Novocaine is a fun thrill-ride movie that’s entertaining and action-packed. I only heard of this Jack Quaid film a few weeks before its premiere, due to the viral promotional campaign. However, it was one of the rare new action movies that caught my eye.
Based on the NBA Novocaine promo, I made assumptions that the film involved someone who got hurt a lot and used that to fight criminals. I was mainly right about the unique premise, but there was a little more to the film than expected.
nearly Invincible main foe. This turns him into a superhero who could rival Superman, not with power and abilities, but with his unwavering bravery and maneuvering of an issue. It turns into a strength. I thought this was a cool concept, because if you apply it to real life, it’s even more fascinating. For example, some illnesses force people to be very cautious with everything from the sun to food to protection from injuries, and so forth. This can cause some physical, emotional, or mental turmoil to have to live with restrictions. They may feel like they’re missing out on a lot.
However, with compromise comes other developments and strengths. Maybe, for example, because you can’t eat certain foods due to diet restrictions or allergies, you become good at cooking because you have to work within your limitations. Or maybe you have arthritis, so you can’t write as much as others, but are good at verbal communication or oral storytelling. Maybe your eyesight isn’t the best, but you have really strong other senses.
Every limit also has a strength. Nathan figures out how to turn his physically painless life into something positive, useful, and helpful. It allows him to save and help himself and others. Not only can a disability or illness become a strength, but it can also change someone’s perspective of the world. It might make the more empathetic, careful, kind, and other things that people without these illnesses or disabilities take for granted or ignore.
hard-to-watch moments, especially due to the seemingly endless array of injuries that Nathan endures. This is a movie after all, so you shouldn’t take it too seriously or mimic it. However, Nathan is also a cautionary tale when it comes to how you treat yourself and your body. He puts his through a lot to save Sherry. It’s honestly a miracle he doesn’t die or permanently damage himself.
I think this film makes it clear that you shouldn’t let an illness or disability stop you completely, but you shouldn’t ignore it or do things that could cause some damage. You should not go balls to the wall like Nathan, but find some respectable balance of not letting it hold you back, and also not completely ignoring it to the point of almost no return.
the Novocaine trailer before watching, I assumed it would be a silly little action movie. It is action-heavy, but I connected with it on a deeper level than expected. It’s a simple concept that says so much without being heavy handed.
Rent or buy Novocaine on Amazon.