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The acclaimed actor could be the perfect choice for a daring horror film focused on the biblical figure, but not for the reasons some viewers could guess. In reality, the star doesn't even act as the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is credited only as a craftsman. Cage is positioned as a father figure within this tale, working to maintain his religious convictions as his son (played by the young actor), their now-teenage adopted son, starts to exhibit supernatural abilities. The explanation it’s difficult to picture a different leading star playing this part is that even as the role grows weighed down with numerous trials, Cage himself seems practically touchingly convinced that the dark, somber little movie is worth his time.

The Actor's Latest Projects

Cage has spending his time more selectively recently. He still does additional projects than the majority of regular audiences could possibly view — for instance, are you aware that he has made several distinct frontier films over the last few years? — but he also mixes in esteemed critically acclaimed roles such as one recent hit, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film appears to be in that category, because it’s not strictly scary, potentially provocative, and approaches a campy-sounding premise in a earnest manner.

Movie's Premise and Direction

Unfortunately, writer-director the director does not justify that serious attention. The film begins with a compellingly nomadic context, positioned as based on an apocryphal lost gospel concerning the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their child move from place to place, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or distrust about The Boy’s unusual abilities. “Calamity follows us,” Cage sadly observes. It goes on when sinister entities focus on the household in their latest settlement, getting a jump-start with that well-known scriptural test for the son.

Sometimes, the movie echoes an Exorcist-style horror film, though not one of the central roles are clearly inhabited. Instead, they grow more and more distant from one another, when these entities influence a nearby girl (the actress, credited as “The Stranger”) that the son forms a relationship with, and provides all unsettling premonitions of a dark tomorrow. Cage's role especially grapples with his place within the plot, at times berating the son who mystifies him.

Controversy and Care

The subject matter is apt to invite debate, and Nathan treats it with much sensitivity — too much, maybe. The concept of a teenage boy facing his eventual sacrifice and seduced by mysterious forces is truly terrifying, but the filmmaker could be cautious about seeming gratuitous and eager to signal his intentions, so he often falls back on gloomily threatening visuals. Characters brood incessantly — the singer-actress, who showed genuine potential in a recent film update, of all things — cedes her role to her Mother Mary cloak, sometimes broken up by a few gnarly horror imagery.

Cage's Portrayal and Film's Shortcomings

At the same time, the actor dabbles in just the sort of exaggerated performance that his ironic fans may desire. There is a moment (also included) in promotional material in which he loses control and screams “My faith has been shattered!” If that kind of theatrical release is part of a Jesus-themed horror movie, possibly a more boldly ridiculous method would be more effective of his eagerness to be extreme if needed. Instead, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the less successful straight-to-DVD films the actor filmed during that period — excluding the campy action films but rather the serious stories and ghost stories that always sound promising, and frequently include several notable Cage moments, but in the end seem like, indeed, low-budget DTV material.

Honestly, a number of those, although simpler, were more entertaining in general. Here is where I have to violate my own dogma, not faith-based but work-oriented: Years back, an admired senior convinced me to banish descriptive terms like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. Such terms communicate minimal other than a individual and generically described impatience, disengaging from the duty of vividly conveying the thoughtful and sensation of seeing a particular movie. It’s difficult to communicate monotony without seeming uninteresting yourself. It’s no more expressive as calling a movie “interesting.” “Explain further,” in other words.

But I must confess, I was bored for a large part of The Carpenter’s Son. To the movie’s non-exploitative credit, it’s a devotional type of dullness, not due to this movie is preachy, but since it requires a type of patient acceptance to view it. After a while in the beginning, the film settles into a cyclic tempo of ongoing suffering, and does not