As always I try to remind readers when it comes to a film that I review that is based off of a book or some sort of source material and this time around, I am not familiar with the source material that this movie was based on. Nico the Unicorn is a 1998 film (though once again, the internet has different dates when it comes to a US release). The film is based off of the 1996 book of the same name which was written by Frank Sacks who even wrote the story for this film. The film stars Kevin Zegers (known for his role in Air Bud) and the film was directed by Graeme Campbell who is still somewhat active when it comes to directing and is known for some of his Christmas films, a Jay ans Silent Bob film, and a few episodes of Mutant X.
Billy is a kid with a leg disability. He and his mom moved into a house that the mom inherited. It is a new place for Billy. He gets bullied for his disability. One day, he goes to a creature fair and somehow manages to buy a pony which later gives birth to something quite magical.
I will admit, this film is not bad and for some strange reason, I have two copies of this film (one included in a collection and one copy is by itself.). I was expecting this to be a straight up awful unicorn movie. The one film I was able to make a comparison with is Prancer, the 1989 reindeer film. Both films have their similarities. You have a little kid, they discover a magical creature, and they have to keep this creature a secret. With that being said, it is a fairly predictable film with a formula that has been done on more than one occasion. Hell, even the sequel to Prancer, Prancer Returns nearly follows the same formula. So everything is pretty standard but that is not to say that this film is bad. Sure, the unicorn does not pop up nearly half way through the film which is kind of annoying because the film is not all that interesting when there is no unicorn. The acting is done fairly well but I do not find the charcters all too interesting. But again, the acting is done fairly well. The appeal is not all the way there because I am not one that is all for unicorn movies. I just don't watch those type of films. But this film manages to be a light hearted type of film that makes the viewing experience an alright experience.
When it comes to this film, I don't have much to say. It is just an OK film but I do see where this film has it's fans. Am I a huge fan? No, and I do not think that a film like this is looking for any converts but I will recognize when a film is alright and this is one of them.
