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Nicolas Cage could be the ideal pick for a audacious scary movie centered on Jesus Christ, however not for the reasons some viewers could guess. Truthfully, Cage doesn't even portray Jesus in the new film: the part he plays is listed merely as a craftsman. Cage is cast as the Joseph within this narrative, attempting to uphold his beliefs as the teenage character (played by Noah Jupe), their teenage foster child, commences to display miraculous gifts. The explanation it’s difficult to envision another leading star playing this part is that even as the role becomes burdened with numerous trials, Cage himself looks nearly moving certain that this murky, grim small film is deserving of his effort.

The Actor's Recent Film Selections

Cage has using his time more judiciously in recent years. He still makes additional projects than most average viewers will ever see — for example, are you aware that the actor has filmed several separate cowboy movies over the last few years? — however he also adds prestige critically acclaimed roles such as Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film seems like in that category, in that it’s genre-adjacent, possibly controversial, and takes a exaggerated description in a earnest manner.

Movie's Premise and Execution

Sadly, filmmaker the director fails to repay that serious attention. The film starts from a engagingly rootless place, marketed as based on an apocryphal lost gospel concerning the early years of Jesus. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their son travel from place to place, anxious of religious persecution or distrust over their son's mysterious gifts. “Disaster trails us,” Cage sadly observes. That continues as sinister entities focus on them at their new home, beginning on the familiar Biblical temptation for the youth.

Occasionally, the film resembles an demonic possession-type horror film, but not one of the main figures are directly possessed. On the contrary, they grow progressively isolated from each other, as these entities affect a resident female (the actress, named “The Stranger”) who The Boy forms a relationship with, and presents everyone troubling visions of a grim future. The Carpenter especially struggles with his place in this story, sometimes scolding the son he can’t fully understand.

Controversy and Care

The content is apt to court controversy, and the director approaches it with a lot of delicacy — overly, maybe. The idea of a teenage boy dealing with his future martyrdom and tempted by unknown powers is certainly frightening, but the filmmaker could be hesitant regarding seeming gratuitous and anxious to signal his intentions, so he often falls back on gloomily threatening visuals. The figures constantly ponder — the singer-actress, who demonstrated notable talent in the 2024 Crow remake, surprisingly — cedes her acting to her religious attire, sometimes broken up by some gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Performance and Movie's Weaknesses

Meanwhile, Cage toy with precisely the type of overacting that his ironic fans might be looking for. One scene (shown) in the trailer in which Cage erupts and shouts “My faith has been shattered!” Should such of florid outburst is included in your biblical thriller, maybe a more openly absurd method would take better advantage of the actor's readiness to exaggerate if needed. Instead, the film more closely resembles the poorer straight-to-DVD movies the actor filmed over the last decade — not the cheesy thrillers so much as the narrative films and paranormal movies that often seem intriguing, and frequently include some select memorable scenes, but in the end seem like, well, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Truthfully, a number of those, though not as grand, were easier to view overall. At this point I must disregard my usual practice, not faith-based but work-oriented: Long ago, a respected mentor convinced me to banish words like “tedious” or “uninteresting” from my reviewing language. Such terms communicate minimal other than a personal and vaguely expressed restlessness, disengaging from the duty of vibrantly communicating the mental and emotional experience of seeing an individual production. It's hard to communicate tedium without appearing dull oneself. It's equally vague as terming a movie “notable.” “Say more,” essentially.

But I must confess, I grew weary throughout The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it’s a churchy kind of dullness, not for this movie is lecturing, but as it demands a kind of obedient endurance to watch it. At some point early on, this feature settles into a repetitive rhythm of simmering distress, and fails to