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The acclaimed actor may be the optimal selection for a daring horror film about the biblical figure, but not for the motivations many audiences might assume. In reality, Cage does not even play Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his role is referred to only as a craftsman. Cage is cast as a father figure of this tale, working to maintain his religious convictions as The Boy (portrayed by Noah Jupe), their teenage foster child, starts to display divine powers. The reason it's hard to imagine another leading star taking this character is that although the role becomes weighed down with numerous difficulties, Cage himself seems almost moving convinced that the gloomy, bleak little movie is a valuable project.

The Actor's Latest Projects

Cage was spending his time more selectively in recent years. He still stars in more films than the majority of regular audiences will ever see — as an illustration, are you aware that he has made a trio of separate frontier films recently? — however he also includes high-profile critically acclaimed roles for example Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. The Carpenter’s Son sounds like one of those, because it’s not strictly scary, likely to stir debate, and approaches a over-the-top premise with gravity.

The Film's Plot and Direction

Regrettably, writer-director Lotfy Nathan fails to repay that serious attention. The film opens in a compellingly nomadic place, positioned as based on an obscure religious text regarding the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their son travel from place to place, afraid of doctrinal intolerance or doubt over The Boy’s strange powers. “Disaster trails us,” The Carpenter mournfully notes. That continues when sinister entities target the household in their latest settlement, initiating on the traditional religious challenge for the son.

Sometimes, the film echoes an demonic possession-type possession movie, but no one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. Rather, they grow progressively isolated from each other, as these forces influence a local young woman (the actress, named an outsider) who The Boy bonds with, and provides all disturbing images of a bleak destiny. Cage's role especially fights with his role in this story, sometimes scolding the son he can’t fully understand.

Controversy and Caution

The subject matter is likely to court controversy, and the director treats it with a lot of delicacy — too much, maybe. The notion of a teenage boy dealing with his future martyrdom and tempted by unknown powers is certainly frightening, but Nathan might be hesitant regarding seeming gratuitous and anxious to indicate his intentions, thus he frequently retreats into dimly foreboding cinematography. The figures continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who displayed genuine potential in the 2024 Crow remake, of all things — cedes her role to her religious attire, at times punctuated by some gnarly horror imagery.

Cage's Portrayal and Movie's Flaws

Meanwhile, Cage toy with exactly the kind of overacting that those who enjoy his campier roles might be looking for. There is a moment (also included) in previews where Cage flips out and shouts “I’ve lost my faith!” When this sort of theatrical release is part of your religious scary film, possibly a more openly absurd approach would make better use of his eagerness to exaggerate if needed. Instead, the film more closely resembles the less successful direct-to-video films the actor filmed through much of that period — apart from the B-movies instead the serious stories and ghost stories that always sound promising, and usually have a few choice memorable scenes, but in the end seem like, well, cheap home video fare.

Frankly, several of these, although simpler, were more watchable overall. Here is where I have to break my own dogma, not spiritual but work-oriented: Years back, a beloved editor urged me to eliminate adjectives like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. These words communicate minimal but a individual and broadly stated lack of patience, withdrawing from the task of vividly conveying the intellectual and sensation of watching a specific film. It’s difficult to express boredom without sounding boring oneself. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “notable.” “Elaborate,” that is.

However, I admit, I was bored during much of The Carpenter’s Son. To the movie’s non-exploitative credit, it’s a religious style of dullness, not for this movie is moralizing, but as it requires a type of dutiful submission to sit through it. After a while soon after starting, the film locks into a repetitive rhythm of ongoing suffering, and does not