Not Quite Super, but Novocaine Might Be Different Enough in Today’s Action Landscape
It may be a B-movie, but I enjoyed Novocaine.
Walking out of the theater, I felt pretty good about what I’d just seen. It was different enough from the usual intellectual property-oriented content of the last decade that I was glad I made the trip.
The story follows Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), a credit union employee with a rare condition that makes him unable to feel pain. When his co-worker (Amber Midthunder) is taken hostage during a robbery, he takes matters into his own hands and sets out to rescue her.
It’s a simple, engaging setup for a movie that actually has a twist that did surprise me at one point—even if I’m not entirely sure the twist was worth it.
What I found most interesting was how the film was calibrated. It sits somewhere between a superhero flick and a Liam Neeson action-thriller—though it definitely leans more toward Neeson. It easily could have gone full superhero. It even features Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man’s best friend Ned in the MCU) as the comic sidekick. But instead, Novocaine keeps things relatively grounded, choosing knife fights instead of aerial acrobatics.
It also doesn’t feel like the producers are setting up a trilogy. I’m not ruling out the possibility of a sequel, but at least it feels like that wasn’t the idea from the outset—and that’s refreshing.
Still, it’s hard not to think about the alternative superhero universe of the TV series The Boys, which also features Jack Quaid. In Novocaine he is once again playing an average guy caught in extraordinary circumstances, motivated by a woman who seems out of his league. He’s the same fish-out-of-water, reluctantly drawn into chaos. The parallels are there, and while Novocaine doesn’t go nearly as dark or satirical, the resemblance does get in the way a bit.
While the movie may not be as absolutely maniacal as its TV cousin, it does fully commit to its premise. If you’re wondering if they went all in on the “can’t feel pain” angle—they did. It’s pushed as far as it can go to a slapstick-level of grotesqueness at times.
The humor can be hit-or-miss. It may be a little too predictable to land sharply, but it does keep you in good spirits. Because Novocaine never takes itself too seriously, the humour smooths over some of the story’s weaker ideas.
The leads—Quaid and Midthunder—are an affable duo who play off each other well. Quaid has the overwhelmed nice guy thing down pat, and Midthunder brings a needed sense of allure. In fact, she may leave the strongest impression despite fewer scenes. She’s had notable roles in other movies and TV shows, but this was the first time I felt compelled to scroll through her Wikipedia page.
In the end, Novocaine doesn’t break much new ground, but it delivers enough oddball charm and good vibes to make it worth a look. It’s not the kind of film that is going to stay with you for long, but for a night out at the movies? You could do worse.
CRAIG SAUER is a writer, communicator and former journalist living in Fitchburg, Wis. He use to have a movie review show called The InstaFlicka Podcast.
