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The acclaimed actor could be the optimal pick for a daring horror film centered on Jesus Christ, though not for the causes many fans may think. In reality, Cage doesn't actually play Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his role is credited simply as a craftsman. Cage is positioned as the Joseph of this tale, working to uphold his beliefs as the teenage character (portrayed by the young actor), their now-teenage adopted son, begins to display miraculous gifts. The reason it’s difficult to imagine a different major actor in this role is that even as the role grows burdened with multiple challenges, the actor appears nearly emotionally certain that this murky, somber little movie is a valuable project.

Cage's Current Career Choices

Nicolas Cage has been using those years more judiciously recently. He still does more films than most average viewers could possibly view — as an illustration, are you aware that the man has completed several different Westerns in the past three years? — however he also includes esteemed independent films such as one recent hit, Pig, and a further title. This new film seems like a similar project, in that it’s not strictly scary, likely to stir debate, and approaches a campy-sounding concept with gravity.

The Film's Premise and Execution

Regrettably, filmmaker Lotfy Nathan does not reward the audience's focus. The film starts from a compellingly nomadic setting, positioned as drawing from an obscure religious text regarding the early years of Jesus. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their child move constantly, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or doubt about The Boy’s strange powers. “Disaster trails us,” Cage sadly observes. This persists when dark forces target them where they currently live, beginning with that well-known scriptural test for The Boy.

At times, the film resembles an Exorcist-style supernatural thriller, except that none of the lead characters are directly possessed. Instead, they are progressively isolated mutually, while these forces infect a local young woman (the actress, credited as “The Stranger”) who the son connects to, and presents everyone troubling visions of a grim future. Cage's role in particular grapples with his position in this story, at times chastising his child he can’t fully understand.

Debate and Caution

This material is apt to court controversy, and Nathan approaches it with plenty of sensitivity — overly, possibly. The notion of a young man dealing with his future martyrdom and seduced by dark influences is certainly frightening, but Nathan may be wary of seeming gratuitous and anxious to indicate his intentions, thus he frequently retreats into gloomily threatening cinematography. Characters continually reflect — the singer-actress, who displayed notable talent in another movie, of all things — cedes her acting to her character's costume, at times punctuated by some gruesome scary visuals.

Cage's Portrayal and Film's Flaws

Simultaneously, the actor dabbles in precisely the type of overacting that his ironic fans may desire. One scene (also included) in previews where Cage erupts and yells “My belief is broken!” When this sort of dramatic explosion is a component of a biblical thriller, possibly a more boldly ridiculous style would make better use of the actor's readiness to go over the top when necessary. Instead, the film more closely resembles the weaker straight-to-DVD productions Cage made over that period — apart from the B-movies but rather the serious stories and paranormal movies that often seem intriguing, and usually have several notable memorable scenes, but finally come across like, frankly, cheap home video fare.

Truthfully, a number of those, although simpler, were more watchable in general. This is when I need to break my usual practice, not religious but career-related: Long ago, a beloved editor urged me to eliminate adjectives like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. These words convey little but a personal and vaguely expressed restlessness, avoiding the duty of vividly conveying the thoughtful and sensation of viewing a specific film. It's hard to communicate boredom without appearing dull oneself. It's equally vague as labeling a movie “notable.” “Say more,” essentially.

But I must confess, I felt uninterested throughout The Carpenter’s Son. In its defense, it’s a churchy kind of dullness, not for The Carpenter’s Son is moralizing, but as it requires a sort of patient acceptance to view it. At some point in the beginning, this feature enters a monotonous pattern of simmering anguish, and never really