Unicorns, Billionaires, and Chaos – What Went Wrong in Death of a Unicorn?

When I started Death of a Unicorn on Netflix, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The name alone had me like, “Is this fantasy? Is it comedy? Is it one of those weird A24 films that just want to confuse me?” And after watching it, I can tell you this movie was doing too much and still didn’t do enough.

It starts with Paul Rudd (yes, our forever-young Ant-Man) and Jenna Ortega (who’s been on fire lately). They play a father and daughter duo, Elliot and Ridley. On their way to a billionaire’s island retreat, they hit and kill a unicorn. And from there, chaos enters. The billionaire boss and his crazy family realize that the unicorn’s horn can heal any disease, and of course, everyone starts losing their minds.

Now, let me just say the concept is actually mad interesting. Like, unicorns? Greedy billionaires? Healing powers? I'm in But the execution? Hmm. The film couldn’t decide if it wanted to be satire, horror, fantasy, or just plain bizarre. It kept jumping in tone so much that at one point I said out loud, “What exactly are we watching here?”

Paul Rudd was trying to be serious, Jenna Ortega was giving the right angst, and there were moments where I thought, “Yes! This is about to get good!” But those moments came and went too fast. And let’s not even talk about the unicorn parents showing up for revenge. I get what they were going for, but it ended up feeling ridiculous instead of thrilling.

The visuals? Mid. The message about greed and the pharmaceutical industry? Valid but weakly delivered. Some scenes had me laughing, others had me cringing, and the rest just had me waiting for the credits.

Look, I love weird movies that push boundaries, but this one felt like it was trying so hard to be deep and edgy that it lost its own plot.

Character Analysis

Ridley (Jenna Ortega): Ridley is honestly the soul of the film. Her sarcasm, teenage disillusionment, and emotional depth made her more than just the token rebellious daughter. She sees through the madness around her and is the only one who seems truly disturbed by the exploitation of the unicorn. If the story had focused more on her, we might’ve had something stronger.

Elliot (Paul Rudd): Elliot, the well-meaning but passive dad, felt a bit lost in the chaos. You could tell he wanted to protect his daughter and do the right thing, but the character didn’t have enough backbone to stand out. Rudd tried to bring his usual charm, but the script didn’t give him much to work with.

Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant): Now this man was chaos in human form. As the billionaire boss, Odell represented greed, power, and the complete lack of morality. His obsession with using the unicorn’s horn for profit was both darkly comic and disturbing. But even with all the madness, he never quite became the villain you love to hate just one you side-eye all through.

Themes

1. Corporate Greed & Exploitation: The film clearly takes a jab at the pharmaceutical industry and corporate greed. The whole idea of using the unicorn’s healing powers for profit is an obvious metaphor for how businesses exploit resources for personal gain, without caring about the bigger picture. It’s a theme that could’ve been explored deeper, but it gets lost in the mess of the plot.

2. The Corruption of Purity: The unicorn, a creature symbolizing purity and magic, is corrupted by the greed around it. It’s a typical but powerful theme, one that could’ve packed more of an emotional punch if the story took its time to build up to it. Instead, it ends up feeling more like an afterthought.

3. Father-Daughter Relationships: At its heart, Death of a Unicorn tries to explore the bond between Elliot and Ridley. It’s a relationship filled with tension, love, and a lot of miscommunication. Ridley’s maturity contrasts with her dad’s lost, passive approach to life, and watching them try to navigate their issues while a unicorn’s life is on the line adds some emotional depth to the chaos. But again, the film doesn’t lean into this enough to make it impactful.

Final Thoughts

Death of a Unicorn had everything on paper: a unique premise, talented actors, and a chance to explore some important themes. But the film gets caught up in trying to be “different” and “deep” and ends up feeling like a half-baked idea. It had the potential to be a really smart, sharp satire or an intense fantasy, but it’s kind of stuck in the middle, never really picking a lane.

Ajiri’s Rating: 7/10

Because not every “different” movie is a good movie. Sometimes it’s just... weird for no reason.