One of the first movies to be granted permission to continue production during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Death of a Unicorn, is currently playing in theaters across North America.
Advance screenings of the movie created some early excitement about the project , but now that it's actually out, here are some early reviews from some of the top film reviewers in the United States.
Regretfully, the majority of the recently published reviews have given the movie negative ratings.
In their review, Rolling Stones wrote, "You want to put America’s upper crust on blast? Bring it! To hit a target, however, you need something close to a good aim, and this mix of satire and splatter can’t seem to stop flailing long enough to steady its hand."
ABC News added that despite the film's unique premise, it's overall themes are unoriginal. "Charm magnets Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd do their best to lift this horror comedy out of the quicksand of cliches that surround it but it’s a losing proposition."
The Oberver echoed the same in their review, stating, "Though there are glimmers of greatness tucked away in this film, its full potential goes unrealized and this fantastical, pharmaceutical flick ends up surprisingly unmemorable."
NPR found that the cast elevated the material, writing, "The film would have benefitted from a tighter edit and a bigger effects budget, but its principals -- especially Jenna Ortega as the only person on screen with a conscience, and Will Poulter as her polar opposite -- are clearly having a ball."
Death of a Unicorn currently has a 55% approval rating on the aggregate film review website, Rotten Tomatoes, with an average critic's score of 5.5 out of 10.
Described as a dark, horror comedy, Death of a Unicorn follows a father who brings his daughter with him to a corporate, weekend retreat in the wilderness which is sponsored by his billionaire boss. While en route, the father and daughter duo inexplicably hit and kill a mythical unicorn. They then strap it to their hood and bring it to the treat, where the billionaire CEO sponsor of the getaway becomes determined to exploit the restorative powers of the carcass after it's discovered that even in death, the unicorn still has mystical abilities.
A24 co-financed the pic alongside Ley Line Entertainment and will handle global distribution.
The film stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) and Jenna Ortega (Scream, Wednesday) along with Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Richard E. Grant (Saltburn, A Series of Unfortunate Events ) Téa Leoni (Flirting with Disaster, Madam Secretar), Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead, Paddington 2), Anthony Carrigan (Barry, Bill & Ted Face the Music), Stephen Park (In Living Color, Asteroid City) and Sunita Mani (Mr. Robot, GLOW).
Alex Scarfman (Resurrection) wrote and directed pic.
About Death of a Unicorn
The studio behind MOONLIGHT, LADY BIRD, EX MACHINA, THE WITCH, EIGHTH GRADE, HEREDITARY & more brings you a new feature from writer/director Alex Scharfman and starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant.