La Muerte De Un Unicornio

The good- pretty cool lore and set up for the unicorns. Promising father-daughter set up, some good satire of the rich and powerful. Will Poulter is the best of the cast.

The bad- The father's character development felt very unearned, most of the movie I was praying for his bloody comeuppance. The rich family was too one-note for the amount of screen time they get. CGI was noticeably mediocre but understandable for a low budget movie.

With a rewrite or two, and some more money for CGI and action sequences, this could have been a sleeper surprise with genuine sequel potential as I really did like what they did with the unicorns. But because most all the characters were one-dimensional, the movie drags in the middle third as you wait for the inevitable. When it does finally happen, it's somewhat entertaining but let down by its poor CGI, so-so action sequences, and clunky plot resolution. The first two are forgivable given its budget, the third is not.

I don't regret watching this movie, I just wish that it had lived up to its potential.

I got to see an early screening and it was as expected, campy, gory with comedic elements. It was a good popcorn movie. Some people complained that it was stupid which I don't get because its a movie about unicorns... So of course its a bit dumb, that's the point.

I compare it to Cocaine Bear (2023) because they are both marketed to be a silly comedy with violence, but this was way better than Cocaine Bear. It's aiming to be a cult classic film but missed the mark a bit. Also, not that funny which was disappointing but it had some jump scares and gruesome deaths so I was still engaged the whole time.

If this movie took itself seriously, I'd give it a low score. But it's so obviously dumb fun mixed with satire, I feel like a low score would miss the point.

If you like dark humor, jump scares, and a bit of gore, I'd recommend it to you. The characters are more caricatures. The satire is not subtle. The humor is low brow. And I say all of this as QUALITIES of the movie.

The level of writing is very much like that of 80s or 90s era sitcoms. The performances are fine - adequate. I left the theater understanding that I saw a "bad" movie by most standards. But I didn't regret spending money on the ticket. To me, it's one of those "so bad, it's good" kind of movies.

If I have the opportunity to see it again, maybe on a streaming service, I will.

This is movie that without any high expectations delivers. The actors are familiar, fun to watch, and each has their fun moments. Jenna Ortega does well carrying the center and works well with Rudd, who plays himself basically. Carrigan is totally underutilized, his facial expressions from his character are pretty much many of the best parts, Pouter does well also. That being said, there was only so much to do with the outline. It had to go harder in either direction honestly to level up. I would have liked it to up the crazy and absurdity all around, it's a movie about unicorns in modern life so why hold back, ratchet it up.

I love horror comedies and am ecstatic with the surge of movies we've seen in this subgenre. But most are lacking on the horror side. They're more fun than scary. Death of a Unicorn does the horror side well. There are a few moments that gave me OG Jurassic Park vibes with the tension/suspense.

The comedy side is strong but inconsistent. Some attempts I found hilarious while others fall flat, but not to the point of cringe. I enjoyed the entire cast as well as the visually unique characters.

I do want to point out a couple standouts. One is, to no one's surprise, Jenna Ortega. She has become a full-blown star and has taken the mantle of horror queen like none other. And Will Poulter, once known as the weird eyebrows dude from We're the Millers, continues to impress with vastly differing characters.

I had a fun time with this movie and think most fans of the subgenre will as well.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday Dolby Cinema 3/27/2025)