A fantasy horror comedy that is also an Eat the Rich parable and also a functioning homage to scare classics like "Jurassic Park" and "Alien," "Death of a Unicorn" puts forth a lot of ideas but makes good on very few of them.
In his feature debut, writer-director Alex Scharfman pays homage to heroes like Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, while clearly having fun with an inventive premise: What if unicorns, the magical beings of every child's dreams, were actually vicious, violent monsters?
This is a light and breezy affair with a few unexpected twists, some social commentary that doesn’t entirely land, and it might not have enough staying power for it to be truly memorable. -- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: 'Clown in a Cornfield' a light, breezy slasher
This flick isn’t a masterpiece, not even a vulgar one, but it’s cheeky and entertaining enough in its giddy hyper-violence, thanks almost entirely to the star turn of Josh Hartnett, who has proven in his recent renaissance that he’s especially great in bozo mode. -- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: Josh Hartnett saves 'Fight or Flight' from crash landing
Perhaps we don’t need the reminder that our personal relationships with animals are some of the most special and rewarding ones that we can enjoy as human beings, but “The Penguin Lessons� also underscores that our relationships with people are even more important, and that sometimes animals are the best stewards for this particular journey.-- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: A teacher's pet warms the heart in 'Penguin Lessons'