MOVIE REVIEW: NOVOCAINE

 

When the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped, a man turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her back.

Director: Robert Olsen, Dan Berk

Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh

Release Date: March 14, 2025

Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Novocaine is fun, over the top, gimmick driven action film that stays afloat thanks to its gonzo approach and likable turns from Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder.  Directors Robert Olsen and Dan Berk deliver a quirky blend of rom-com moments offset by a series of increasingly gory violence throughout the film.  There are echoes of 2006's frenetic Crank even though this film can't maintain that sort of unbridled manic energy consistently.  There are plenty of high points scattered throughout the film's nearly two-hour runtime which makes for a choppy experience that screams for some judicious editing especially for this kind of film.  When it works it does so because of the well acclimated set pieces that make great use of our living crash test dummy as he pursues his kidnapped love interest.  Jack Quaid brings what's quickly becoming a trademark goofy charm to the role that fits this incredibly sheltered character perfectly.  Quaid makes it easy to root for this character that's totally out of his depth who's more than willing to risk life and limb to rescue the girl that's taken his heart.   Amber Midthunder works well as the love interest here as she's clearly more than just a damsel in distress.  Midthunder gives her character a bit more depth than you'd expect from this sort of role and the film is better for it overall.  The supporting players aren't so lucky as we get a handful of generic police and thug types played by Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh and Ray Nicholson with only Walsh leaving noticeable mark.  This film also serves as a perfect example of the film's marketing killing most of the surprises and fun it has to offer as the trailer provide a nearly step by step run of the film's best parts leaving very little unseen.  It’s a shame because if you've seen any of the trailers for Novocaine, you've likely seen the best parts of the film as nearly every moment is given away beforehand.   

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: PREY

 

A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Dane DiLiegro

Release Date: August 5, 2022

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Runtime: 1h 39m

Review:

The Predator franchise has been a difficult nut to crack in terms of delivering satisfying follow up after the second Danny Glover entry from the 90s.  Dan Trachtenberg's prequel takes a back to basic approach which results in a lean and efficient film paired with a strong script that makes us care about the central character's arch.  Trachtenberg avoids the pitfalls of recent entries by keeping it simple and smartly focusing on establishing the central character before unleashing the carnage everyone knows is coming.  Amber Midthunder carries the film with a believable focused performance as Naru.  The script smartly sets her up as a somebody that's still trying to find her place as opposed to introducing her as fully formed warrior.  This measured approach allows the audience to connect with the character and makes her journey more believable once the film reaches it's final faceoff.  Trachtenberg takes advantage of this to set up some tense moments while still delivering the kind of bloody violence you'd expect from this franchise.  The supporting characters are more thinly written with most coming off as fodder for the fray.  Some surprisingly shoddy animal CGI detracts from some of the Predator action in the first act which is a shame because the cinematography takes full advantage of the Canadian landscape.  Small issues aside, Prey is the Predator sequel a lot of fans have been waiting for which makes the streaming only release even more confounding.      

B+