Hitting North American theaters on March 14, Jack Quaid's Novocaine just might be surprise moviegoers if the early reviews are anything to go by.
The antics on display in the main trailer below conjures up memories of Jason Stahom's Crank and Crank: High Voltage, but Quaid's action romp appears to have a more comedic undertone.
Novocaine premiered at SxSW yesterday evening and is currently drawing rave reviews. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 89% approval rating, with an average critic score of 7 out of 10.
In their review of the film, The Wrap wrote, "Jack Quaid was born for a role like this. The actor’s unassuming cheerfulness provides the perfect comedic counterpoint to the film’s increasingly absurd gross-out action gags."
Similarly, Punch Drunk Critics had nothing but positive things to say about the film in their review. "The absolutely batsh*t action-comedy Novocaine, an awesome throwback to the gimmick-fueled actioners of the past."
ScreenRant admitted that the film's few missteps can be overlooked by Quaid's strong performance. "Though it has uneven moments, Novocaine is so much fun — and Jack Quaid is so good — that it's easy to just bask in its wild premise and have a blast."
Indiewire is one of the few outlets to give Novocaine a poor review, stating, "... the first act of Berk and Olsen’s film is sweet, funny, and smart in ways that will feel like a distant memory by the time Novocaine lands its final blow. Nathan Caine might not feel any pain, but oooof, will his audience, as the film’s eventual hyper-violence slides so swiftly from amusing to horrifying..."
Novocaine, distributed by Paramount Pictures, will arrive in North American theaters on March 14. The film will be released in the United Kingdom on March 28 and Japan on June 20.
About Novocaine
Directed by the filmmaking duo of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains, Significant Others),Novocaine stars Jack Quaid (The Boys, My Adventures with Superman) as Nathan Caine, a bank manager who can't feel pain. When his girlfriend and co-worker Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder (Legion, Roswell, New Mexico), gets kidnapped by bank robbers, Nathan will utilize his unique condition in an action-packed quest to get her back.
The film also stars Ray Nicholson (Smile 2), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War), Betty Gabriel (Upgrade, It Lives Inside), and Matt Walsh (Veep).
The script was written by Lars Jacobson (Day of the Dead: Bloodline).