A common rule of horror movies is that if people are driving somewhere mysterious, they’re probably gonna run over a poor creature along the way. Usually it’s an upsetting occurrence, but it doesn’t become the whole movie. More a premonition of bad vibes to come. What Death of a Unicorn (Alex Scharfman, 2025) asks is: could this incident not only start a film, but also contain enough consequences to power its entire premise?
The short answer is no. Read on for the longer one.
Perhaps, with a keener eye for satire, a stronger cast and more satisfying targets, it could. Unfortunately, Death of a Unicorn, awkwardly splitting the difference between a broad studio comedy and an artsy A24 movie, does little to distinguish itself from any of the other tired “eat the rich” satires that, in a world growing increasingly unfair, feel more like trolls from the Hollywood elite than genuine pleas for economic change.
It starts with father Eliott Kintner (Paul Rudd), on a trip with his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) on an important visit to his dying boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). His role is to facilitate a smooth transition in exchange for being made partner — his daughter has been forced to come along so see if their family’s vibe matches with the smarmy rich aesthetic of Odell, his wife Belinda (Téa Leoni) and their spoiled son Shephard (Will Poulter).
Naturally, their rendezvous in the Leopold mansion, conveniently located in a mobile-reception-free nature park, is disturbed by the aforementioned death of a unicorn, especially when it turns out that its blood and horn may have magical healing powers. Soon, Ridley — who has discovered a variety of old myths surrounding the vengefulness of these seemingly harmless and beautiful animals, including the ominous Unicorn Tapestries (1495–1505) — finds herself trying to convince a group of power-hungry capitalists that, if they don’t leave the dead unicorn well alone, their doom will soon follow.
While competently made in the technical department — clear, flowing action; impressive CGI — Scharfman’s overall vision never leaves the infantile stage. For one, the “jokes” and “dialogue” circle the lowest denominator. A case in point is when Ridley presents a “moodboard” warning of the dangers of exploiting the unicorn and Shephard replies that it’s more like a “shitboard.” Maybe with a more loaded, excited delivery, these quasi-realistic Succession-esque (Jesse Armstrong, 2018-2023) quips would pop off the page, but this cast never gels into a satisfying ensemble.
In fact, the nature of the casting betrays the most nakedly commercial A24 movie yet, a broad concept comedy with every single member of the top-billed cast having previously held some role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.1Besides Ant-Man’s (Peyton Reed, 2015) Paul Rudd, alongside Téa Leoni in a cameo role, Jenna Ortega starred in Iron Man 3 (Shane Black, 2013), Richard E. Grant starred in Loki (Michael Waldron, 2021-) and Will Poulter starred in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (James Gunn, 2023). And the players simply don’t work, avoiding the usual spiky, nuanced characterisation A24 is known for in favour of thin, lame caricatures.
Following up on the abysmal Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Peyton Reed, 2023) and another Ghostbusters movie (refuse to watch), Paul Rudd — whose portrayal of Scott Lang once added some much-needed homely charm to the world’s biggest franchise — feels completely miscast as Elliot. He’s simply too likeable, and can’t get across the snakey, self-serving nature — prioritising his career over his daughter — the character needs. In addition, Richard E. Grant is doing more or less the same schtick as always, while Will Poulter, occasionally a commanding dramatic actor, rarely meets the comic potential of the material. Even sitcom veteran Téa Leoni can’t match the moment. Only scream queen Jenna Ortega, in what is essentially the main role, feels like she is made for the material.
Perhaps it would’ve been more satisfying if the film had stayed in the broad comedy zone (there’s a decent stupid Will Ferrell movie in here somewhere), but Unicorn also attempts profundity (seeing the face of god when touching the horn) and emotional father-daughter bonding (dead mother) in the midst of utter silliness, stretching its already basic premise to exhaustion. Scharfman’s debut lacks sharpness and spice.
For a better reverie on exploitation, also out right now, that feels like a big studio movie with purpose and ambition and lots of interesting things to say, you’d be much better off checking out Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025) instead. Now that’s a well-cast movie!
Redmond is the editor-in-chief of Journey Into Cinema.