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Nicolas Cage is likely the optimal pick for a daring scary movie about the biblical figure, but not for the reasons certain viewers could guess. Actually, the star doesn't even act as the central religious figure in the new film: his character is credited only as The Carpenter. He is cast as the Joseph of this story, striving to keep his religious convictions while The Boy (played by Noah Jupe), his now-teenage foster child, starts to display supernatural abilities. The explanation it's hard to envision another major actor playing this part is that even as his character is burdened with numerous challenges, the actor looks practically moving certain that this gloomy, grim feature is worth his time.

Cage's Current Career Choices

Nicolas Cage has been allocating his time more judiciously recently. He yet does additional projects than the majority of casual fans will ever see — as an illustration, are you aware that the man has filmed several distinct Westerns over the last few years? — but he also mixes in high-profile critically acclaimed roles for example Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film appears to be in that category, as it’s not strictly scary, likely to stir debate, and approaches a exaggerated concept quite seriously.

Movie's Premise and Execution

Unfortunately, writer-director the director does not justify viewer engagement. The film opens in a engagingly rootless place, marketed as inspired by an apocryphal lost gospel concerning Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their son travel constantly, anxious of doctrinal intolerance or suspicion regarding their son's mysterious gifts. “Calamity follows us,” Cage sadly observes. It goes on when dark forces attack the household in their latest settlement, getting a jump-start on the well-known scriptural test for the youth.

Occasionally, the film mirrors an demonic possession-type horror film, except that none of the central roles are explicitly taken over. Rather, they become more and more distant from each other, while these powers infect a resident female (Isla Johnston, credited as “The Stranger”) that the son bonds with, and provides each character unsettling premonitions of a grim future. The Carpenter notably fights with his place in the narrative, at times berating the boy he doesn't completely grasp.

Debate and Sensitivity

The content is apt to court controversy, and Nathan treats it with much care — overly, possibly. The idea of a adolescent confronted with his destined offering and tempted by mysterious forces is indeed frightening, but Nathan may be wary of looking exploitative and keen to telegraph his aims, so he often falls back on dimly foreboding visuals. Characters brood incessantly — the singer-actress, who demonstrated genuine potential in the 2024 Crow remake, of all things — surrenders her performance to her character's costume, sometimes broken up by several disturbing frightening scenes.

Cage's Portrayal and Film's Shortcomings

Meanwhile, Cage toy with precisely the type of overacting that his more snickering appreciators could be expecting. An instance (shown) in previews where he flips out and shouts “My belief is broken!” If that kind of theatrical release is included in your religious scary film, perhaps a more boldly ridiculous style would make better use of Cage’s willingness to go over the top as required. On the other hand, the film echoes the weaker straight-to-DVD productions he starred in during the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers but rather the dramas and supernatural thrillers that often seem intriguing, and often contain a few choice actor's highlights, but in the end seem like, indeed, low-budget DTV material.

Honestly, several of these, though not as grand, were more entertaining in general. At this point I must violate my usual practice, not religious but work-oriented: Years back, an admired senior urged me to remove descriptive terms like “boring” or “dull” from my reviewing language. Such terms express scant but a personal and generically described restlessness, avoiding the job of clearly expressing the thoughtful and feeling of watching a specific film. It's challenging to convey monotony without sounding boring oneself. It's just as unclear as terming a movie “interesting.” “Say more,” that is.

However, I admit, I grew weary throughout the film. On the positive side, it is a religious style of stultification, not because The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but as it takes a type of patient acceptance to view it. Eventually in the beginning, this feature enters a monotonous pattern of simmering anguish, and never really