Nickelodeon takes its shot at the teen-targeted musical movie genre with its newest made-for-TV flick, Spectacular.
The movie stars Smallville's Nolan Gerard Funk as Nikko, a wanna-be rock star whose personal ambitions get him kicked out of his homegrown rock band. Needing quick cash to make a demo tape for a big-time music producer, Nikko reluctantly joins a "show choir" group dubbed Spectacular, led by annoyingly preppy and perky Courtney (Tammin Sursok) with the promise of a $5,000 prize if the group wins a national championship.
After the rock 'n' roll-driven Nikko is unable to adjust to the strict, choreographed moves of the show choir, he entices the rest of the Spectacular group to dance to a different, more contemporary and spontaneous beat, much to Courtney's chagrin.
Courtney eventually comes around to the group's new moves, but after the record producer offers Nikko a chance to make a demo tape, he is confronted with a choice of performing with Spectacular at the national championships or fulfilling his dreams of becoming a rock star.
As with many of these teen-targeted movies, the plot is predictable and the dialogue is not very strong or unique. But teens will tap their toes to the numerous musical performances.
High School Musical it is not, but Spectacular will undoubtedly find its own tween/teen audience.
Spectacular premieres on Nickelodeon on Feb. 16 at 8:30 p.m.
