One of the most anticipated March film releases is Novocaine, an action/thriller film that stars Jack Quaid, best known for his starring role as Hughie in the Amazon Prime TV series The Boys. Quaid has been on a roll lately, starring in plenty of extremely well-received projects, and Novocaine‘s reviews indicate that this film will be no different, earning an excellent Rotten Tomatoes score. The film is great, and one of the reasons for that is Novocaine‘s inspirations, which are obvious even though the movie manages to differentiate itself enough from its influences.
The John Wick series has absolutely redefined what action movies are in recent years, and plenty of modern classics in the genre take a lot of obvious inspiration from the Keanu Reeves-led franchise. Novocaine continues Quaid’s recent H๏τ 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 that he wanted to do Novocaine after watching the latest installment in the John Wick franchise, saying that he wanted to be a part of that kind of universe in some way, and Novocaine felt 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 of action found in the John Wick movies, which is a great sign for the film’s success in the weeks to come.
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Jack Quaid speaking with DiscussingFilm about Novocaine.
With how positive Novocaine‘s early reviews have 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 first John Wick, as well as a new IP that deserves it’s time to shine. If Novocaine does manage to hit as hard as the early reviews indicate, Quaid could even appear in one of the upcoming John Wick projects, 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, Novocaine is still very different to John Wick, in multiple ways. The first is that John Wick tends to be slightly more realistic in its world and characters than Novocaine. While the world of John Wick has 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 to Novocaine, with Nathan essentially having a superpower with his CIP.
While the John Wick franchise 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 to Novocaine, which has a lot of jokes throughout its runtime.
The other main difference between the two movies is the tone, as, while John Wick is a very self-serious franchise, Novocaine had a much more comedic tone, with many more purposefully funny moments. While the John Wick franchise 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 to Novocaine, 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 Wick has become the blueprint for what a great modern action movie looks like, and the fact that Novocaine is 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 from John Wick absolutely works in Novocaine‘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.
One big similarity between the two movies is the central actors, as both Novocaine and John Wick‘s biggest strengths were the great performances by their leads. The first movie in the John Wick franchise 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, Novocaine could bring him even further into the limelight.
