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The Carpenter’s Son” Opens to Poor Reviews as Petitions and Review‑Bombing Mount

The director defends the genre‑blending retelling as an earnest artistic exploration of Jesus’ youth.

Overview

  • Lotfy Nathan’s film opened in U.S. theaters Nov. 14 via Magnolia Pictures, starring Nicolas Cage, FKA twigs and Noah Jupe.
  • Early reception skews negative, with critics in major outlets panning the execution and Rotten Tomatoes showing about a 35% critic score.
  • The story draws loosely from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas, with the filmmaker adding a shape‑shifting satanic antagonist not found in the source text.
  • Religious activism has intensified, including an American Family Association petition to cancel the release and reports of planned theater protests.
  • Online reaction includes coordinated review‑bombing on Google and IMDb and a death threat reported by the director, who continues to argue the film is a sincere, genre‑leaning take rather than gratuitous provocation.