As the saying goes, not all superheroes wear capes. With 2025’s Novocaine, we find a mix of action and comedy that revolves around a character with special abilities.

Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) works as an assistant manager at a San Diego credit union. He pines for pretty co-worker Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder) and finally manages to start a nascent relationship with her.

On Christmas Eve, a group of robbers infiltrate Nathan’s location and they take Sherry hostage. Afflicted with a condition that makes him utterly immune to pain, Nathan uses this numbness to his advantage he attempts to rescue Sherry.

The term “Nepo Baby” means someone who enjoys success due to the fame or influence of their parents. Intended as slander, it implies that these people only got anywhere in their chosen fields due to what their folks did.

I think “Nepo Baby” gets tossed around too carelessly, as many use it imply the offspring of well-known people owe their careers entirely to their lineage. I disagree with this, for although a famous name can get a foot in a door, talent keeps these “babies” in the room.

With Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan as his parents, Jack Quaid certainly gets stuck with the “Nepo Baby” label. However, this doesn’t seem right to me, as Jack offers a talented actor in his own right.

And to his credit, Jack pursues parts that don’t follow in his parents’ footsteps. Actually, because he tends to lean toward comedic parts, he hews closer to Ryan’s domains, but he doesn’t offer obvious comparisons to his mom, and he lacks the cocky vibe his dad personified.

Quaid really comes across more as a Tom Hanks sort, and his unassuming vibe suits Nathan well. We buy him as the buttoned-up nerd but also swallow his shift into action hero mode.

Mainly because Nathan seems like such an awkward action hero. Novocaine comes with a fairly obvious Die Hard influence, as both focus on “everyman” characters who battle baddies to save the women they love.

However, as a smart NYC cop, Die Hard’s John McClane boasted fighting skills the dorky Nathan lacks. Of course, John also experienced pain, a fact Die Hard exploits almost sadistically.

So while Novocaine seems like a riff on the Die Hard theme, it doesn’t become a rip off. It pursues its own paths.

Not that one should expect a particularly plot-driven tale. Although Novocaine tosses out some curveballs, it mainly revolves around Nathan’s dauntless attempts to rescue Sherry.

Of course, this allows Novocaine to exploit its gimmick and subject Nathan to all sorts of violence that would cause immense pain in the rest of us. Though potentially monotonous, the film finds clever ways to shake up these scenes.

Best known as the lead in 2022’s Predator spinoff Prey, Midthunder proves suitably charming as Sherry, and Ray Nicholson provides a slimy main villain. Another “Nepo Baby”, Ray lacks the oily charm of his father Jack, but he does fine in the part.

While it occasionally threatens to feel one-note, Novocaine finds enough ways to alter its template to remain fresh. This turns into a lively twist on its action and superhero genre roots.

Novocaine appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a pretty strong Dolby Vision image.

Sharpness looked good. A sliver of softness impacted some wider shots, but the film usually felt accurate and concise.

No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge enhancement remained minor. Source flaws also failed to create problems.

In terms of colors, Novocaine went with “action-standard” orange and teal, though it leaned toward the amber side to reflect the Christmas setting. The disc replicated the hues in an appropriate manner, and HDR gave them a boost.

Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. HDR added punch to whites and contrast. Overall, this was a pleasing presentation.

Similar thoughts greeted the good Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Novocaine. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, I felt the soundscape delivered an involving experience in which the action scenes offered a nice sense of impact.

The film packed plenty of these elements, so we got instances of gunfire and other lively components. Overall, the mix filled out the room in a satisfying manner.

Audio quality was positive. Speech came across as natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.

Music showed good range, and effects offered a nice sense of impact. These were the kind of loud, impressive elements one would anticipate, as they showed solid clarity. This was a fine soundtrack.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with identical Atmos audio.

The Dolby Vision UHD delivered the usual improvements in terms of blacks, colors and delineation. It offered a nice upgrade.

Three featurettes appear, and Prepare for Pain runs 12 minutes, 56 seconds. It brings notes from producers Tory Tunnell and Drew Simon, writer Lars Jacobson, co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, and actors Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, and Ray Nicholson.

We get comments about how the script went to the screen, story/characters, the co-directors, cast and performances. While not especially deep, the program comes with some decent components.

A World of Hurt goes for 15 minutes, 53 seconds. We get notes from Simon, Tunnell, Midthunder, Nicholson, Quaid, Berk, Olsen, Jacobson, producer Matt Schwartz and production designer Kara Lindstrom.

This one investigates sets and locations, stunts and action, production design, and photography. Expect a pretty good exploration of these topics.

Finally, Maximum Physical Damage lasts nine minutes, 31 seconds. This one delivers statements from Quaid, Olsen, Berk, hair and makeup department head Christa Schoeman and prosthetics designer Clinton Aiden Smith.

Here we find info about various practical effects used through the movie. It gives us a nice recap of this work.

A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Novocaine. It comes with the same extras as the 4K UHD.

A mix of Die Hard and superhero flick, Novocaine becomes a fun genre entry. Buoyed by a charming lead performance from Jack Quaid and some clever fight scenes, the movie works pretty well. The Blu-ray comes with very good picture and audio but it lacks substantial supplements. I find a lot to like about this unusual action flick.