Death of a Coastal Unicorn
Review by Anamely Salgado (she/her)
Edited by Abigail Vela
SPOILER-FREE
“Death of a Unicorn” is a cautionary tale about the devastating effects of human greed on nature. It is also a thrilling revenge story if you’re on nature’s side (which you should be.) The story follows father and daughter, Elliot and Ridley, who accidentally hit a mysterious creature with their car on their way to a business retreat. They soon admit to themselves that the creature is a unicorn and cannot conceal their discovery when they arrive at the secluded mansion of Odell Leopold, Elliot’s boss. There, they realize that the unicorn has magical healing powers that the Leopold family cannot wait to exploit it for profit. Unfortunately for them, the dead unicorn has an equally ambitious family, seeking to punish those responsible for the murder and exploitation of their loved one.
When you think of exploitative billionaires hurting the Rio Grande Valley’s natural habitats “for science,” one person in particular may come to mind. Elon Musk began developing SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica in 2014, and since then, the company has significantly hurt the animals, plants and people of the area. According to SpaceX’s website, they aim to make humanity multi-planetary by building a launch vehicle that can carry humans to Mars and other parts of our solar system. In the Mission and Careers pages of SpaceX’s website, you’ll find two statements made by Elon Musk attributing SpaceX’s creation to a belief “that the future will be better than the past,” and that “a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not.”
Talk of humanity, excitement, and a better future seems ironic when SpaceX explorations are making humans’ future and present more daunting, especially for the people of Cameron County who have had to deal with sonic booms, debris, wildfires, and water contamination caused by Starbase launches, explosions and crashes.
SpaceX is exploiting the sacred land of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas because, according to Elon, “We’ve got a lot of land with nobody around, and so if it blows up, it’s cool.” This is far from the truth. We have limited land, and it is occupied, not just by humans, but by terrestrial and marine wildlife dying at the hands of greed.
We may not have majestic unicorns roaming our Gulf of Mexico beaches, but we do have ocelots, aplomado falcons, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and Texas tortoises who are as magical and deserving of respect and protection as any mythical creature in a Hollywood film. Although I don’t think the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are going to go on a killing spree any time soon, if crazier things have happened, like humans trying to reach Mars, I would not rule this Death of a Unicorn-like occurrence completely out.
If you like horror and comedy and want to see wildlife take violent revenge on greedy, rich people with the help of Latina icon Jenna Ortega, I would highly recommend watching “Death of a Unicorn” when it arrives on digital streaming. It’s gory, silly, and an overall good time. Perhaps it will even hit close to home and inspire you to support organizations such as South Texas Environmental Justice Network and Sunrise Movement RGV, who are working towards protecting our Gulf and its non-unicorn unicorns from the billionaire who is intent on acting as the villain of their story.
Rating: 4/5 Nopales
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