“Weapons” (2025)

Weapons

Grade: B

In Weapons, all the children but one in an elementary school class mysteriously run away and disappear one night at 2:17 a.m., a terrific setup for a decently entertaining spook flick.

Directing:

The intro sequence is one of the best openings in horror movie history, full stop, hooking us right away with a captivating premise and spooky atmosphere (and George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness”). The rest of the film keeps up the creepy style, especially in the way director Zach Cregger’s camera glides, controlled, like something is always over our shoulder. Now if only the images were as good as the angles! Aunt Gladys’ eccentric appearance is the lone memorable visual.

Acting:

Divided into distinct P.O.V. chapters, the actors are only given a limited time to fully inhabit their characters, but Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Austin Abrams all do a good job working within the broad strokes. Only Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys, an old-school fairy-tale witch, has the opportunity to make a real impact, blending black magic and black comedy in equal measure to create a devilishly fun villain.

Writing:

On the heels of the terrific prologue, Weapons’ segmented structure builds up the main mystery, but is ultimately all style no substance, merely a delay tactic, the dreaded “gimmick.” Nothing is gained from having multiple perspectives, and the Magnolia-like coincidences end up being lazy contrivances. It’s unfortunate, because I’d say a linear narrative would’ve significantly enhanced the psychological themes and character development.

Music:

George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness” brilliantly sets the stage during the prologue; a needle drop so good as to overshadow everything else, transitively boosting Weapons as a whole. Bonus points for, later on, momentarily featuring Harry Nilsson’s “Gotta Get Up.” Cregger, who also composes some of the unsettling string music that scores the film, has good taste.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Cregger’s decision to play the final sequence as black comedy rather than horror is a welcome switch-up, as watching Aunt Gladys get torn to shreds and eaten alive by the children she bewitched is, somehow, humorously over-the-top and cathartic. She certainly deserved it. But did we?

Weapons sets up a compelling mystery that promises something far grander and more ambitious than a slapstick ending. The multiple P.O.V.s, the dream sequences, the school shooting allegory — was it really all just surface level? All thematics are abandoned and all questions explained away by the existence of an evil witch, which makes for a predictable and underwhelming final act, no matter how funny the resolution.

“But after a while, they had to open everything back up, so that the kids that didn’t disappear could learn again.”— Narrator

Why Weapons gets a B

Terrific horror/thriller premise marred by a mediocre finale, like Shyamalan’s Signs (2002) and Mitchell’s It Follows (2014).

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