Nicolas Cage's Religious Horror Movie Isn't as Wild Than Expected

Nicolas Cage could be the ideal selection for a audacious horror film centered on Jesus Christ, however not for the reasons some audiences might assume. Truthfully, the star does not actually play Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is credited only as a craftsman. He is cast as the Joseph in this tale, working to uphold his religious convictions while the teenage character (acted by Noah Jupe), their now-teenage foster child, begins to display divine powers. The explanation it's hard to imagine another major actor taking this character is that while his character becomes stricken with multiple difficulties, the actor appears nearly moving certain that this dark, bleak feature is deserving of his effort.

The Actor's Recent Projects

Nicolas Cage has been spending his time more selectively recently. He continues to makes more movies than the majority of casual fans will ever see — as an illustration, were you informed that the actor has made three distinct Westerns in the past three years? — however he also mixes in high-profile independent films such as one recent hit, Pig, and Longlegs. This new film seems like one of those, because it’s genre-adjacent, likely to stir debate, and approaches a campy-sounding concept quite seriously.

Movie's Plot and Execution

Unfortunately, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not justify that serious attention. The film starts from a engagingly rootless setting, presented as drawing from an unknown scripture regarding Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their child travel frequently, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or distrust over The Boy’s mysterious gifts. “Disaster trails us,” The Carpenter gloomily remarks. That continues as dark forces target them at their new home, getting a jump-start with that traditional religious challenge for the youth.

At times, the film resembles an Exorcist-style horror film, except that none of the central roles are directly possessed. Rather, they grow increasingly alienated from one another, as these entities affect a local young woman (the actress, credited as “The Stranger”) that the son bonds with, and provides all troubling visions of a bleak destiny. Cage's role in particular fights with his role within the plot, occasionally scolding his child he can’t fully understand.

Debate and Sensitivity

This material is likely to stir disagreement, and the director handles it with plenty of care — overly, possibly. The notion of a young man facing his eventual sacrifice and lured by unknown powers is indeed scary, but Nathan might be wary of appearing sensational and eager to indicate his intentions, therefore he regularly withdraws to dimly foreboding visuals. Characters brood incessantly — FKA Twigs, who showed notable talent in the 2024 Crow remake, of all things — surrenders her role to her character's costume, occasionally interrupted by a few gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Acting and Movie's Weaknesses

Simultaneously, the actor toy with exactly the kind of overacting that his more snickering appreciators could be expecting. One scene (shown) in previews where Cage loses control and shouts “My faith has been shattered!” When this sort of theatrical release is part of your religious scary film, perhaps a more openly absurd style would make better use of Cage’s willingness to be extreme if needed. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the weaker low-budget films he starred in over that period — not the cheesy thrillers so much as the narrative films and paranormal movies that always sound promising, and often contain several notable actor's highlights, but finally come across like, indeed, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Honestly, some of those, while less ambitious, were easier to view in general. This is when I have to break my personal rule, not faith-based but career-related: Long ago, a respected mentor persuaded me to remove descriptive terms like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. These words convey little except a personal and vaguely expressed restlessness, avoiding the job of vibrantly communicating the intellectual and emotional experience of seeing a particular movie. It’s difficult to express monotony without sounding boring oneself. It's equally vague as calling a movie “engaging.” “Elaborate,” essentially.

However, I admit, I grew weary during much of the film. On the positive side, it’s a churchy kind of stultification, not due to The Carpenter’s Son is moralizing, but as it requires a sort of patient acceptance to sit through it. At some point soon after starting, this feature enters a repetitive rhythm of simmering anguish, and does not