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Nicolas Cage is likely the ideal pick for a daring scary movie about Jesus Christ, however not for the motivations certain fans may think. In reality, the star doesn't even play the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: the part he plays is referred to simply as a craftsman. The actor is positioned as the Joseph within this tale, attempting to uphold his religious convictions as his son (played by Noah Jupe), their now-teenage adopted son, commences to show divine powers. Why it's challenging to imagine a different major actor playing this part is that even as the role grows weighed down with multiple challenges, Cage himself appears nearly moving convinced that this murky, bleak little movie is a valuable project.

The Actor's Latest Film Selections

Nicolas Cage was spending his time more judiciously recently. He still stars in more movies than most regular audiences may ever watch — for instance, were you informed that the man has filmed several separate cowboy movies over the last few years? — but he also mixes in prestige A24/Neon gigs such as Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film sounds like one of those, as it’s genre-adjacent, likely to stir debate, and approaches a exaggerated premise in a earnest manner.

Movie's Plot and Direction

Unfortunately, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not reward the audience's focus. The film begins with a engagingly rootless context, presented as drawing from an obscure religious text about Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their son relocate frequently, afraid of religious persecution or doubt over The Boy’s mysterious gifts. “Calamity follows us,” The Carpenter sadly observes. This persists as sinister entities target them in their latest settlement, initiating with that well-known scriptural test for the youth.

Sometimes, the movie mirrors an Exorcist-style possession movie, except that not one of the lead characters are directly possessed. Instead, they grow increasingly alienated from one another, as these powers affect a local young woman (Isla Johnston, listed as an outsider) that the son forms a relationship with, and presents everyone troubling visions of a dark tomorrow. The Carpenter especially struggles with his place in the narrative, occasionally berating his child he doesn't completely grasp.

Debate and Sensitivity

This material is prone to court controversy, and Nathan approaches it with a lot of care — excessive, perhaps. The concept of a young man facing his eventual sacrifice and lured by unknown powers is certainly frightening, but Nathan may be wary of appearing sensational and anxious to indicate his aims, so he often falls back on darkly ominous filming. The roles brood incessantly — the singer-actress, who displayed notable talent in the 2024 Crow remake, surprisingly — surrenders her performance to her religious attire, sometimes broken up by a few disturbing frightening scenes.

Cage's Performance and Movie's Flaws

At the same time, Cage dabbles in precisely the type of melodramatic acting that those who enjoy his campier roles may desire. One scene (featured) in the trailer where he loses control and screams “My belief is broken!” If that kind of dramatic explosion is included in your Jesus-themed horror movie, perhaps a more brazenly silly approach would make better use of his eagerness to exaggerate as required. On the other hand, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the poorer low-budget movies the actor filmed during the last decade — not the cheesy thrillers so much as the narrative films and paranormal movies that typically appear interesting, and often contain some select Cage moments, but ultimately feel like, well, low-budget DTV material.

Truthfully, some of those, though not as grand, were easier to view as a whole. Here is where I must disregard my personal rule, not faith-based but work-oriented: Long ago, a respected mentor convinced me to eliminate descriptive terms like “tedious” or “uninteresting” from my film-criticism vocabulary. Such terms communicate minimal except a subjective and generically described restlessness, withdrawing from the duty of clearly expressing the thoughtful and emotional experience of watching an individual production. It's hard to express boredom without seeming uninteresting oneself. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “notable.” “Say more,” essentially.

However, I admit, I grew weary throughout the film. In its defense, it is a religious style of stultification, not due to The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but since it requires a kind of dutiful submission to watch it. After a while in the beginning, the film locks into a cyclic tempo of simmering distress, and does not