What should be a simple retreat for the weekend goes seriously haywire when a unicorn is involved in a hit-and-run accident in Death of a Unicorn.

Between Paul Rudd’s casting and the reactions coming out of SXSW, it was enough to pique my interest and miss about two hours and change of March Madness last week. Suffice it to say that it was worth it for Alex Scharfman’s feature directorial debut! It’s not uncommon for Paul Rudd’s character to be going up against billionaires–wait, how rich is Tony Stark anyway? But in this case, it’s pharmaceutical billionaire Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) and wife Belinda Leopold (Téa Leoni) seeking to exploit a unicorn for what turns out to be a miraculous cure. Imagine what you can do with unicorns knowing that you can cure just about every disease on the planet?

Elliot (Paul Rudd) and Ridley Kintner (Jenna Ortega) are in no man’s land as they make their way deep into the Canadian Rockies wilderness to meet with the Leopold family. Elliot looks at it as a chance to make their family some money and be set for life. Sounds easy, nu? Well, not so much. Things go haywire when they thought they killed a unicorn, only for it to somehow come back to life. And if this isn’t enough, the unicorn’s parents are wanting blood!

While everyone soon begins to fight for survival in Death of a Unicorn, Ridley sees a unicorn in an old photo of her dead mother. Sure enough, these unicorn tapestries from days past may just provide a clue as to how to possibly survive the night and maybe live to see the next day. Is her father willing to listen to her? What about the Leopolds? Mind you, their son, Shepard (Will Poulter), starts snorting unicorn horn as if it were coke. It opens up his mind in a way that puts him into overdrive, far different from the effects it has on others.

While it’s a comedy, there’s just as much tension in Death of a Unicorn as Jurassic Park. Téa Leoni, of course, is no stranger to the world of being chased by creatures, having starred in Jurassic Park III, for better or worse. That being said, there are moments in the film where the camera framing is eerily similar to a raptor appearing out of nowhere.

There’s also a sense of eat-the-rich satire that we saw in The Hunt five years ago. Put it this way: the Leopold family is no different than the Sackler family. It’s no wonder that filmmaker Alex Scharfman decides to satirize billionaire families like the Sacklers Death of a Unicorn. If you’ve seen Dopesick, you know exactly what the Sackler stands for and honestly, it’s not good. Without the Sacklers, we don’t have the “certifiably insane” Leopolds–Paul Rudd’s words, not mine–being “terrible people.” But satire or no satire, this film still a piece of escapist entertainment that will have audiences on the edge of their seat!

Unfortunately, the production couldn’t find a North American home for the Leopold Ranch exteriors. Instead, they found one just outside of Budapest. Lavish interiors were built on a Budapest soundstage, only to get destroyed and bloodied up while Death of a Unicorn was filming.

If Jurassic Park were a comedy, it would look something like Death of a Unicorn. If you ask me, it’s a contender for best first feature of the year and certainly worthy of a best original screenplay nomination. The whole concept is hysterical.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Alex Scharfman
CAST: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, with Téa Leoni and Richard E. Grant

A24 will release Death of a Unicorn in theaters on March 24, 2025. Grade: 4/5

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