“Novocaine” (2025)
The directors of “Novocaine” are known for horror movies, which comes as no surprise after sitting through this grotesque bloodbath.
“Novocaine” follows credit union assistant manager Nathan Caine as he falls for one of the tellers, Sherry (Amber Midthunder).
Soon after their second date, their business gets robbed and she gets taken hostage. Instead of letting the police rescue her and despite a debilitating illness that causes Nate to not feel pain, he decides to pursue Sherry and the robbers on his own. This sets off a series of horrifying fight sequences that almost all go too far, in my humble opinion, especially when they are stacked on top of one another.
I haven’t seen him in much, mainly just as the voice of Boimler on “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” but I find Quaid unbelievably charming, which should come as no surprise since his parents are Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.
That made all the violence done to him for the sake of a laugh or guffaw all the more unsettling and, after a certain point, unnecessary.
I loved Midthunder in “Prey,” so I was happy to see her holding her own in some of the action scenes.
Jacob Batalon, who plays Roscoe, is sadly becoming typecast as the sidekick, essentially playing the same character he does in the current run of “Spider-Man” films.
The premise of “Novocaine” is interesting, but the movie ultimately turns into a series of creative ways to inflict bodily harm, which is not something I enjoy all on its own.
If you loved all of the booby traps in “Home Alone” as a kid, chances are you’ll enjoy “Novocaine” as an adult. Just be prepared for a bloody time that rivals most horror films.