Novocaine (2025) Review: An Entertaining Punch!

What makes a superhero? Many decades of film, primarily spawning from comic books, have given us a pretty good understanding of the people we picture as superheroes. All of these men and women perform life saving deeds with abilities that make them unique. What do they usually look like? Picturing tech heavy suits, capes, and costumes is common. However, can regular people be superheroes, people that wear regular clothes, drive standard cars, and are considered to others as “ordinary?”

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Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), a bank executive, looks and comes off as a normal guy, even if he has a genetic disorder that prevents him from feeling any pain. Sherry (Amber Midthunder), the girl he has been crushing on at work, invites him out one day and they both find comfort and compatibility in one another. When there is a robbery at their bank and Sherry is taken hostage by the gunmen, Nathan must decide whether to let the police handle it or become a hero, or even better, a superhero. Novocaine packs enough of a punch to entertain audiences and critics even if it follows the action-thriller narrative.

While Novocaine hits the right amount of action sequences, brutal kills, and comic relief, its premise creates a lot of back and forth in the audience’s minds balancing realism and movie magic to make for a thought provoking setup. Although Nathan can not feel pain, that doesn’t mean he is invincible. His legs can still break, he can still get shot, or even stabbed with a knife. When the audience sees Nathan fight throughout the film, he gets banged up as much as the other guys. This furthers the concept of human’s pain often blocking our capabilities. This could be from our brains telling us to stop or give up when our nerve receptors are firing instructions to the brain.

Nathan’s lack of sensitivity to pain allows him to fight big men and continue when his opponents are running low on juice. Being able to watch an enjoyable action film while also examining every scene and utilizing science and biology to find realism in cinematic scenes allows the film to blend the suspension of disbelief and psychology.

Action films are often led by rough and tough men who look like beating up bad guys is their full time job. Novocaine finds charm in its lead Jack Quaid, who has shown from his career, especially in the hit series The Boys, that he has the appeal and the charisma to be our leading man. He is given an edge with a body full of tattoos even if his real persona is more of an introvert. Jack Quaid’s likeability and performance in the film heightens the script and gives the audience a character to root.

The script’s exploration of Nathan’s character feeling ostracized and sheltered because of his condition was a great script choice in allowing Nathan’s attraction to Sherry to shine through. She sees strength in him, beyond his insecurities, drawing him out of his comfort zone and giving him the determination to save her. The film further shows that when someone sees you in a light that nobody ever has, you will become a hero to save them no matter what it takes. Nathan begins to see his condition as something that can help him rather than ostracize him, giving the audience the development of his character throughout.

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Although Novocaine doesn’t branch out into extremely new territory, its choreographed fight sequences allow for creativity. Nathan is able to use items as weapons no “normal person” can, like hot skillets, guns soaked in hot frying oil, and even arrows protruding from his leg. Audiences will even find themselves squirming in their seats, even if the violence is trying to be more comedic than dramatic. Novocaine will be a fantastic addition to the Sunday afternoon film category or a fun Friday night watch. Jack Quaid proves he has nailed the charming good guy role and this critic hopes he can expand his talents to take on other roles for years to come.

‘Novocaine’ Rating – 3.5/5

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