Novocaine (2025)

Jack Quaid plays Nate, a man who has a condition that stops him from feeling pain. That may sound all well and good, but Nate can't eat solid foods (in case he bites off the end of his tongue without feeling it), he has to set a timer to remind him to urinate before his bladder potentially explodes, and his home has a lot of extra padding around some of the fixtures and fittings. He tends to err towards caution, although that changes when he enjoys a date with a lovely bank colleague, Sherry (Amber Midthunder). That makes it all the more unfortunate when Sherry is taken hostage the next day by dangerous bank robbers. Determined to hunt them down and save the woman he loves, Nate decides to turn his apparent weakness into a bit of a super-power. 

Co-directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, both having shown a nice and consistent improvement throughout their joint filmography, Novocaine is helped a lot by a smart and fun screenplay from Lars Jacobson (who is finally on the right path to getting us all to forget that he co-wrote the screenplay for Day Of The Dead: Bloodline). Once the main premise is set up, you know that everyone involved is just running from one situation to the next with a focus on lots and lots of pain. And that's exactly what happens, with everything escalating from a slight case of the ouchies to a major bit of "oh my god, that's not going to be fixed any time soon".

Berk, Olsen, and Jacobson pace the whole thing perfectly, and the action is enjoyably scrappy and inventive. Our hero isn't particularly skilled, but he knows that he can take plenty of hits without suffering in the same way as others around him. He's not invulnerable, but it seems that way to some of the people he encounters. The 110-minute runtime fairly flies by once the action begins, and even a couple of extra sequences at the end of the film somehow don't make it feel as if it is outstaying its welcome.

Quaid is a very good choice for the lead role, once again relying on his slight awkwardness and charm ahead of any muscles or fighting capability. His character is driven by new love, and Quaid has experience in playing that kind of guy, even (especially) when he has to start questioning his feelings and motivation. Midthunder is also very good, and makes such a strong impression in her early scenes that you can easily understand why Nate becomes so driven to save her. Jacob Batalon is fun as an online friend who may need to finally meet Nate IRL, Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh are two cops who start to suspect that our hero may be working with the villains, and Ray Nicholson is entertainingly callous and vicious as the nominal head of the criminal gang.

Funny and violent in equal measure, and with just about the right tone maintained throughout, Novocaine manages to feel relatively fresh and unique while reframing the kind of visceral action that we've seen in many different movies over the past few years. It always feels slightly ridiculous, but that helps to take the edge off of some of the more wince-inducing injuries we end up seeing. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants an action thriller with a fun twist on many of the usual tropes. You'll find it a relatively painless viewing experience.

8/10

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Prey (2022)

Here we are then, with the latest film in the Predator series and the latest film that everyone and their cousin seemed to prioritise as a viewing over the weekend. It is also the latest film to come along on a wave of hyperbole from people who saw it first and seemingly wanted their reaction to be the most positive one that helps promote it. Because this isn’t as good as either the first or second movie, despite what many were saying, but it’s very good, and easily takes the third spot in my personal ranking of the main Predator movies.

It’s 1719 and Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche woman who wants to pass a trial that will allow her to be recognised as a great hunter, just like her brother (Taabe, played by Dakota Beavers). With a great skillset, but also a few major tricks to learn, Naru, and her dog (Sarii), soon finds that she is the one about to be hunted. But can she turn the tables on the predator?

There’s plenty to enjoy here, not least of which is the gorgeous visual style throughout (with a number of scenes slowing the camera to pull back and show the full beauty of certain moments). Director Dan Trachtenberg, who also worked on the story with writer Patrick Aison, does a great job of establishing a strong main character, an interesting environment, and a number of situations that feel different to what we have seen previously, yet boil down to some very similar key points.

The special effects are generally of a high standard (although some poorly-executed animals were a bit off-putting, especially when it felt unnecessary to dwell on some of them for so long), the kills are decent, and there are a good few nods to other films in the series. Just be willing to forgive the dire delivery of the iconic “if it bleeds, we can kill it” line.

What works against it? Well, a lack of originality for one thing. The time period and setting are well-used, but this once again boils down to a predator hunting humans in a jungle, which is the main premise for the majority of the films in this series. It also feels strangely neutered at times, with the gore and bloodshed often just cut away from in a way that feels a bit clumsy, and gives me the impression that there is a stronger cut out there somewhere. And then we have Chekhov’s assortment of plot accessories, all just a bit too obvious, which leaves viewers one or two steps ahead of the main character for most of the runtime. Most movies do this, it’s not the biggest cinematic sin, but two main features here had me rolling my eyes and counting the minutes until they made a significant reappearance. And I am yet to receive a satisfactory answer to why the Predator would stumble across a group of armed men who could have very easily been perceived as a threat . . . but he chooses to just leave that encounter without them even knowing he was there. Answers on a postcard please, and you cannot just say “plotting”.

Bonus points for the cast though, with the Native American people (I BELIEVE the majority of the cast were Comanche) represented in a way that showcases their community and strength. Beavers may not be the best secondary player, but this movie belongs to Midthunder anyway, and she holds your attention for every minute that she’s onscreen. There are other people doing decent work, including Dane DiLiegro as the Predator, but the other star of the show in the dog. If this film featured only Midthunder, the Predator, and that talented doggo then I probably would have enjoyed it just as much. In fact, it might have been a better film, because there are a bunch of French Trappers introduced into the plot in a way that feels like an obvious route to increasing the bodycount.

I have only gone out of my way to list some of the negatives here to show some balance. The fact is that none of these things were bad enough to ruin the film for me. They were there though, small things to nitpick over once I started to mull over what I had just watched. Overall, however, what I had just watched was a superior entry in a movie series that hasn’t ever really let me down. Some are a bit worse than others, I think we can all agree that The Predator was a weak entry (although a rewatch might be in order), but this easily belongs alongside the better instalments.

P.S. be sure to watch all of the end credits, which are a nice treat.

P. P. S. The “Comanche cut” is available on Disney+ if you press the button that takes you to Extras before pressing play on the movie.

P. P. P. S. I may as well link to my review of Predators here (ignore any spelling or grammar errors I can no longer edit).

8/10

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