Nicolas Cage Struggles to Find Footing in 'The Carpenter's Son'
Egypt-born writer-director Lotfy Nathan's latest offering, 'The Carpenter's Son', is a bewildering mashup of horror, drama, and fantasy that finds Nicolas Cage miscast as the titular character. The film, inspired by the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, attempts to reimagine the early years of Jesus but falls flat in its execution.
The movie begins with a screaming cave-based birth sequence, setting the tone for a violent and disturbing world. However, instead of delving deeper into this dark narrative, Nathan seems uncertain about how to proceed, leading to a jarring and unbalanced pace. The result is a film that feels like it's trying to be several things at once, but fails to excel in any of them.
Cage, known for his over-the-top performances, is predictably miscast as the carpenter. He struggles to find a modulated performance, veering wildly between effective, muted work and his usual, fanboy-pleasing antics. His character feels like a caricature, lacking depth or nuance.
The supporting cast fares no better, with FKA twigs struggling to make an impact as Cage's on-screen partner. The usually reliable Noah Jupe is relegated to thankless, unembarrassing work, while the rest of the cast seems to be acting in a different, equally poor film.
The beautiful scenery that Nathan so desperately tries to capitalize on falls flat due to his rushed storytelling and lack of clarity. The result is a mess of an edit, with scenes stitched together haphazardly. It's hard not to feel that Nathan has made a short version of the film available online out of pity for the audience.
In the end, 'The Carpenter's Son' feels like a wasted opportunity. With its confusing narrative and lackluster performances, it's a dull watch that fails to deliver on any level. If you're a fan of Cage or enjoy biblical dramas, you may find something to appreciate here, but for most viewers, this is a misfire that won't be remembered for long.
Egypt-born writer-director Lotfy Nathan's latest offering, 'The Carpenter's Son', is a bewildering mashup of horror, drama, and fantasy that finds Nicolas Cage miscast as the titular character. The film, inspired by the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, attempts to reimagine the early years of Jesus but falls flat in its execution.
The movie begins with a screaming cave-based birth sequence, setting the tone for a violent and disturbing world. However, instead of delving deeper into this dark narrative, Nathan seems uncertain about how to proceed, leading to a jarring and unbalanced pace. The result is a film that feels like it's trying to be several things at once, but fails to excel in any of them.
Cage, known for his over-the-top performances, is predictably miscast as the carpenter. He struggles to find a modulated performance, veering wildly between effective, muted work and his usual, fanboy-pleasing antics. His character feels like a caricature, lacking depth or nuance.
The supporting cast fares no better, with FKA twigs struggling to make an impact as Cage's on-screen partner. The usually reliable Noah Jupe is relegated to thankless, unembarrassing work, while the rest of the cast seems to be acting in a different, equally poor film.
The beautiful scenery that Nathan so desperately tries to capitalize on falls flat due to his rushed storytelling and lack of clarity. The result is a mess of an edit, with scenes stitched together haphazardly. It's hard not to feel that Nathan has made a short version of the film available online out of pity for the audience.
In the end, 'The Carpenter's Son' feels like a wasted opportunity. With its confusing narrative and lackluster performances, it's a dull watch that fails to deliver on any level. If you're a fan of Cage or enjoy biblical dramas, you may find something to appreciate here, but for most viewers, this is a misfire that won't be remembered for long.
. and fka twigs getting wasted in such a small part is a shame, she usually does way more with her acting chops. ugh, the pacing of this movie is all over the place and its like nathan tried to cram too many things into one film 
. overall, just another disappointment from an otherwise decent actor like cage... maybe he should've just stuck to playing a madman or something 
I don't get why Nicolas Cage was cast as the carpenter... he's just too over-the-top for this kind of role. 
The film feels like it's trying to do too many things at once and ends up being a mess. 
And FKA twigs, she's talented but not given much to work with here... 
Maybe if they had more time and focus, it could've been something special? 
. And let's be real, FKA twigs is always going to bring that edgy vibe to her roles 
. Noah Jupe might not have had much to do, but he's still an amazing young actor 
. I think the film just needed more time in post-production and a bit more trust from Lotfy Nathan 
. Sometimes, less is more, you know? Maybe it's not the most cohesive movie, but at least it's trying something new 
. Don't @ me 
.
It's like Lotfy Nathan was trying to cram 3 movies into one and ended up with a mess. Overall, I wouldn't say this is a complete disaster, but it's definitely a skippable watch for most people 
. Nicolas Cage as Jesus? Please. He's gonna try to bring his usual intensity but will just end up overacting again 
The whole thing looks like it's been thrown together with no clear vision or direction 
. I'm not even gonna bother watching this one, why would I? 
. I get it, the film is trying to do a lot of things at once, but it ends up feeling like nothing's really being accomplished. The pacing is all over the place and the performances are just...meh. FKA twigs gets lost in the shuffle too, which is a shame because she's usually so talented 
. Overall, it just feels like a hot mess of a film 
. He's got that over-the-top energy that can work, but in 'The Carpenter's Son' it feels like he's phoning it in 
Yeah, that's basically what happened here 
. The whole film looks like a jumbled mess of genres and tone, like someone threw a handful of different emotions into a blender and hit puree 
. I'm all for some creative risk-taking, but when it feels like the director is just phoning it in 
, you gotta wonder if it's gonna be worth watching. And with Cage at the helm, we can expect some serious overacting 
– I mean, how much "character development" can one guy bring to a role? Not enough, imo 
.
just saw the trailer for 'The Carpenter's Son' and I'm already dreading it 
It doesn't even look like Nicolas Cage is really trying to sell the performance... poor guy 
. and its not just cage, the whole cast feels like they're phoning it in, you know? like, fka twigs is a talented artist, but she gets wasted in this role 
. and i think nathan's biggest mistake is trying to pack too much into the runtime, instead of taking the time to really develop the story and characters 
ANYWAY, THE MOVIE ITSELF SEEMS LIKE A MESS, WITH TOO MANY GENRES MIXED IN AND NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON ANY ONE THING. 
i'd rather watch paint dry on a tree trunk than sit through another of her underutilized performances. and can we talk about the editing? it sounds like lotfy nathan was just phoning it in 
the scenery is lovely, but that's not enough to save this trainwreck from becoming a total dumpster fire 
.
the pacing is all over the place and nico cage feels like he's stuck in some weird limbo between method acting and just being himself lol. i get that the director was trying to do something unique but honestly it just comes off as a hot mess of confusing plot twists and cringy performances 
.
. its a shame about the pacing and editing, but sometimes i think those things are just hard to get right