Movie Review: Novocaine

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome everyone to my very first Movie Review in 2025.

Yes my friends, im back in business to watching some of latest films in this year after taking two months break for focusing on my drawings and even working my DC fanfic “Earth-97”, if you guys like to see my fanfic, check out my first one “Earth-97: Last Son of Krypton”, and stay tune for my upcoming “Earth-97: Warrior of Themyscira”, but the release date is “To Be Announced”.

Anyway, while im working my own stuff, im also ready to going back to the theater in today’s movie in my review, featuring my favorite actor in modern era, in an unusual action with rare condition.

“Novocaine” is a 2025 action-comedy film that was directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, produced by Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Drew Simon, Julian Rosenberg and Matt Schwartz, and written by Lars Jacobson. When the film was announced in 2023, it was originally going to be an action-thriller movie for possibly going with more violent involving a main hero with CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain), which a rare condition of not feeling any pain. Once we have my favorite actor Jack Quaid, I assuming they changed from thriller to action-comedy. Which I guess its not hard to see, ever since we’ve seen The Boys, it made a breakthrough for Jack for his journey in mix of action and comedy, whether be the new kid and vengeful member of The Boys, a lower deck ensign member who likes to follow the rules in Star Trek: Lower Decks, or everyone’s favorite good-heart dork reporter and hero from Krypton in my favorite show “My Adventures with Superman” (looking forward for the third season!). Once this film is picked up by Paramount Pictures for distribution, the production company called “FilmNation Entertainment” went to changing their own different label as “Infrared Pictures”, while at the same time, having a helping hand from Domain Entertainment to get financed with the budget of $18M.

So, with all that said, will this movie feels good to go in no pain, or is this film that I’d rather having a real pain without CIP?

Well, lets fine out.

The Story

For an action-comedy film involving our main hero to the rescue while having a rare condition, you think this movie’s story would be giving us something interesting development and maybe creative? Well, yes and now.

The movie introducing us our main hero Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered assistant manager of the bank on San Diego, California. While he’s being mild-mannered, but once he first meet a co-worker name Sherry Margrave, he’s hesitant to get a long with her due his rare condition called “Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis” (CIPA, kinda like the aforementioned CIP, but even more rare), which he thinks he won’t feel the taste when she ordered a pie when he was born it this rare condition, along with social struggle to get along with girls, but Sherry helps him to break the barrier to gaining social from tasting pie to hanging out at the bar. By next day, its Christmas Eve (Huh, another action movie taking place on Christmas, even though it came out on March, eh?), upon the announcement on the bank and his planning to going on a date with Sherry, everything going downhill when the robbers, dressing up as Santa (how typical) broke in for both stealing cash from the vault, killed the manager and kidnapping Sherry in hostage. Despite got brutally hit, its up to Nathan to going out to save Sherry once and for all.

I think the best way to describing this is, its like Die Hard with Jack Quaid with a rare condition, but going outdoor instead of in the tall building. Which is exactly how to describing this movie, while Die Hard is about a family reunion gone danger from bank robbery in Christmas, here its more about trying to building up relationship, in a bad timing, again, in Christmas. Its easy to notice the similarity between of two for the settings, but the plots are different. But unlike Die Hard, this one is about Nathan not only finding his girlfriend in hostage, but also finding the clue to find the robbers and even putting himself at risk on his actions, even if he has a rare condition of not feeling any pain to make some dangerous and ridiculous actions. The story may feel like a copy-paste from Die Hard, but il give a credit to make something new in their mind, however it could be the fault from the writing, where the first act starts out slow, but its mainly made for introduction and learning the characters’ development, some parts can work but some left me questionable for some elements (Il save some for The Characters), but of course, it builds it up for the action after what we’ve learned. There’s also a subplot where Nathan is gotta learn the connection of the family in hostage whether or not this could be too good to be true or so, which yes, it has a plot twist, which, I won’t tell you that, I find it kinda dumb, and the final act is kinda of a rush, again, no details from SPOILER. As for the humors, most of jokes came from Jack Quaid, which il give a credit what he pulled, he’s both funny, entertaining and probably explained why he’s my favorite actor. While some other jokes outside of Nathan can be hit or miss for say the least.

While the story feels like a modern version of Die Hard with rare condition, but il give a credit what they’re trying, despite some writing’s execution can work and others, not.

The Presentation

The movie’s budget is surprisingly cheap that it costed $18M, but in fairness, it looks pretty good and one heck of action with blood and even some brutality.

For starter, the filming location looks pretty cool, which I assuming it was filmed in small town somewhere in California, but I was wrong, instead, in order to save the budget, they filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, which by looking at this place, this is kind of a closest to imitating San Diego, California, either that or maybe going on Vancouver at British Columbia, Canada, im just saying. But in fairness, it still a nice place. Plus, they also pulled from similar camera tricks in some action scenes like head slammed to the table or a wall, the camera follows in, kinda like STEM’s full control fight scene in Upgrade (maybe il review it in the future, depending) along with some slowmotion that are nice and kinda beautiful.

But of course, lets not forget to giving us some action scenes, I find the action scenes are pretty good, but oh boy, they’re brutal, bloody and even life risking for our main hero with rare condition. Although some actions are kinda minimal, more like with some scenes are either in accident or even Nathan putting his life in dangerous, such as the kitchen fight scene with Ben over dropped gun with knives and even picking up a gun in running deep fryer to putting Nathan’s hand in crisp like fried chicken, self-stabbing shards of glass in bare hands as a bladed weapon in the tattoo shop scene or even one of robber’s house that showing us some silly traps (which I find them both funny, and kinda childish, but deadly with arrows and spiked ball) and even the torture scene that involves impalement from arrow, or the worst of all, tearing off finger nails (Or god, first “Higarashi: When they cry”, and then this?!). Sure, I do like the good’ol fashion blood and gore kills like I’ve seen Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, but some of violent scenes are crossing the line like the aforementioned finger nails scene.

Even though there’s not much infos to talking about this movie (as far I could find, as im writing this), but in fairness they did a pretty good work with all the effects, makeup jobs, filming and some action brutal violence scenes, even though I have limits for some brutally violent moments.

The Characters

While the story aren’t as original, but give a credit for creative and different, what about the characters? Well, some characters are fairly descent, yet most of them are just either okay or under-developed.

Lets starts off with our main hero, Nathan Caine (played by my favorite actor Jack Quaid), an assistant bank manager who started as a sheltered man from his condition, but once he meets a co-worker Sherry to building up relationship, it made him break the barrier to be freely instead of being stuck in isolation, of course, once his girlfriend is hold in hostage, he has no choice but gotta becoming an unlikely action hero that he’s gotta asking for evidence and even fighting against robbers. I find him to be pretty good character, sure he’s no John McClane for being streetwise and cocky, he’s more like a newbie to be an action hero, while putting his life in risk with injuries and near death moments, even if he has no feeling pain condition. But what makes him probably enjoyable is Jack Quaid’s performance, sure his performance is nearly similar as his iconic role Hughie Campbell from The Boys, but its writing and his delivery as Nathan is captivating and fun, ranging from uncomfortable to fight to eventually going full on BEAST MODE once Nathan takes the adrenaline. Nathan is probably nowhere memorable as Hughie, Brad Boimler or even Clark Kent, but Jack did a great and fun job of his role, no wonder why he’s my modern favorite.

Next up is Sherry Margrave (played by Amber Midthunder) she’s the co-worker of the bank and Nathan’s love interest that she’s helping him to break out of sheltered life, but didn’t last long once she’s held in hostage by robbers. At first, I find her to be a promising love interest that she’s going to help him to changing his life, which I would like to see a chemistry between of two, but once she’s kidnapped, she’s almost non-existent once there’s some extra depth from her mother and the robbers, but again, they left her under-developed once the robbers came in. Im not saying she’s the worst, she has potential to helping Nathan, but disappointed once she’s kidnapped. Its a shame, cause Amber did a nice work of her role, along with a chemistry with Jack’s Nathan.

After that, we have Simon Greenly (played by Ray Nicholson, who’s actually the son of Jack Nicholson, nice another next gen actor), he’s the leader of bank robber for stealing goods for… Reasons, and his kidnap Sherry in hostage what he said he possibly has a connection with her. I find him to be an okay villain, his purpose seems to be like any robbers for greedy purpose against anybody or the law, while also capturing Sherry that he wants to her back together, but for all the wrong reason as a robber. I think the best way to describing him, in Die Hard fashion that it reminded me of, he’s like the low budget version of Hans Gruber, whereas Hans wants to steal the money for sabotage the tall building for his power, while Simon is just a regular robber on purpose of holding one person in hostage. As far as im surprised to learning about Ray, despite the writing didn’t go well for him, but I think he did a pretty good job of his performance.

And lastly, we have Roscoe Dixon (played by Jacob Batalon, aka Ned in MCU’s Spider-Man movies), an online gamer and Nathan’s best bud before they’ll eventually see each other for real to helping Nathan if he’s in danger. I find him to be good too, especially with his chemistry with Nathan for sharing their times and their fun conversation while playing game, but once Sherry is on hostage from bank robbers, its time to meet together in person for help, along with sharing some clues on their whereabouts. Unlike Sherry, he probably has more screen time for being an unlikely sidekick for helping Nate to save Sherry, its a shame for her in nearly minimal appearance, while Roscoe has more appearance. At first when I see him arriving for helping Nate in person, I was like “Wait? Is that the same guy who played Ned?”, but after that, I wasn’t wrong, while some of his jokes can work, but I think he did a nice work in his role for being Jack’s helping hand.

As for the rest of the characters, they’re there for plot details and for more body counts as I always said, there’s Mincy Langston (played by Betty Gabriel) who’s an officer of SDPD who shares her development that she’s Sherry’s mother that she would like to let Nathan comes to save her, despite being in order from the police with her partner Coltraine Duffy (played by Matt Walsh), Andre and Ben, the Clark brothers (played by Conrad Kemp and Evan Hengst) who’re Simon’s partners for bank robbery whole also separate in order to kill Nathan, and Nigel (played by Craig Jackson) who’s Nathan’s manager before he’ll ended up as the first body count.

While we have a very small list of characters in this movie, along with problems that some characters are under-developed, but there are some actors did their good job of their performance for the depth and deliveries.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Novocaine is a pretty good film to watch again, even though its not as greater what I expected.

While it feels almost like Die Hard, but il give a credit what they make something a but new like having an unlikely hero with a rare condition, so cool action scenes along with bloody and brutal fashion (despite some that its hard to watch), the production looks good for not-so big budget, some characters are good, the jokes are good too, and the actors are both great and have fun, especially with my favorite main star.

However, while I like this movie, its nowhere safe from flaws like some writing’s execution aren’t as great, some are under-developed or even minimal appearance, since its mainly focus on Nathan Caine.

Even though this movie is flawed, but its a pretty good action movie to give Jack Quaid a chance to shine since his fun times with The Boys, Star Trek: Lower Deck and some others he’s been. If you like to see something fun in action with Jack Quaid, I think this one is for you. If not, maybe you can watch it for one and il let you draw your conclusion if you like it or finding it average.

For my rating, im gonna give this one an 8/10.

Well, it seems that im having a good start compared to last year that it was a crap show, but here, its a fresh start.

But as always, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.