The Carpenter Image

The Carpenter

By Alan Ng | October 29, 2024

From the opening moments of The Carpenter, I realized I was in for a ride that I’d never been on before. I’m very familiar with faith-based drama, and they are a mixed bag of good and awful films, all with an underlying and well-meaning message of hope and faith. The Carpenter is certainly all that but with a street-fighting element. The Carpenter offers decent stage fighting with almost no blood but a bit of brutality. This movie is for all the dads out there who want to watch MMA with their kids and learn something about Jesus at the same time.

Before you think this is the Biblical version of Gladiator with a Jesus cameo, the stakes of The Carpenter are not that high. For Oren, fighting is about the love of the game and the solace he finds in training. His uncle wants him to represent Nazareth, but he is practical about it and teaches good sportsmanship in a highly brutal sport. Yes, life lessons can be learned in cage or ring fighting.

“I give my props to The Carpenter for combining Jesus and MMA.”

For anyone who isn’t as immersed in the church as I am, it’s little secret that Yeshua is Jesus. If you’re looking for faith in a faith-based movie, you’ll find it here in the character of Yeshua. A third of the film features Yeshua as Oren’s mentor, teaching him life lessons such as seeing yourself as a child of God and not just as a fighter. Yeshua also gives Oren theological lessons, such as why bad things happen to good people and why he doesn’t heal Oren’s fight scars every time they meet.

I give my props to The Carpenter for combining Jesus and MMA. I’m not sure this is how I would have done it, but it’s a very safe film for families, even with the MMA fighting and its cheesy When The Bodies Hit The Floor soundtrack. Either way, it’s an enjoyable experience for families seeking a wholesome story with a twist.

The Carpenter (2024)

Directed: Garrett Batty

Written: Garrett Batty, Kameron Krebs, Kenny Krebs

Starring: Kameron Krebs, Kaulin Krebs, Jeff Dickamore, Aurora Florence, etc.

Movie score: 6/10

The Carpenter Image

"…life lessons can be learned in cage or ring fighting."

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