Novocaine is a new American action thriller directed by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen due to release March 14th in theaters. The film stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh. When the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped, Nathan Caine (Quaid), turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her backs.

I want to start my review off with a disclaimer, because this is important. You should be respectful of those around you in a theater, but to be disruptive in a movie theater is another annoyance. Writing is not my full time job. I do this on the side and I currently do not get paid. When I go to the movies, I want to turn my brain off and just hear the movie. That’s it. Instead, a guy behind me consistently shouted his thoughts out loud to the point where it got inappropriate. Nothing happened of it. It sucks, because I think I could have enjoyed this more had it not happened. For someone like me who feels like I have had to prove my worth to be accepted as press, it’s frustrating to experience.

Okay, to the actual review! This one has been drumming up quite a bit of buzz as of lately. Jack Quaid is super likable and has quite the fanbase. What’s surprised me about the guy is how he manages to play someone who is insecure, yet makes it work for whatever film he is in. He made it work with his villainous role in Companion. Similar to this year’s Love Hurts, this one is also showcasing the lead actor’s talents in action movies. While I found both films to be okay, I would still watch this any day over the other.

I don’t typically watch trailers these days, or at least, I try not to. Sometimes, you are just forced into with any movie you go see, and this one was played in front of every single movie I saw (it’s difficult to try to get there 20 minutes late without taking a risk of missing the beginning). To my surprise, I found the first act very effective. Jack Quaid makes the silly concept work. His chemistry with Amber Midthunder is undeniably charming. Anytime they were on screen together, I truly believed these two liked each other.

The second act is where I started to see through the cracks. The villains are cartoonish from start to finish. They will shoot anyone and everyone nearly on sight. Considering these guys are meant to be ex-soldiers, I think they’re reasoning for robbing backs is non-existent and paints veterans in a bad light. Instead of being threatening, they kill everyone immediately besides the main hero. They “have” to take their time with him. It’s one of the most annoying cliche’s I can’t stand in film, and this one has a lot of it. I enjoy Ray Nicholson, but having him consistently laugh was beyond annoying.

The second act also comes with a twist that made me incredibly annoyed. Had they either waited to reveal the twist or cut it out completely would have made the film so much better. When the twist was revealed, I rolled my eyes in disbelief. Not that it made sense for it to happen, but when it’s revealed, I couldn’t care less of what happened. All the suspense and intrigue was gone. The twist is clearly shown TWICE! Just reveal in that second moment.

There is also another side story involving two cops chasing Jack Quaid’s character. The talent is likable, but again, I could care less. It drags the film down as they literally just investigate specific moments that we already saw. Their stories are beyond predictable, especially with where they end. Speaking of dragging, the third act, while an improvement over the second act, drags on for way too long. The film literally ends, then it keeps going and going…

It’s completely unbelievable how violent the film gets to where it no longer feels grounded. I am sure crowds will love it though. The violence just felt the filmmakers were seeing how much they could get away with. As it turns out, it gets to the point where it becomes that over a sensible script. I won’t say what, but I do not do well with a certain thing at all, and the film did it twice!

What’s funny is how Quaid’s character claims how his parents sheltered him, but they are nowhere in sight. I personally don’t understand why they made Quaid’s character a bank manager. If he was really sheltered, I think it would make more sense for him to have a remote job where he meets Amber Midthunder’s character through his video game. When she is abducted, that’s when he has to showcase that he is more than why he is beyond his video games and prove he is a superhero! Hire me, Hollywood!

Jacob Batalon, who most may know from the latest Spider-Man movies, does have a role in the film. If you saw the trailer, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Yet, the film treats him like a glamorized cameo. The film makes it seem like he’s Quaid’s best friend. They haven’t met in person, but Batalon can meet Quaid’s character in 10 minutes. Another thing that doesn’t make much sense is how Quaid & Midthunder have only been with each other for 2 days, yet the extremes he goes to for her and what he says makes it hard to believe.

I didn’t hate the film. There is quite a bit I did enjoy. It’s hard to believe the film was 110 minutes. The film flies by! Jack Quaid is proving that he can also be an action hero and the humor works, but it could have worked even more had the trailers not reveal so much. I also enjoyed Midthunder’s role more than I thought I would. The trailers make it seem like she’s going to be a damsel in distress. After her role in Prey, I wanted more for her in this film. Fortunately, she is given more to do than what I was expecting.

Overall, Novocaine is a mixed bag. Based on the positive reception I am seeing so far, I think I may be in the minority here. Go see it for yourself if this interests you! I am not telling you otherwise. I just think the film had more potential, yet I still enjoyed Jack Quaid’s performance, the humor, and a few other aspects. The script just could have used some work that would have made it work.

Novocaine hits theaters March 14th.

VERDICT: 2.5/5 (Okay)