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The acclaimed actor could be the optimal choice for a audacious scary movie centered on Jesus Christ, but not for the causes many audiences could guess. In reality, Cage does not actually act as the central religious figure in the new film: the part he plays is referred to merely as The Carpenter. Cage is cast as a father figure in this story, striving to keep his religious convictions while his son (played by Noah Jupe), their teenage foster child, begins to display supernatural abilities. The reason it's challenging to envision another leading star playing this part is that while the role is weighed down with multiple challenges, Cage himself looks almost touchingly convinced that this dark, grim small film is a valuable project.

Cage's Latest Career Choices

Cage has allocating that time more judiciously recently. He yet does additional projects than most casual fans will ever see — for instance, did you know that he has completed three separate frontier films recently? — yet he also mixes in esteemed independent films such as Dream Scenario, Pig, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son sounds like in that category, because it’s not strictly scary, potentially provocative, and takes a over-the-top concept quite seriously.

The Film's Storyline and Handling

Sadly, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not reward that serious attention. The film starts from a compellingly nomadic context, marketed as inspired by an unknown scripture about the early years of Jesus. Cage's character, The Mother, and their child move frequently, afraid of faith-based hostility or distrust regarding their son's mysterious gifts. “Disaster trails us,” Cage sadly observes. This persists when dark forces attack the family where they currently live, initiating on the traditional religious challenge for the son.

Sometimes, the movie resembles an Exorcist-style horror film, except that not one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. Instead, they become increasingly alienated mutually, as these entities infect a local young woman (the actress, listed as an outsider) who The Boy connects to, and provides each character unsettling premonitions of a dark tomorrow. Cage's role especially fights with his role within the plot, sometimes chastising the son he doesn't completely grasp.

Debate and Sensitivity

The subject matter is apt to stir disagreement, and the director approaches it with plenty of care — excessive, perhaps. The idea of a young man confronted with his future martyrdom and seduced by mysterious forces is indeed terrifying, but Nathan could be cautious about seeming gratuitous and anxious to indicate his goals, therefore he regularly falls back on gloomily threatening visuals. The figures constantly ponder — FKA Twigs, who demonstrated genuine potential in the 2024 Crow remake, of all things — surrenders her acting to her character's costume, occasionally interrupted by some gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Acting and Film's Weaknesses

Simultaneously, Cage flirts with precisely the type of exaggerated performance that those who enjoy his campier roles may desire. One scene (also included) in the trailer in which he flips out and screams “I’ve lost my faith!” Should such of florid outburst is included in a religious scary film, perhaps a more openly absurd approach would make better use of his eagerness to go over the top when necessary. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son echoes the poorer direct-to-video movies he starred in through much of the 2010s — apart from the B-movies instead the dramas and ghost stories that always sound promising, and usually have several notable Cage moments, but in the end seem like, well, cheap home video fare.

Honestly, a number of those, while less ambitious, were easier to view overall. At this point I must break my personal rule, not faith-based but professional: Years back, a beloved editor persuaded me to banish words like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. These phrases express scant except a subjective and generically described lack of patience, disengaging from the duty of clearly expressing the thoughtful and sensation of watching an individual production. It's challenging to convey tedium without seeming uninteresting oneself. It’s no more expressive as terming a movie “engaging.” “Say more,” in other words.

But I must confess, I felt uninterested throughout The Carpenter’s Son. To the movie’s non-exploitative credit, it’s a religious style of dullness, not for The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but as it requires a kind of dutiful submission to sit through it. At some point soon after starting, the film enters a repetitive rhythm of simmering distress, and never really