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The acclaimed actor is likely the perfect selection for a audacious horror film about Jesus Christ, however not for the reasons certain audiences might assume. In reality, Cage doesn't even play the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is credited merely as a craftsman. Cage is framed as a father figure of this tale, striving to maintain his faith while his son (played by the young actor), his teenage adopted son, starts to show supernatural abilities. Why it's hard to imagine any other major actor in this role is that even as his character is stricken with multiple trials, Cage himself seems almost touchingly certain that this dark, grim feature is a valuable project.

The Actor's Recent Projects

Cage has using his time more carefully recently. He yet does more films than the majority of casual fans will ever see — as an illustration, were you informed that the man has filmed several separate Westerns recently? — but he also includes high-profile A24/Neon gigs such as one recent hit, Pig, and Longlegs. The Carpenter’s Son seems like in that category, as it’s borderline horror, possibly controversial, and handles a exaggerated premise with gravity.

Movie's Premise and Execution

Unfortunately, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not justify the audience's focus. The film starts from a engagingly rootless setting, positioned as based on an obscure religious text about the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their child move constantly, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or distrust over their son's strange powers. “Trouble pursues us,” The Carpenter sadly observes. It goes on when sinister entities attack the household at their new home, beginning with that well-known scriptural test for The Boy.

Sometimes, the movie resembles an demonic possession-type supernatural thriller, though not one of the main figures are directly possessed. On the contrary, they grow progressively isolated from each other, when these forces infect a local young woman (the actress, named “The Stranger”) who the son forms a relationship with, and provides each character unsettling premonitions of a grim future. The Carpenter notably grapples with his place in this story, occasionally scolding the boy who mystifies him.

Controversy and Care

The subject matter is prone to stir disagreement, and the director handles it with much care — too much, maybe. The notion of a adolescent confronted with his eventual sacrifice and lured by dark influences is truly scary, but Nathan might be hesitant regarding appearing sensational and eager to telegraph his goals, so he often retreats into dimly foreboding cinematography. The figures brood incessantly — the singer-actress, who showed real promise in the 2024 Crow remake, interestingly — cedes her acting to her Mother Mary cloak, occasionally interrupted by several disturbing frightening scenes.

The Star's Acting and Film's Weaknesses

At the same time, the actor flirts with precisely the type of overacting that those who enjoy his campier roles might be looking for. An instance (featured) in previews in which he erupts and screams “My faith has been shattered!” If that kind of dramatic explosion is a component of your Jesus-themed horror movie, perhaps a more brazenly silly approach would be more effective of Cage’s willingness to exaggerate if needed. On the other hand, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the less successful direct-to-video productions Cage made over the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers but rather the dramas and supernatural thrillers that often seem intriguing, and usually have some select actor's highlights, but ultimately feel like, well, cheap home video fare.

Honestly, a number of those, although simpler, were easier to view overall. At this point I have to break my usual practice, not spiritual but work-oriented: Previously, a beloved editor persuaded me to eliminate adjectives like “boring” or “dull” from my film-criticism vocabulary. These phrases express scant other than a personal and generically described lack of patience, withdrawing from the duty of vividly conveying the thoughtful and feeling of seeing an individual production. It's hard to express tedium without seeming uninteresting personally. It's just as unclear as calling a movie “interesting.” “Elaborate,” that is.

Yet, I acknowledge, I was bored throughout the film. In its defense, it’s a religious style of dullness, not for this movie is moralizing, but as it demands a type of obedient endurance to view it. After a while early on, the film locks into a repetitive rhythm of ongoing suffering, and does not