Nicolas Cage's Jesus-Themed Thriller Film Is Less Extreme as It Sounds

The acclaimed actor may be the optimal selection for a bold scary movie centered on the biblical figure, but not for the causes some audiences could guess. Truthfully, the star does not even play Jesus in the new film: his role is referred to only as a craftsman. He is framed as the Joseph in this narrative, working to keep his faith while The Boy (played by Noah Jupe), his now-teenage foster child, commences to display supernatural abilities. Why it's hard to envision any other major actor playing this part is that while the role grows burdened with various trials, the actor seems nearly emotionally convinced that the dark, bleak little movie is deserving of his effort.

The Actor's Latest Film Selections

Nicolas Cage was spending his time more judiciously in recent years. He still stars in additional projects than most casual fans will ever see — as an illustration, did you know that the man has completed three separate cowboy movies over the last few years? — however he also includes esteemed critically acclaimed roles such as one recent hit, another notable movie, and a further title. This new film sounds like a similar project, because it’s not strictly scary, likely to stir debate, and handles a over-the-top description with gravity.

Movie's Storyline and Execution

Unfortunately, writer-director the director fails to repay the audience's focus. The Carpenter’s Son begins with a interestingly wandering place, positioned as inspired by an obscure religious text regarding the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, The Mother, and the boy travel from place to place, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or suspicion over The Boy’s strange powers. “Calamity follows us,” Cage sadly observes. That continues when evil influences target them at their new home, getting a jump-start with that familiar Biblical temptation for The Boy.

Occasionally, the movie resembles an demonic possession-type supernatural thriller, but not one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. Instead, they become increasingly alienated from one another, when these powers infect a local young woman (Isla Johnston, named “The Stranger”) that the son forms a relationship with, and gives each character disturbing images of a bleak destiny. The Carpenter especially grapples with his place in this story, at times scolding the boy who mystifies him.

Controversy and Caution

The content is likely to stir disagreement, and the director handles it with a lot of care — excessive, perhaps. The notion of a young man confronted with his future martyrdom and lured by unknown powers is indeed frightening, but Nathan might be cautious about seeming gratuitous and keen to indicate his intentions, so he often withdraws to darkly ominous filming. Characters continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who demonstrated genuine potential in a recent film update, interestingly — cedes her performance to her character's costume, occasionally interrupted by several gnarly horror imagery.

Cage's Portrayal and Movie's Weaknesses

At the same time, Cage flirts with precisely the type of overacting that his more snickering appreciators could be expecting. There is a moment (shown) in the trailer where he loses control and shouts “I’ve lost my faith!” When this sort of theatrical release is a component of your biblical thriller, perhaps a more brazenly silly style would make better use of his eagerness to be extreme when necessary. Instead, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the less successful direct-to-video films he starred in through much of the last decade — excluding the campy action films so much as the serious stories and paranormal movies that often seem intriguing, and usually have several notable Cage moments, but in the end seem like, frankly, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Truthfully, some of those, although simpler, were more entertaining overall. At this point I have to disregard my usual practice, not faith-based but work-oriented: Long ago, a beloved editor convinced me to remove descriptive terms like “tedious” or “uninteresting” from my analytical lexicon. These phrases express scant but a subjective and broadly stated lack of patience, disengaging from the duty of vibrantly communicating the mental and feeling of viewing a particular movie. It's hard to convey boredom without appearing dull personally. It's just as unclear as calling a movie “notable.” “Explain further,” that is.

But I must confess, I felt uninterested during much of The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it’s a devotional type of dullness, not for The Carpenter’s Son is preachy, but since it takes a sort of patient acceptance to view it. After a while in the beginning, this feature locks into a monotonous pattern of simmering anguish, and never really