Weapons Movie Review

For readers of my blog, horror has become a staple in my reviews and has slowly become my favourite genre to see at the cinema. Not only does the originality of the stories triumph over other films, but it also becomes must-see viewing on opening weekend, bringing in packed audiences and generating big money at the box office. 

The next film of this genre to garner my attention is Weapons, the second film from Zach Cregger, the twisted mind behind 2022's Barbarian, which became a cult favourite among horror fans after its release. Leading to anticipation as to what he will release next, blending his expertise in both horror and comedy, Weapons delivers in both of those aspects, but whilst it starts as a slow-burning, tension-filled character-focused story, it brings the genuine scares and has imagery that will stay with you long after you leave the cinema. 

The film follows a format that focuses on one character at a time, exploring how their role fits within the main story. This expertly crafted narrative is written by Cregger, who also writes the screenplay, creating fully fleshed-out characters that, despite their motivations, you genuinely care for. 

However, the plot of this film is not kept under wraps, with the trailer exposing the main premise of the story. In the small town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, a teacher's third-grade class all disappeared in the middle of the night and was seen by Ring door cameras to be running into the night, all at 2:17. As all of the class disappeared, the blame goes on the teacher, Justine Gandy played by Julia Garner, with the parents accusing her of being involved in their disappearance, and terrorising her life even defacing her car, spray painting the word witch on it.  

The rest of the film takes place a month after the disappearance, where life is trying to continue on, and the school has been reopened, but due to the ongoing abuse she has suffered, Gandy is put on leave as advised by the school's principal, played by Benedict Wong. During this time, she is determined to find out the cause of these missing children and prove her innocence, but as she delves deeper into finding out what happened, she realises the small town she lives in is not all it seems. 

As said before, the rest of the story focuses on a character at a time, who are pivotal to the story, one being the grieving dad of one of the boys who is missing, Archer, played by Josh Brolin, who, like Gandy, takes matters into his own hands as is determined to find what happened to his son. There is a real ensemble of characters, all of whom are complex and carry their section of the film, where you are invested as to what their next move will be. 

As for any horror film, the make-or-break aspect of it is the scares, and if they are effective, which for Weapons couldn't be more true. There are certain jump scares in this, which you don't see coming and truly scare the living daylights out of you. The final sequence is absurd and contains images which will burn into your brain, much like the rest of the film, which delivers on anxiety-fuelled scenes that will have you scared one moment, and then laughing out loud the next. This is the true brilliance of Cregger with his writing and directing, which is redefining the horror genre, and he is becoming a voice in cinema to listen to
- I for one can say I will be seeing anything that he is attached to.