“The Last of Us” may have proven that entertainment based on video games can work on television, but it could be argued that we are still searching for an outstanding big screen adaptation. Misses outweigh hits by a wide margin in this category. The same can be said for monster movies, which can suffer from bad CGI and cliché addictions. What should be fun, in both genres, is often too lame to connect with. First up on this double feature is “Death of a Unicorn.”
The studio A24 is having a moment right now. They have always been capable of producing reliably excellent content, but they are truly on a roll. 2024 alone included “Civil War,” “Sing Sing,” “The Brutalist,” and my personal favorite of that year, “Tuesday.” In theaters only briefly this spring is “Death of a Unicorn.” I’m mentioning it anyhow, because I think everyone should watch it when it becomes available digitally. The story centers on Paul Rudd and his daughter, played by Jenna Ortega. He works for a big pharmaceutical company and is on his way to an important meeting at the lodge of the company’s ruling family. They hit a unicorn on the road and, because they chose to bring the body with them, they introduce some classic monster mayhem into the scenario when everyone learns the truth about what unicorns really are. The cast is off the charts, with Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni and Will Poulter standing out as the wealthy fools who put everyone in danger. And the story, as silly as it sounds, works on just about every intended level. It’s funny when it needs to be, but never forces it, and the terror is perfectly calibrated. I could find fault with the quality of the CGI. It’s not top shelf technical work, to be sure, but it doesn’t derail the momentum of the plot. It just disappoints a bit upon reflection. Unicorns, in this world, are not what you thought. And this film about unicorns is not what you were expecting. Next up is “A Minecraft Movie.”
I just let out a huge sigh off mic, because I don’t even know where to start with this one. The plot, such as it is, follows all the usual lines. Steve, played very loudly by Jack Black, finds a portal into the magical, iterative Overworld of Minecraft and quickly runs afoul of the boss of the Netherworld. Four other regular people, led by Jason Momoa, end up there years later and get roped into helping Steve save everything. The first mistake director Jared Hess makes is to leave an obvious win on the table. Part of what makes the recent “Jumanji” remakes work so well by comparison is the fact the game is a game in the movie. All those characters know they are in a game, and it frees up the script to strain our credulity more credibly. If Minecraft were similarly a game in “A Minecraft Movie,” rather than just a cartoonish parallel world, Hess might have been able to maintain the same balance between carefree joy and grounded stakes. It still might not have made a difference here, if I’m honest, not with Jack Black constantly dialed up to 11 the way he is. His unhinged performance is pretty distracting. It’s not nearly as adorable as it used to be and it’s unfair to his co-stars. Kids might have fun with “A Minecraft Movie”, but I don’t think their parents will.
“A Minecraft Movie” has already made good money and will probably continue to do so. Which means there will be another one. I can only hope they will use that good will to make something more worthy of it. As for “Death of a Unicorn”, it doesn’t need a sequel. But it does deserve your eyes.
