The Actor's Jesus-Themed Horror Movie Is Less Extreme Than Expected

Nicolas Cage may be the ideal pick for a bold horror film centered on Jesus Christ, though not for the causes some viewers could guess. Actually, the star doesn't actually portray Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is referred to only as a craftsman. Cage is framed as a father figure within this tale, working to uphold his religious convictions as the teenage character (acted by the young actor), his now-teenage foster child, starts to exhibit miraculous gifts. The reason it’s difficult to imagine another prominent performer in this role is that even as his character is burdened with multiple trials, Nicolas Cage seems almost touchingly convinced that this murky, grim little movie is a valuable project.

The Actor's Current Career Choices

Nicolas Cage has been using that time more judiciously in recent years. He continues to does more movies than most regular audiences may ever watch — as an illustration, are you aware that the actor has filmed a trio of separate cowboy movies recently? — yet he also adds high-profile critically acclaimed roles such as one recent hit, another notable movie, and a further title. This new film sounds like a similar project, as it’s borderline horror, likely to stir debate, and handles a exaggerated concept with gravity.

Movie's Plot and Handling

Sadly, writer-director the director fails to repay viewer engagement. The Carpenter’s Son opens in a engagingly rootless setting, marketed as inspired by an obscure religious text about the early years of Jesus. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and the boy move from place to place, fearful of faith-based hostility or distrust about their son's unusual abilities. “Trouble pursues us,” Cage mournfully notes. This persists when evil influences focus on the household at their new home, initiating with that familiar Biblical temptation for The Boy.

At times, the movie mirrors an Exorcist-style horror film, except that no one of the main figures are clearly inhabited. Rather, they are progressively isolated mutually, when these powers infect a nearby girl (Isla Johnston, credited as “The Stranger”) who The Boy forms a relationship with, and provides all disturbing images of a grim future. Cage's role notably fights with his position in this story, sometimes chastising his child who mystifies him.

Controversy and Care

This material is apt to invite debate, and the director approaches it with a lot of delicacy — excessive, perhaps. The notion of a adolescent facing his destined offering and tempted by dark influences is certainly frightening, but the filmmaker may be cautious about appearing sensational and keen to indicate his aims, thus he frequently falls back on gloomily threatening filming. The figures brood incessantly — FKA Twigs, who showed genuine potential in the 2024 Crow remake, interestingly — yields her role to her character's costume, sometimes broken up by some gruesome scary visuals.

The Star's Performance and Film's Flaws

At the same time, the actor flirts with exactly the kind of melodramatic acting that those who enjoy his campier roles might be looking for. There is a moment (also included) in promotional material in which Cage erupts and shouts “My belief is broken!” When this sort of theatrical release is part of a religious scary film, maybe a more brazenly silly style would make better use of his eagerness to exaggerate if needed. Instead, the film more closely resembles the less successful direct-to-video movies he starred in during the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers so much as the dramas and paranormal movies that typically appear interesting, and usually have some select actor's highlights, but in the end seem like, well, low-budget DTV material.

Frankly, a number of those, though not as grand, were more entertaining overall. Here is where I need to violate my usual practice, not spiritual but professional: Previously, a respected mentor urged me to remove descriptive terms like “boring” or “dull” from my reviewing language. These words convey little other than a individual and broadly stated restlessness, avoiding the task of vibrantly communicating the mental and feeling of watching a specific film. It's challenging to convey monotony without sounding boring oneself. It's equally vague as calling a movie “engaging.” “Say more,” essentially.

But I must confess, I grew weary throughout The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it’s a devotional type of stultification, not due to The Carpenter’s Son is preachy, but since it takes a sort of patient acceptance to watch it. After a while soon after starting, this feature locks into a cyclic tempo of ongoing suffering, and never really