PLOT: Family hiding in Roman Egypt. Son known as ‘the Boy’ doubts guardian ‘the Carpenter’, rebelling with mysterious powers. As he uses abilities, they face natural and divine horrors.
REVIEW: I’m not a religious man, so I wasn’t exactly offended when it was announced that Nic Cage would be starring in a horror movie about Jesus. But I’m not ignorant enough to think this would be without controversy. Presenting a religious figure in any light other than sacred will result in some angry people. But it’s best to just drown out that noise and just watch the movie for what it is: a story of a mother, a father, and their son as they try to navigate the world over 2000 years ago. Throw in a bit of magic and miracles and you’ve got The Carpenter’s Son.
None of the characters have names (at least, for most of the runtime); they are simply The Carpenter, The Boy, The Mother, and The Stranger. But it’s all fairly obvious who they’re all portraying. I guess this was their way of skirting the topic, and I suppose it’s a classier way of doing it. Even if they are hitting you over the head with what the film is actually about, there are still some abstract moments that allow the viewer to watch it through their own lens. This is about Joseph, Mary, and Jesus’ time in exile, and is essentially the “missing years” of their story.
Nicolas Cage is fairly subdued as The Carpenter and honestly feels a bit out of place. His cadence is more modern and doesn’t really fit with the world. Cage seems like a difficult person to believably place in a more period-set story. But I also understand his value in getting eyeballs on the project. Thankfully, we do get one scene where Cage goes full yelling and crazy mode, but it’s not common with his character. Noah Jupe is proving to be more than just “the annoying kid from A Quiet Place” and this is very much his story. He’s lost and doesn’t fully understand his place in life, and Jupe gets that across without much dialogue. The standout of the film is The Queen’s Gambit‘s Isla Johnston. I won’t spoil her role here, but she’s gloriously evil while still providing a bit of nuance.
It is interesting to see a story about Jesus from a different perspective than we’re accustomed to. I understand where the allure of the project came from. But, as is, it feels far too subdued. The first hour can be a bit of a slog, though it really picks up in the final 30 minutes. Writer/Director Lofty Nathan clearly wants to tell the story with a bit of a horror slant, but it doesn’t feel any more horrific than some of the darker moments of The Passion of the Christ. I really enjoyed the vision of Hell (though I wouldn’t be shocked to hear that it utilizes AI, as something about it just looked off). If the movie had played out more like the final portion, I would have been more along for the ride, as it felt like it actually had something to say.
Ultimately, The Carpenter’s Son has some intriguing moments but it mostly feels a bit stale. It seems like they veered off too much for religious folks, and kept in line too much to be an entertaining horror film. It’s Biblical in nature, but never really gets to the meat of anything important. Cage isn’t very prominent, and something feels off about him when he is. His delivery could gain the film a bit of cult status, as it definitely allows for some unintentionally funny moments. Which is never what you’re going for with a film that’s often so deathly serious like this.
The Carpenter’s Son is playing in theaters on November 14th, 2025.
