Tags:
Film: Weapons
Year: 2025
Director: Zach Cregger
Writer: Zach Cregger
Starring: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich
Review:
This was a film that I learned about through buzz in the horror community. It wasn't until right before seeing it that I connected it was the same director who did Barbarians. That was one I enjoyed but didn't necessarily love. Intrigued grew seeing that it starred Julia Garner. Plus seeing that this also featured Josh Brolin added to it. I did know the premise, at least the basic set up. This is also my 2025 horror release for the week. I've also given it a rewatch for my end of year list.
Synopsis: when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanishes on the same night at the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
The film opens with a child's voice-over narrating the inexplicable disappearance of 17 out of 18 students from a classroom at 2:17 AM. Only Alex (Cary Christopher) remained. He and teacher Justine (Garner) are interviewed, attempting to understand the event. Parents, led by Archer (Brolin), express their grief at a town hall. The story is then told in chapters, each from a different character's perspective.
What I'll say is that Justine is blamed by Archer along with the other parents. There is a police officer that she used to see, Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), who has issues of his own. He meets up with Julia for a drink. His life is in a spiral that he has little control of that he pulls her into. Archer is struggling at work, due to the obsession of finding his son. There is also a homeless drug addict, James (Austin Abrams), who also gets pulled into this ever-growing web.
There are major reveals through Alex's story. He lives with his parents, played by Whitmer Thomas and Callie Schuttera. I'll avoid spoilers, but they're visited by his mother's aunt, Gladys (Amy Madigan). What I will say is that we see people acting out of their normal. They're crazy with a rage they might not be able to control.
Now I wanted to go brief with this recap since I came into this one almost completely blind. The only part of the trailer I saw was the beginning, which showed the town hall. They did enough to catch my interest without spoiling it. There is a creepy image that I saw of a character with bulging eyes that made me uncomfortable. I love how this comes into play with the story. I'll just say to end my opening thoughts, come into this one blind. Temper your expectations and just go along with the events.
With that set up, the biggest thing that I need to give credit to would be writing. Zach Cregger's Barbarian excels through subtle details, or "Easter eggs," that reappear, enriching the narrative-a technique I value. Much like The Grudge, the non-linear storytelling hides details while advancing the plot by showing events from multiple characters' perspectives to fill in the context. That is something that works here until we get the ultimate reveals.
Another element of the story that works for me is now being a parent. There is something terrifying about having the children just disappear. The parents want a reason. Archer and others blame Justine. There is logic there. The problem is that there isn't any evidence. Another logical route is Alex, the only student who isn't missing. The problem is that he is interviewed and the police don't get anything. The fact that all his classmates disappear on the same night with no other elements connecting is terrifying. That is something to give credit to here.
Then just themes to bring up that I noticed with both watches. First is obviously trauma. Toxic family dynamics is something that is prevalent. Alex shows us that we can break that cycle as we go along, which is a good message. There is an element of addiction. We see that with Justine, who doesn't think she has a problem. Paul is trying to be sober but that fails because of her. We see how much he loses control. It is also interesting that James and his encounters with Paul, who also has an anger issue.
Circling back as well to witch being written on Justine's car. She is a scapegoat for the parents, which makes it a 'witch hunt', instead of looking for who is truly behind it. She also butts heads with Marcus (Benedict Wong). He is the principal and he's against getting more involved due to how it could look. There is an element where Alex has been through enough so I also can see the other side. These were just other elements that I wanted to bring up.
Now the big thing that I hear with this movie deals with plot holes and issues with logic. The biggest one is what Archer uses to figure out where to look. You'd assume the police with the Ring cameras would come to the same conclusion, before this father would. It does seem like police incompetence for plot sake. Continuing this, we know that they are so close to the truth and they seem to ignore evidence. I can overlook this slightly as we're not seeing the full extent. If they do, we also don't have a movie. None of these truly ruin it for me personally.
Ending the story, I turn to the performances. Garner's history of subtle boundary-crossing makes her a logical suspect, and she plays the role well. Brolin is excellent as the determined parent, and Ehrenreich is intriguing as the entangled officer. Christopher's bullied past adds depth, bridging the events. Wong works as the principal, wary of further involvement due to larger issues. Madigan steals the show with a chilling performance. Thomas, Schuttera, and Abrams complete the strong ensemble cast.
All that is left then is filmmaking aspects. The film excels in cinematography and framing, from the opening sequence to the action scenes. Practical effects were well-utilized, with any CGI being unnoticeable except for a forgivable dream sequence. Subtle, grounded supernatural elements were a welcome addition. The soundtrack and design effectively built atmosphere and tension. Editing skillfully wove together character storylines which truly makes this work. Now I did want to address that this runs just over two hours. It is paced well to not get bogged down.
In conclusion, this delivers a compelling horror experience thanks to Cregger's intricate writing and masterful direction. The film's non-linear narrative, subtle details and terrifying premise of vanishing children create a gripping mystery. Strong performances from Garner, Brolin and the supporting cast, combined with excellent cinematography, practical effects, and atmospheric design, elevate the film. It's a highly recommended watch, ideally experienced with minimal prior knowledge to fully appreciate its unfolding horrors.
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10