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The acclaimed actor could be the perfect choice for a daring horror film about Jesus Christ, but not for the reasons certain fans could guess. Actually, the star doesn't actually act as the central religious figure in the new film: his role is referred to only as The Carpenter. The actor is cast as a father figure within this narrative, striving to uphold his faith as the teenage character (played by Noah Jupe), their now-teenage adopted son, begins to exhibit divine powers. The reason it's challenging to picture another prominent performer playing this part is that while the role grows stricken with numerous difficulties, Cage himself looks practically moving convinced that the dark, grim feature is worth his time.

Cage's Current Projects

Cage has using those years more selectively in recent years. He yet makes more films than the majority of regular audiences will ever see — for instance, did you know that the actor has completed a trio of different Westerns recently? — however he also mixes in esteemed A24/Neon gigs like one recent hit, Pig, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son seems like a similar project, in that it’s genre-adjacent, possibly controversial, and handles a over-the-top concept quite seriously.

The Film's Storyline and Handling

Sadly, writer-director the director does not justify the audience's focus. The film begins with a compellingly nomadic context, positioned as inspired by an obscure religious text regarding the early years of Jesus. Cage's character, the maternal figure, and their son move constantly, fearful of faith-based hostility or distrust about their son's strange powers. “Disaster trails us,” Cage mournfully notes. That continues when dark forces attack them where they currently live, getting a jump-start on that traditional religious challenge for the youth.

Sometimes, this production mirrors an demonic possession-type possession movie, though none of the main figures are explicitly taken over. Instead, they become increasingly alienated mutually, when these forces infect a resident female (Isla Johnston, listed as “The Stranger”) that The Boy bonds with, and presents each character troubling visions of a dark tomorrow. The Carpenter in particular grapples with his place in this story, at times scolding the boy who mystifies him.

Debate and Caution

This material is prone to court controversy, and the director approaches it with much sensitivity — excessive, maybe. The concept of a young man facing his eventual sacrifice and lured by mysterious forces is indeed frightening, but the filmmaker may be cautious about looking exploitative and anxious to signal his aims, thus he frequently withdraws to darkly ominous filming. The roles constantly ponder — the singer-actress, who demonstrated real promise in a recent film update, surprisingly — surrenders her performance to her character's costume, sometimes broken up by several gruesome scary visuals.

Cage's Acting and Film's Flaws

Simultaneously, Cage flirts with just the sort of exaggerated performance that his more snickering appreciators could be expecting. One scene (also included) in promotional material where Cage erupts and yells “My belief is broken!” If that kind of dramatic explosion is part of a religious scary film, maybe a more boldly ridiculous method would make better use of his eagerness to exaggerate as required. On the other hand, The Carpenter’s Son more closely resembles the poorer low-budget films Cage made during the last decade — excluding the campy action films instead the dramas and ghost stories that typically appear interesting, and frequently include some select actor's highlights, but finally come across like, frankly, cheap home video fare.

Frankly, some of those, though not as grand, were more watchable overall. This is when I must violate my personal rule, not faith-based but career-related: Previously, a respected mentor persuaded me to banish adjectives like “boring” or “dull” from my analytical lexicon. These phrases express scant but a individual and generically described restlessness, avoiding the duty of vividly conveying the thoughtful and emotional experience of watching an individual production. It's hard to communicate tedium without sounding boring oneself. It's just as unclear as labeling a movie “interesting.” “Say more,” in other words.

But I must confess, I felt uninterested for a large part of the film. To the movie’s non-exploitative credit, it’s a religious style of stultification, not due to The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but as it takes a type of dutiful submission to watch it. At some point early on, this feature settles into a monotonous pattern of simmering distress, and never really