🔗 Share this article

The acclaimed actor is likely the perfect selection for a daring scary movie about Jesus Christ, though not for the motivations certain viewers may think. Truthfully, the star does not actually portray the central religious figure in the new film: his character is credited merely as a craftsman. The actor is framed as a father figure of this narrative, attempting to maintain his beliefs as the teenage character (portrayed by the young actor), his teenage foster child, begins to show supernatural abilities. The reason it's challenging to envision any other major actor in this role is that even as the figure grows weighed down with multiple trials, the actor seems almost moving confident that the dark, somber little movie is deserving of his effort.

Cage's Latest Film Selections

Cage has using those years more selectively recently. He still does more movies than the majority of regular audiences could possibly view — for instance, did you know that the actor has made several separate frontier films over the last few years? — however he also adds high-profile critically acclaimed roles like Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son appears to be a similar project, because it’s not strictly scary, possibly controversial, and handles a over-the-top description quite seriously.

Movie's Storyline and Direction

Unfortunately, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not reward viewer engagement. The film begins with a compellingly nomadic setting, presented as inspired by an obscure religious text about the early years of Jesus. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and the boy relocate constantly, afraid of doctrinal intolerance or suspicion over The Boy’s strange powers. “Calamity follows us,” Cage sadly observes. That continues as sinister entities focus on the family at their new home, initiating with that familiar Biblical temptation for the son.

Sometimes, the movie echoes an demonic possession-type supernatural thriller, except that no one of the main figures are explicitly taken over. Rather, they become progressively isolated from each other, as these forces influence a nearby girl (the actress, credited as an outsider) who The Boy bonds with, and gives each character unsettling premonitions of a bleak destiny. The Carpenter in particular struggles with his role in the narrative, at times berating his child who mystifies him.

Controversy and Caution

This material is likely to court controversy, and Nathan treats it with much sensitivity — overly, perhaps. The notion of a young man facing his destined offering and seduced by mysterious forces is certainly scary, but Nathan may be hesitant regarding appearing sensational and keen to telegraph his goals, so he often withdraws to dimly foreboding filming. Characters continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who showed notable talent in another movie, of all things — surrenders her role to her character's costume, at times punctuated by several gnarly horror imagery.

Cage's Portrayal and Film's Shortcomings

At the same time, the actor dabbles in precisely the type of melodramatic acting that his ironic fans could be expecting. One scene (also included) in the trailer where he erupts and shouts “My belief is broken!” Should such of theatrical release is part of your Jesus-themed horror movie, possibly a more brazenly silly style would make better use of the actor's readiness to exaggerate when necessary. On the other hand, the film echoes the weaker direct-to-video movies Cage made over that period — excluding the campy action films so much as the narrative films and ghost stories that often seem intriguing, and often contain a few choice memorable scenes, but in the end seem like, frankly, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Frankly, a number of those, while less ambitious, were more watchable as a whole. At this point I must disregard my own dogma, not faith-based but professional: Previously, a respected mentor persuaded me to eliminate adjectives like “boring” or “dull” from my analytical lexicon. Such terms communicate minimal other than a individual and broadly stated impatience, disengaging from the job of vibrantly communicating the intellectual and sensation of seeing a specific film. It’s difficult to express boredom without seeming uninteresting oneself. It's equally vague as terming a movie “notable.” “Elaborate,” that is.

Yet, I acknowledge, I grew weary for a large part of The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it is a churchy kind of stultification, not for The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but because it requires a kind of dutiful submission to watch it. Eventually in the beginning, the film locks into a cyclic tempo of simmering anguish, and fails to