Nicolas Cage’s ‘Jesus horror’ movie branded “tedious” and “shockingly boring” as first reviews land

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The new horror film, The Carpenter’s Son, starring Nicolas Cage and based on a Biblical story, is out in UK cinemas this week. However, initial reviews have been largely negative, with some critics calling it boring and poorly thought-out.

Lofty Nathan’s new film reimagines the story of Jesus’s childhood, blending it with elements of horror. The movie stars FKA Twigs, Noah Jupe, and Souheila Yacoub.

The movie, The Carpenter’s Son, is a suspenseful story set in Roman Egypt about a family in hiding. The son, called ‘the Boy,’ begins to question his life when he meets another enigmatic child. This leads him to rebel against his caretaker, ‘the Carpenter,’ and unlocks hidden abilities and a destiny he can’t understand.

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When the Boy begins to use his abilities, he and his family find themselves facing terrible dangers, both from the natural world and from supernatural forces.

The film will be released in UK cinemas on November 21st, following its US release a week earlier. However, initial reviews haven’t been great, with a score of just 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics generally agree that The Carpenter’s Son is strange and might attract a dedicated fanbase, but despite an interesting premise, the movie doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

According to RogerEbert.com, the movie is a slow and sometimes silly horror story mixed with a coming-of-age tale. They noted that Nicolas Cage’s performance is likely to leave audiences unimpressed.

Variety described the film as well-made and intelligent, but not necessarily enjoyable. They suggest it’s the type of movie that sparks discussion more than immediate pleasure while watching.

According to The Guardian, the difficulty in categorizing this work isn’t due to its boldness or innovation, but rather a lack of clear vision from those creating it – it’s often unclear what they’re even trying to achieve.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, despite being visually appealing, The Carpenter’s Son doesn’t quite work as a film. They predict it will likely become a cult classic, with fans eventually quoting its most memorable lines along with the characters during late-night screenings.

Despite having a bizarre premise – Nicolas Cage playing Joseph and a brawl between Jesus and Satan – The Carpenter’s Son is surprisingly boring. According to The AV Club, the filmmakers committed to this strange story with earnestness, but the result lacks excitement.

So, I was reading an interview with Nathan, the guy behind the new movie The Carpenter’s Son. He was talking about all the drama surrounding the religious stuff in it, and how people are reacting to the horror elements. Basically, some folks aren’t happy with the way it mixes those two things, and he was explaining how he’s handling the backlash.

I expected the project to spark debate,” he explained to Nerd Reactor. “But that wasn’t my primary motivation. The story had a core element I hadn’t encountered in any other film before, and that really drew me to it. It felt like a crucial piece was missing from similar stories, and I wanted to explore that.

Honestly, as a fan, I think the biggest part of the debate is how scary they made it, and the overall tone. But from my perspective, it really felt like they were going for a gritty, realistic feel for the world they built, and that’s where that horror element came from.

While researching for the script, I realized a lot of the Bible is actually quite frightening. This made me think about religious art I’d seen as a child, and the long history of depicting both the beautiful and unsettling aspects of Christianity.

I see it as simply a shade or tone – a tool to be used. It wasn’t intended to be particularly shocking.

The Carpenter’s Son is released in UK cinemas on November 21

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2025-11-18 02:19