Friday, 28 November 2025

VOD: Death Of A Unicorn (dir: Alex Scharfman, 2025)

"I don't think I should be in swim shorts for this moment!"

Disconnected widowed father Elliot and daughter Ridley (Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega) are en route to the rural retreat of his billionaire dying boss (with gauche wife and feckless son) with a view to a big job promotion, when they accidentally run into and seemingly kill a unicorn (as one does), but the magically regenerative creature offers a possible medical solution for the sickly magnate (and his company) but with unexpectedly deadly consequences.  The bottle situation is very firmly established and used purposefully as the players find themselves under siege, and the tone straddles comedy and fantasy horror/thriller, never quite achieving either and wandering waywardly between the two genres, in a manner reminiscent of 2015's Krampus.  Rudd and Ortega commit well to the ridiculous scenario, although neither of their characters offers the actors much of a stretch from their familiar personae, with a strong and quirky supporting cast (Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, Jessica Hynes and the surprisingly-comedically-gifted Will Poulter) clearly enjoying the ride.  The first act shows promise but drags a little, but then by taking its daft premise seriously the film is allowed to revel entertainingly in its silliness which - whilst not entirely successful - offers slight fun.
 

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