The Novice Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Novice Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 23, 2026

Lauren Hadaway has been working with dialogue and sound for some time, participating in productions such as “Justice League,” “Underworld: Blood Wars,” and “The Marine 4: Moving Target.” She makes the move to the director’s seat with “The Novice,” building on her 2017 short, “The Row.” It’s a story of a punishing collegiate rowing odyssey told with autobiographical touches, presenting Hadaway with some authority on the subject. She commits to the ugly details of the sport and the educational experience, offering a superbly lived-in screenplay that really digs into the experience of competition. “The Novice” remains riveting when sticking tight to the rowing odyssey, giving viewers a chance to understand physical exertion and psychological ruin. However, the helmer doesn’t remain within the shock of it all, working out unnecessary directorial flourishes and superfluous dramatics to show her stuff, which periodically weakens the fierce character study Hadaway is clearly capable of delivering.

Alex (Isabelle Fuhrman) is a freshman at Wellington University, and she’s eager to prove herself any way she can. She joins the novice rowing team, looking to build her strength and stamina, getting an education on the ways of teamwork and personal excellence. She finds a similar athlete in Jamie (Amy Forsyth), which triggers something deep within Alex, who refuses to allow herself to be second best at anything. Dealing with Coach Pete (Jonathan Cherry), Alex and Jamie are driven to compete with each other, but Alex takes the situation to the next level, refusing to slow down until she wins a slot on the varsity team. Catching Coach Edwards’s (Kate Drummond) attention, Jamie and Alex are brought to the big time, with the pair forging an alliance as they deal with varsity rules and expectations. Alex, fearing she can’t keep up, pushes herself to the extreme, threatening her sanity.

Alex isn’t corrupted during the course of “The Novice,” she arrives at Wellington fully connected to her mental illness. The writing eschews the development of personal issues, using them right away with Alex, who’s dealing with academic pressure when we first meet her, furiously going over test questions while scanning the room for classmate progress. She’s an obsessive type whose entire personality is success, spreading that nervous energy to an opportunity in the Wellington Novice Rowing program, where she’s joined by other female students trying something new, including Jamie. Alex isn’t well, and the film’s early momentum comes from her furious internalized behavior, scribbling her plans on an ever-present journal, while she obsessively repeats tips and instructions from her coaches to become part of the rowing elite, keeping her brain fully buzzing at all times. “The Novice” generates an effective, sonically overwhelming understanding of sickness, with Fuhrman trying to give the role everything she’s got, keeping the endeavor alive with her impressive commitment to the expression of tightly guarded pain.

“The Novice” gets into the technical ways of rowing, with Hadaway looking to keep the feature as authentic as possible. There are grueling training sessions where Alex seeks to best Jamie, immediately identifying her teammate as a threat, creating a competition between them the rival isn’t entirely aware of. Alex works hard to showcase her skills, and she’s hurting herself in the process, developing hand wounds that won’t heal, and her growing confidence transforms into arrogance once she joins the varsity crew, recognizing she’s capable of doing things others can’t or won’t. Time with such a mentally distorted character is thrilling, as Hadaway doesn’t pull back on Alex’s issues, tracking the development of her choices as she makes Jamie the enemy and turns herself into a pariah, eventually growing paranoid about her position on the team.

The Novice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation (2.38:1 aspect ratio) for "The Novice" deals with a very cool palette, reflecting icy temps and steely training sequences in concrete environments. Primaries break through with clothing choices and social experiences, which carry slightly warmer tones. Collegiate tours are also brighter, joined by defined greenery. Skin tones are natural, tracking the lead character's descent into bloodless obsession. Detail is open for study in a picture that pays careful attention to skin particulars, charting bruises and cuts, along with heavy sweatiness. Interiors maintain cavernousness around campus, and rowing scenes preserve depth on the water. Delineation is satisfactory. Compression issues are periodic, finding banding creeping into view.

The Novice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides clear dialogue exchanges, with performances periodically fighting environments. Unintelligibility isn't an issue. Music delivers sharp instrumentation and dramatic emphasis, joined by a few soundtrack selections that carry crisp vocals, and a musical performance. Surrounds are active during the listening event, following weather conditions and acts of teamwork. Intrusive thoughts float around as well. Musical moods often go circular. Sound effects are appreciable. Low-end has a few moments of power.

The Novice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet offers an essay by Fiona Underhill.

• Commentary features writer/director Lauren Hadaway and actress Isabelle Fuhrman.

• Interview (2:53, HD) is a discussion of "The Novice" with writer/director Lauren Hadaway.

• Interview (1:44, HD) is a discussion of the "The Novice" with actress Isabelle Fuhrman.

• Deleted Scenes (3:23, HD) are provided.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Novice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hadaway has something deliciously dark with "The Novice," but there's not enough movie to get her to a feature-length run time. She attempts expand Alex's college experience, spending some time with her roommate as they go to parties, and a subplot develops with Dani (Dilone), a teaching assistant who becomes Alex's lover. The relationship is meant to humanize Alex, but it only throttles the picture's already iffy pacing, which is also disrupted by intrusive stylistics and pointless slo-mo shots from the director, who's determined to make her presence known. Far more interesting is the formation of a God complex in Alex, taking "The Novice" places other films don't go, generating a portrait of a self-destructive person who equates anguish with excellence, growing comfortable with madness.