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Nicolas Cage is likely the perfect pick for a bold scary movie focused on the biblical figure, however not for the reasons many viewers could guess. Truthfully, Cage does not actually portray Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is referred to simply as a craftsman. Cage is positioned as the Joseph in this tale, working to keep his beliefs as The Boy (portrayed by the young actor), his now-teenage foster child, commences to display supernatural abilities. The reason it’s difficult to picture another prominent performer taking this character is that while the figure becomes burdened with multiple challenges, Nicolas Cage seems practically moving convinced that this murky, somber small film is deserving of his effort.

Cage's Latest Projects

Cage has using that time more selectively in recent years. He yet makes more movies than most average viewers will ever see — as an illustration, were you informed that the man has completed a trio of separate Westerns recently? — but he also includes high-profile independent films such as one recent hit, Pig, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son seems like a similar project, because it’s not strictly scary, likely to stir debate, and handles a exaggerated premise quite seriously.

The Film's Storyline and Direction

Sadly, filmmaker the director does not reward the audience's focus. The film starts from a compellingly nomadic setting, marketed as based on an obscure religious text about Christ’s childhood. Cage's character, The Mother, and their child move from place to place, afraid of faith-based hostility or suspicion regarding their son's strange powers. “Disaster trails us,” Cage gloomily remarks. This persists when sinister entities attack the household where they currently live, beginning on that traditional religious challenge for the youth.

Sometimes, the film mirrors an demonic possession-type possession movie, though no one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. Instead, they are more and more distant mutually, as these powers infect a resident female (Isla Johnston, credited as “The Stranger”) that The Boy bonds with, and gives everyone troubling visions of a bleak destiny. Cage's role in particular grapples with his position in the narrative, occasionally scolding the boy he can’t fully understand.

Discussion and Caution

The content is prone to court controversy, and the director treats it with much delicacy — overly, maybe. The notion of a adolescent dealing with his future martyrdom and tempted by unknown powers is indeed terrifying, but Nathan may be cautious about appearing sensational and anxious to signal his aims, therefore he regularly retreats into darkly ominous visuals. Characters continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who demonstrated genuine potential in another movie, interestingly — cedes her acting to her character's costume, at times punctuated by several gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Portrayal and Movie's Shortcomings

At the same time, Cage flirts with just the sort of exaggerated performance that his ironic fans may desire. There is a moment (also included) in the trailer in which he erupts and screams “I’ve lost my faith!” Should such of dramatic explosion is a component of your Jesus-themed horror movie, maybe a more boldly ridiculous method would make better use of Cage’s willingness to exaggerate if needed. Rather, the film echoes the weaker straight-to-DVD productions the actor filmed through much of the 2010s — excluding the campy action films but rather the serious stories and supernatural thrillers that typically appear interesting, and usually have several notable memorable scenes, but ultimately feel like, frankly, low-budget DTV material.

Truthfully, several of these, though not as grand, were easier to view overall. At this point I need to violate my personal rule, not faith-based but career-related: Years back, an admired senior convinced me to banish descriptive terms like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my film-criticism vocabulary. These words convey little but a subjective and vaguely expressed impatience, disengaging from the task of vividly conveying the intellectual and emotional experience of viewing an individual production. It's hard to convey tedium without sounding boring personally. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “engaging.” “Elaborate,” essentially.

Yet, I acknowledge, I grew weary throughout The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it’s a religious style of stultification, not for The Carpenter’s Son is preachy, but since it requires a sort of patient acceptance to watch it. At some point soon after starting, the movie enters a repetitive rhythm of simmering distress, and fails to