It a has a lot of things going for it... crazy unusual plot, Jenna Ortega the queen of dark comedy, and it's the directoral debut of producer Alex Scharfman whose productions have consistently scored in the 90+ percentile amongst critics on RottenTomatoes. Early critics scores for this movie are comparatively meh (64%) but that's still a favorable number.

I probably won't see it in the theater, but I'll keep an eye out home vieweing. If you catch it on the big screen I definitely want to hear your reaction!

@rooprect said:

It a has a lot of things going for it... crazy unusual plot, Jenna Ortega the queen of dark comedy,

I probably won't see it in the theater, but I'll keep an eye out home vieweing. If you catch it on the big screen I definitely want to hear your reaction!

Jenna Ortega is definitely a selling point!;)

And I'll certainly share my reaction here on TMDB-- Standard Operating Procedure for anything I see in the cinema and usually for anything I see on video.

But I am a bit surprised, rooprect-- Death of a Unicorn appears to have both an environmentalism and animal-rights theme, while wrapping things within a fun and not-too-preachy production (I could be wrong though, just going by the previews right now and of course haven't seen it yet).

It seems this movie would be just your cup of tea, rooprect-- perhaps, after opening weekend goes by and if I happen to like it, I could change your mind about passing it up in the theater:)!

@northcoast said:

@rooprect said:

It a has a lot of things going for it... crazy unusual plot, Jenna Ortega the queen of dark comedy,

I probably won't see it in the theater, but I'll keep an eye out home vieweing. If you catch it on the big screen I definitely want to hear your reaction!

Jenna Ortega is definitely a selling point!;)

And I'll certainly share my reaction here on TMDB-- Standard Operating Procedure for anything I see in the cinema and usually for anything I see on video.

But I am a bit surprised, rooprect-- Death of a Unicorn appears to have both an environmentalism and animal-rights theme, while wrapping things within a fun and not-too-preachy production (I could be wrong though, just going by the previews right now and of course haven't seen it yet).

It seems this movie would be just your cup of tea, rooprect-- perhaps, after opening weekend goes by and if I happen to like it, I could change your mind about passing it up in the theater:)!

For real you called me out! The first thing I did after reading the plot summary was to snoop around to see if there's an animal/environmental theme which always perks me up haha.

Google's AI response was:

The movie "Death of a Unicorn," starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, explores the consequences of humanity's disregard for nature and wildlife, with the unicorns representing a violent, vengeful response to human actions.

I LOVE that! I grew up on post-hippy apocalypse flicks like Silent Running, Phase IV, Star Trek The One With The Whales and the grandfather of them all, Hitchcock's The Birds. It's a cryin shame that they're even more relevant today, but as Bruce Dern said in the commentary for Silent Running "It'll continue to be relevant until somebody cleans this place up, and no one has done that yet."

Ok, so maybe you've nudged me a step closer to opening night at the local movie house.... we'll see ;)

@rooprect said:

@northcoast said:

@rooprect said:

I LOVE that! I grew up on post-hippy apocalypse flicks like Silent Running, Phase IV, Star Trek The One With The Whales and the grandfather of them all, Hitchcock's The Birds. It's a cryin shame that they're even more relevant today, but as Bruce Dern said in the commentary for Silent Running "It'll continue to be relevant until somebody cleans this place up, and no one has done that yet."

Ok, so maybe you've nudged me a step closer to opening night at the local movie house.... we'll see ;)

I recall that Silent Running, Logan's Run, and THX 1138 always seemed to appear really late at night/early morning, when the broadcast networks had nothing else to show. I remember waking up randomly, groggily turning on my TV, and thinking, "WTF is this?!" All three films had a dystopian future and stark warnings about ruining our environment. A bleak showcase of the future, the 1970s were; and here we are now in 2025, with a potentially totalitarian Great Leader, who doesn't seem to think the Environmental Protection Agency is even necessary . . .

What progressive times we live in, here in the future!

@northcoast said:

What progressive times we live in, here in the future!

Better check the arsenic levels in your sarcasm 😆

Then again, the Nu EPA will probably let it slide, as long as you meet your coal quota & kickbacks.

Oh man how could I forget Logan's Run, an environmental disaster so bleak that the government's solution was to corral all of humanity into metal domes, there to live out its brief lifespan like children in a state of stunted adolescence to prevent anyone from wising up to the horror. Hmm I bet the Department of Education was first to be cut?

The 70s definitely rocked for dystopian fascist environmental bleakness and I dunno what's more depressing, the fantasy dystopia scenarios or the fact that some 50 years later we're still heading there faster and ignoranter than ever.

One interesting thing you pointed out regarding the WTF factor--which directly relates to Death of a Unicorn--is that the most beloved (if that word can be used) dystopia flicks had to have a heavy dose of WTF for audiences to swallow the depressing message. I mean, compare Logan's Run & its trippiness to a film like 1984 which was brutally realistic, dark & heavy. I loved 1984 and thought it was a great film but I could only watch it once. My brain, to protect itself, basically erased the experience and to this day I don't remember a thing other than the unhinged ̶T̶r̶u̶m̶p̶esque ...er Naziesque rallies at the beginning.

Contrast this against Logan's Run which is just plain fun to watch over and over, and this in turn plants the seed of the film's message deeper in your head. So with Unicorn and films that take a horror/comedy approach to heavy subjects, I think these are the Logan's Runs for the kids today. There's enough fun to keep it in the realm of entertainment, and if anything maybe that's the key to planting messages in the audience's psyche.

Serious & heavy films like 1984 or the recent super-depressing Aniara are so terrifying that I'm afraid they don't do anything to change minds.

...if anything changes minds. Maybe the most prophetic line in Logan's Run was "There is no sanctuary! There is NO sanctuary!! There is....!!" ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Not a theatrical one for me, but it's on my JustWatch list. Saw the trailer last night with a special screening of Novocaine and, much to my surprise, Mme LeMarchand seemed interested.

I would if it got a theatrical release in my country. Alas.

@Unicorn2803 said:

I would if it got a theatrical release in my country. Alas.

I'm surprised you want to see your species being killed.

@M.LeMarchand said:

@Unicorn2803 said:

I would if it got a theatrical release in my country. Alas.

I'm surprised you want to see your species being killed.

I named myself after the movie (2803 = March 28th), not the species. I'll change it when I think of a name I actually want to keep.

Well, if you're new here, Unicorn2803, welcome to TMDB!

@northcoast said:

Well, if you're new here, Unicorn2803, welcome to TMDB!

Fairly new, I made my account in January. Added release dates for the Netherlands and Norway a couple days ago. I saw one site saying it would release here on April 9th, but I haven't seen any confirmation.

@Unicorn2803 said:

I would if it got a theatrical release in my country. Alas.

Welcome to TMDB! Where do you live?

@bratface said:

@Unicorn2803 said:

I would if it got a theatrical release in my country. Alas.

Welcome to TMDB! Where do you live?

Belgium

Looks like I'm seeing it after all!

April 9th