By Nick Nitkowski

I’m pretty sure as children we all wanted a pet unicorn at some point, right? Well, for boys I imagine it was more of a Pegasus than a unicorn because flying is cool and more masculine than just a horse with a horn, but I digress. The point I’m making is that “Death of a Unicorn” pretty much taints anyone’s preconceived notions of a unicorn and will probably second guess their misguided choice of imaginary ownership after watching this brand new A24 release. 

“Death of a Unicorn” is about a father played by Paul Rudd who takes his daughter played by Jenna Ortega to visit his wealthy boss, played by Richard E. Grant, and his family, played by Will Poulter and Téa Leoni mansion in the hopes to gain a promotion. But along the way, they accidentally hit and kill a unicorn with a car. Upon doing so, they soon discover that the unicorn’s body provides significant benefits, but at what cost?

I found this movie to be wildly entertaining. It provides elements of horror, but I would classify this as a dark comedy because while it provides blood and gore, it also has a lot of humor as well that had me laughing on more than one occasion. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting from this movie going in, but I definitely did not expect to laugh as much as I did. 

Normally, you would expect Paul Rudd to provide most of the comedy in this movie, and he does sometimes, but most of the comedy was provided by Will Poulter who is no stranger to comedic timing. Jenna Ortega was good and so was everyone else in the movie, but I personally felt that Will Poulter stole the show every time he was on screen. He was hilarious.

The movie is also weird and irreverent at times, but what else would you expect from an A24 movie? As you watch it, there is definitely no question that it’s an A24 film with the film’s dark and twisted sense of humor, which I’m all for. The film is primarily a statement on pharmaceutical companies and the greed of wealthy business tycoons wanting to gatekeep medical discoveries for tremendous profit. The writers just decided to throw in a mythical horse as a way to make that statement and to me, it worked.

Honestly, there’s not much else that I can say about the movie that doesn’t involve giving more elements of the story away. Overall, “Death of a Unicorn” was a funny and wild ride that should cater to any A24 fan. It was humorous, it was bloody, and it was entertaining. The ending was a bit clichéd, but it did not take away from my overall experience and enjoyment of the film. If you were at all curious about this film, I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s definitely worth checking out in theaters. Just be on the lookout for any crossing Unicorns on your way to the theater.

4 stars