Rated: MA15
My Rating: 8.5/10
Zach Cregger returns with Weapons and cements his position as an auteur of modern horror. This film is incredible another horror hit from the director of Barbarian. It opens with a chilling premise: at exactly 2:17 am on one random night seventeen elementary school children from the same class vanish from their homes and run off into the darkness. That elevator pitch alone makes anyone intrigued and proves that original stories still matter in a sea of sequels.
The film begins with the haunting image of children emerging from their homes at 2:17 am. In one sequence grainy CCTV footage captures them walking down a suburban street at night their arms outstretched as if drawn toward something unseen. The town is thrown into frenzy suspicion falls on the class teacher Justine Gandy played by Julia Garner and a complex mystery begins to unfold.
Garner is sublime as Justine Gandy the teacher whose entire class disappears. She brings depth compassion and vulnerability to the role. You can feel she cares deeply for her students and the mental toll the situation has inflicted on her is palpable. Josh Brolin plays Archer Graff the father of one of the missing children and he is driven to the edge of despair. His anguish fear and unrelenting resolve to find his child keep him on that obsessive razor edge from beginning to finale. Brolin conveys raw emotion as a bereaved parent grappling with unimaginable grief.
The supporting cast expands the story through different lenses: Alden Ehrenreich plays a local police officer with personal ties to Justine an emotionally complex figure torn between duty and empathy. Austin Abrams plays Anthony a drug addict whose erratic path intersects with the central mystery in unexpected ways. Benedict Wong plays the school principal, and Amy Madigan appears as a grieving aunt. The structure feels Rashomon like with each chapter revealing a new perspective and piece of the puzzle. I love how the film is crafted using each character as a different chapter. That storytelling structure brings the plot to life and highlights how each person reacts to the terrifying event.
Sound design in Weapons is phenomenal. Ambient hums footsteps creaking timbers and unnatural silence build dread. When horror erupts in those scenes the sound punches hard and disorients the audience in the best way possible.
Cinematography is unique and creative. Larkin Seiple’s camera moves slowly in some scenes tracking characters from behind or panning to reveal new terrors. Other scenes are framed with a dreamlike ballet of camera movements that enhance rather than distract. The visuals breathe fresh air into modern cinema style and look deliberately unsettling and cinematic at once.
The tone of the film shifts from suburban dread to surreal horror. There is a dark comedic undercurrent in some characters especially Anthony the drug user whose storyline offers macabre fun alongside disturbing violence.
I love that we finally have another original story proving to studios that sequels are not the only thing worth producing. As an original concept it stands tall in a summer dominated by recycled franchises. The acting was incredible all around. Garner captures the exhaustion guilt fear and determination of a teacher under siege. Brolin is unforgettable as a father wrought with pain. And the framing of each character in chapters makes the audience feel invested in more than just the mystery.
Weapons is a thrilling thought provoking and emotionally charged horror film. It shows Zach Cregger as a bold visionary unafraid of ambition or tonal risk. It explores community grief parental desperation groupthink and the fragility of suburban life. It grips from opening to finale and holds you in its grip long after leaving the theatre. I absolutely recommend seeing it with no prior knowledge maybe in a crowded screening to feel the full effect. It is a modern horror gem that shows original storytelling still matters. I rate it an 8.5 out of 10.
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