One of the most anticipated March film releases isNovocaine, an action/thriller film that stars Jack Quaid, best known for his starring role as Hughie in the Amazon Prime TV seriesThe Boys. Quaid has been on a roll lately, starring in plenty of extremely well-received projects, andNovocaine’s reviewsindicate that this film will be no different, earning an excellent Rotten Tomatoes score. The film is great, and one of the reasons for that isNovocaine’s inspirations, which are obvious even though the movie manages to differentiate itself enough from its influences.
TheJohn Wickserieshas absolutely redefined what action movies are in recent years, and plenty of modern classics in the genretake a lot of obvious inspiration from the Keanu Reeves-led franchise.Novocainecontinues Quaid’s recent hot streak, and its very recent theatrical release means that hopefully, his career will continue to grow, giving him more and more starring roles in great projects. Even if his most recent project wears its inspirations on its sleeve, it remains a great vehicle for Quaid and the supporting cast around him.
Jack Quaid Wanted To Do Novocaine After Watching John Wick 4
He Was Inspired By Keanu Reeves' Already Iconic Franchise
In an interview with DiscussingFilm, Jack Quaid revealed thathe wanted to doNovocaineafter watching the latest installment in theJohn Wickfranchise, saying that he wanted to be a part of that kind of universe in some way, andNovocainefelt like a way he could do that. Watching the film, this inspiration absolutely makes sense, as Jack Quaid’s new movie has a very similar kind ofaction found in theJohn Wickmovies, which is a great sign for the film’s success in the weeks to come.
Jack Quaid speaking with DiscussingFilm aboutNovocaine.
With howpositiveNovocaine’s early reviewshave been,I am very hopeful that the film will be a big success, not just because it would be great to see the team behind the film earn a win, but also because it is a smaller-budget movie, similar to the firstJohn Wick, as well as a new IP that deserves it’s time to shine. IfNovocainedoes manage to hit as hard as the early reviews indicate, Quaid could even appear in one of the upcomingJohn Wickprojects, which would be a delight to see.
Novocaine Is A Completely Different Type Of Action Movie Than John Wick
Despite Its Inspiration, Novocaine Stands On Its Own
Despite its obvious influence,Novocaineis still very different toJohn Wick, in multiple ways. The first is thatJohn Wicktends to be slightly more realistic in its world and characters thanNovocaine. While the world ofJohn Wickhas gotten much more fantastical in recent movies, with wild characters and worldbuilding aspects being introduced in the third and fourth films, the action and characters tend to go for more gritty realism as opposed toNovocaine, with Nathan essentially having a superpowerwith his CIP.
While theJohn Wickfranchise does definitely pull some comedy out of the dark situations it creates, humor is very much not a main objective of the series, as opposed toNovocaine, which has a lot of jokes throughout its runtime.
The other main difference between the two movies is the tone, as, whileJohn Wickis a very self-serious franchise,Novocainehad a much more comedic tone, with many more purposefully funny moments. WhiletheJohn Wickfranchisedoes definitely pull some comedy out of the dark situations it creates, humor is very much not a main objective of the series, as opposed toNovocaine, which has a lot of jokes throughout its runtime, even though it is still primarily an action film.
Novocaine Might Not Be John Wick, But It’s Still A Fun Action Movie
Novocaine Is A Great, Modern Action Movie
Since its release in 2014,John Wickhas become the blueprint for what a great modern action movielooks like, and the fact thatNovocaineis quite a departure from it could be seen as a disappointment for some.However,the film is still an excellent action flick, and the differentiation fromJohn Wickabsolutely works inNovocaine’s favor, as it doesn’t just feel like a carbon copy. Keanu Reeves' original movie remains an iconic action film, and trying to just do that again likely wouldn’t really work.
Where To Watch Novocaine: Showtimes & Streaming Status
Jack Quaid’s action-packed film, Novocaine, will be released exclusively in theaters and come out for digital and streaming at a later date.
One big similarity between the two movies is the central actors, asbothNovocaineandJohn Wick’s biggest strengths were the great performances by their leads. The first movie in theJohn Wickfranchise propelled Keanu Reeves back into stardom after his career fell off throughout the 2000s, and he is now one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood once again. While Jack Quaid’s career is still relatively new,Novocainecould bring him even further into the limelight.
