unicorn," a view that turns all of those positive, uplifting renderings on their head in order to deliver a bit of dark comedy/horror that just might have you seeing them a little differently afterward. Could such an outlandish depiction possibly work, or is this merely an instance of taking things a little too far?

The film mainly focuses on Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega), who are on their way to a retreat at the estate of Elliot's boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), and his wife (Téa Leoni) and son (Will Poulter). On the way, Elliot hits a baby unicorn with his car, and when Ridley goes into a kind of trance from touching its horn, he ends up having to beat the creature with a tire iron to release her. Not knowing what else to do, he loads the unicorn into the car and continues to the estate.

Elliot tries to act like everything is fine, but it's soon discovered that the unicorn is still alive, and that its blood has actually cured Ridley's acne & Elliot's allergies. Odell, who is suffering from cancer and is the head of a pharmaceutical company, immediately sees the potential in it and orders a series of experiments. However, Ridley knows something is quite wrong through her research and her special connection to the beast, and indeed, it's not long before other unicorns come calling, putting them all in extreme danger.

Subverting the normalized portrayal of unicorns is certainly a fascinating proposition, and while it's not an entirely original notion (history has records of such ideas, and we even saw a small hint of such a thing in Drew Goddard's marvelous meta-horror flick "The Cabin in the Woods"), it hasn't really been explored in any kind of detail, making it a rather ripe topic for the picking and an idea that has a fair amount of potential in the horror genre.

When it comes to "Death of a Unicorn," writer/director Alex Scharfman certainly has the foundation of such an idea, utilizing the aforementioned subversive depiction to show us the creatures trying to rescue one of their own, and it does a fine job of setting the stage for why the entire ordeal is happening in the first place. The main issue he runs into is that he sadly takes the easiest route that this story could go. He does indeed set the stage, but he merely does so for a second half that has the unicorns going on a killing spree, primarily stabbing people with their horns as they go about it (with a squashed head thrown in for good measure), taking the intriguing idea & solid-enough foundation and turning it into a somewhat monotonous bloodbath.

The incredible cast, which includes Emmy/SAG Award nominees Paul Rudd & Jenna Ortega, as well as Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant and Emmy nominee Will Poulter, try to do their best with the material, but there simply isn't much they can do to elevate the rather tedious & repetitive monotony of that second half. Still, it's hardly a bad effort. The film still has an enticing set-up, it's just that Scharfman needed to work a little harder on the follow-through. Taking the easy route often leads to a film that feels a little lazy, and it really doesn't do it any favors here. Had he taken it in a more intriguing & challenging direction, it may have worked better, even as a grand attempt at creativity, but as it is, it's merely a fascinating idea that needed better execution.

Video/Audio:

"Death of a Unicorn" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. The picture is beautifully sharp & clear throughout the film's entire 108-minute duration, perfectly highlighting its multitude of unicorn-related special effects. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, A24 has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's physical release.

Special Features:

Commentary with Writer-Director Alex Scharfman

How to Kill a Unicorn (15 Minutes): A featurette that goes behind the scenes of the film with the cast & crew.

Deleted Scenes (20 Sequences, 13 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Alex Scharfman's "Death of a Unicorn" has the start of an intriguing idea that subverts the typical peaceful & pure depictions of the mythical creatures, but sadly hits a snag as it heads into its second half when Scharfman unfortunately opts to take the easiest route forward, ultimately turning the film into a somewhat monotonous & repetitive bloodbath that needed more creative execution.

Score: 3/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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