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The acclaimed actor may be the ideal selection for a daring scary movie centered on Jesus Christ, but not for the motivations certain viewers may think. Truthfully, the star does not actually portray the central religious figure in the new film: his role is referred to simply as The Carpenter. Cage is positioned as a father figure of this tale, striving to maintain his beliefs as his son (acted by Noah Jupe), their now-teenage foster child, starts to display supernatural abilities. The explanation it’s difficult to imagine a different leading star taking this character is that while the role becomes stricken with numerous trials, the actor looks practically touchingly convinced that this murky, grim feature is worth his time.

Cage's Latest Career Choices

Nicolas Cage was spending those years more judiciously lately. He yet stars in more movies than most casual fans may ever watch — for instance, are you aware that the actor has made several different Westerns in the past three years? — but he also includes prestige critically acclaimed roles like one recent hit, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film sounds like a similar project, in that it’s borderline horror, possibly controversial, and handles a over-the-top concept in a earnest manner.

The Film's Premise and Direction

Unfortunately, writer-director the director does not reward viewer engagement. The film begins with a interestingly wandering context, presented as based on an apocryphal lost gospel about the early years of Jesus. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their son travel constantly, afraid of faith-based hostility or doubt regarding The Boy’s strange powers. “Trouble pursues us,” Cage mournfully notes. That continues as sinister entities attack the family where they currently live, beginning with that familiar Biblical temptation for The Boy.

At times, this production echoes an demonic possession-type possession movie, except that no one of the central roles are explicitly taken over. Instead, they become progressively isolated mutually, when these powers influence a nearby girl (Isla Johnston, named an outsider) that the son connects to, and gives all disturbing images of a grim future. Cage's role in particular struggles with his role in this story, sometimes berating his child he can’t fully understand.

Controversy and Care

The content is likely to invite debate, and Nathan approaches it with much care — too much, maybe. The notion of a young man facing his future martyrdom and seduced by mysterious forces is truly terrifying, but the filmmaker may be wary of seeming gratuitous and eager to signal his goals, thus he frequently retreats into darkly ominous cinematography. Characters constantly ponder — the singer-actress, who demonstrated genuine potential in another movie, of all things — yields her acting to her character's costume, sometimes broken up by some gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Portrayal and Film's Weaknesses

Simultaneously, Cage dabbles in just the sort of melodramatic acting that those who enjoy his campier roles may desire. One scene (also included) in previews in which he erupts and shouts “My faith has been shattered!” Should such of florid outburst is part of a religious scary film, possibly a more brazenly silly approach would take better advantage of the actor's readiness to exaggerate if needed. On the other hand, the film more closely resembles the less successful direct-to-video movies he starred in over that period — excluding the campy action films so much as the dramas and paranormal movies that always sound promising, and usually have a few choice actor's highlights, but in the end seem like, well, low-budget DTV material.

Honestly, several of these, although simpler, were easier to view overall. This is when I need to violate my usual practice, not faith-based but career-related: Years back, an admired senior convinced me to eliminate descriptive terms like “boring” or “dull” from my film-criticism vocabulary. These words express scant other than a subjective and generically described restlessness, avoiding the job of vividly conveying the mental and emotional experience of viewing a specific film. It's challenging to convey tedium without appearing dull yourself. It's equally vague as terming a movie “engaging.” “Elaborate,” that is.

But I must confess, I was bored during much of the film. In its defense, it’s a churchy kind of boredom, not for The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but because it takes a type of patient acceptance to view it. Eventually in the beginning, the film locks into a cyclic tempo of simmering anguish, and never really