‘Death of a Unicorn’ a ‘Jurassic’ riff with occasional laughs

Rich people run the world, and in movies anyway, the rich people often do so with evil intent.

In recent years, filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho and Rian Johnson have found success playing in the “eat-the-rich” genre, where greedy moneymakers earn their comeuppance, often in violent ways.

Movies like “Parasite,” “Knives Out,” “The Menu,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Us” and “Saltburn” all mine entertainment (and black humor) from the schadenfreude of bad millionaires and billionaires. “Death of a Unicorn,” from writer/director Alex Scharfman in his feature length debut, takes the black humor into absurdist fantasy/horror territory in ways that lean heavily on the “Jurassic Park” playbook, for better or worse.

Paul Rudd plays widowed dad to college-aged Jenna Ortega. Both are beckoned to his employer’s remote wilderness estate for a life-altering career opportunity. On the way, however, they smash their rental car into a young unicorn, apparently killing it.

Ortega’s character feels an immediate, supernatural connection with the creature, and the unicorn blood also seemingly provides restorative powers (No more acne! No more seasonal allergies!).

Then, upon meeting the uber-rich Leopold family, led by ailing Odell (Richard E. Grant), his superficially philanthropic wife (Tea Leoni) and his blustery, moronic son (Will Poulter), the unicorn inexplicably roars back to life (briefly), giving Odell the likely terrible idea of profiting from the magical creature’s Phoenix-esque existence.

Before long, the vengeful parents of the unlucky unicorn arrive at the estate to cause gory havoc. The “Jurassic Park” connections then come fast and furious, including a substantial chunk of story reminiscent of 1997’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.”*

*Note: This “Jurassic Park” mega-fan isn’t necessarily complaining.

Before the carnage, Scharfman mines some amusing material from the absurdity of the Leopold family dynamic. While Grant basically just played this same character in “Saltburn” in 2023, Leoni and Poulter earn significant laughs as the stupidity and moral bankruptcy of their characters become increasingly obvious as chaos reigns.

Rudd — though more subdued than usual here — and Ortega handle the more serious elements of the plot well enough. Together, they earn a few genuinely heartfelt moments near the end of the film, despite relying on a standard “dead mom” trope.

The satirical elements of the “Death of a Unicorn,” i.e. the material that most leans into the “eat-the-rich” genre, doesn’t hit with much depth or force, though the film’s standout comedic beats come courtesy of the Leopold family’s long-suffering butler, Griff (Anthony Carrigan). Griff through some truly hilarious facial expressions deserves an “Office”-style mockumentary spinoff.

Now, about all the “Jurassic Park” riffs ... The first few terror-centric sequences work spectacularly well, in large part because the mythical creatures hide in the shadows. Unfortunately, “Death of a Unicorn” chooses to show the monsters frequently in broad daylight, and the CGI budget is obviously a fraction of the typical “Jurassic” installment. The effects look bad, killing the film’s chances at sustaining genuine suspense. Instead, Scharfman resorts to cartoonish splatter and gore gags. Mileage will vary on the execution there.

“Death of a Unicorn” ultimately devolves into more of a “stab-the-rich-with-sharp-horn” show. Its lack of subtlety will delight certain fans of B-movie schlock, but Scharfman’s early efforts to ape Spielbergian suspense signal a potential for a more substantial project down the line.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.

    This image released by A24 shows Paul Rudd, left, and Jenna Ortega in a scene from "Death of a Unicorn."
  

    This image released by A24 shows Tea Leoni in a scene from "Death of a Unicorn."