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The acclaimed actor may be the ideal selection for a daring scary movie centered on Jesus Christ, but not for the causes certain audiences might assume. In reality, the star does not actually play Jesus in the new film: his character is referred to only as The Carpenter. He is framed as a father figure in this narrative, working to uphold his religious convictions as his son (played by Noah Jupe), their teenage foster child, starts to display miraculous gifts. Why it’s difficult to envision a different leading star playing this part is that even as the role is weighed down with various challenges, Cage himself appears nearly emotionally convinced that this dark, grim small film is worth his time.

Cage's Recent Film Selections

Nicolas Cage has using those years more carefully lately. He yet stars in more films than most regular audiences could possibly view — as an illustration, were you informed that the man has completed three separate cowboy movies in the past three years? — but he also includes high-profile A24/Neon gigs such as Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son seems like in that category, because it’s not strictly scary, possibly controversial, and approaches a over-the-top description with gravity.

Movie's Plot and Execution

Unfortunately, writer-director the director fails to repay the audience's focus. The film opens in a compellingly nomadic place, positioned as drawing from an apocryphal lost gospel about the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their child move from place to place, fearful of faith-based hostility or doubt regarding The Boy’s unusual abilities. “Trouble pursues us,” The Carpenter gloomily remarks. It goes on as dark forces focus on the family where they currently live, beginning on that traditional religious challenge for The Boy.

Sometimes, this production echoes an Exorcist-style possession movie, except that no one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. On the contrary, they are more and more distant from one another, while these entities influence a nearby girl (Isla Johnston, named “The Stranger”) that The Boy forms a relationship with, and presents all troubling visions of a dark tomorrow. The Carpenter in particular fights with his position in the narrative, at times berating the son he can’t fully understand.

Discussion and Caution

The subject matter is likely to invite debate, and Nathan approaches it with a lot of care — too much, perhaps. The concept of a adolescent facing his destined offering and lured by dark influences is certainly terrifying, but Nathan could be hesitant regarding looking exploitative and keen to telegraph his aims, so he often withdraws to dimly foreboding cinematography. The roles constantly ponder — FKA Twigs, who showed notable talent in another movie, interestingly — surrenders her acting to her religious attire, occasionally interrupted by several gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Performance and Film's Flaws

Simultaneously, Cage flirts with just the sort of melodramatic acting that his ironic fans could be expecting. There is a moment (shown) in the trailer where he flips out and yells “My faith has been shattered!” If that kind of theatrical release is a component of a Jesus-themed horror movie, perhaps a more brazenly silly style would take better advantage of his eagerness to go over the top when necessary. Instead, The Carpenter’s Son more closely resembles the poorer direct-to-video movies Cage made through much of the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers but rather the serious stories and ghost stories that often seem intriguing, and frequently include several notable Cage moments, but in the end seem like, well, low-budget DTV material.

Frankly, some of those, though not as grand, were more entertaining overall. At this point I must break my usual practice, not religious but career-related: Previously, a beloved editor convinced me to banish adjectives like “boring” or “dull” from my reviewing language. These words express scant but a personal and broadly stated restlessness, avoiding the task of vibrantly communicating the thoughtful and emotional experience of seeing a particular movie. It’s difficult to communicate monotony without seeming uninteresting personally. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “notable.” “Explain further,” in other words.

However, I admit, I grew weary for a large part of The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it is a religious style of dullness, not due to this movie is lecturing, but because it takes a sort of obedient endurance to sit through it. At some point soon after starting, the movie locks into a repetitive rhythm of ongoing suffering, and never really