It’s great to see a director take on the challenge of following up a major success with something even more ambitious and knocking it out of the park. Director/writer Zach Cregger already went from a comedic performer to an out-of-nowhere horror filmmaker to watch with 2022’s Barbarian. Now he has Weapons, which delivers on letting audiences know Cregger is more than capable of providing a dark crowd-pleaser that doesn’t miss out on having some fun, but still manages to paint a bleak picture by way of relevant themes mashed together with Grimm fairytale-like iconography. The result is a chilling horror flick that envelops viewers in a well-told mystery and finds effective ways to unravel what’s going on.
Set in the small suburb of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, we are informed by a child narrator that the town has been rocked by a freak occurrence whereby 17 grade school children from the same classroom simultaneously woke up at 2:17 in the morning and ran off into the night. Everyone is confused, with anger being directed explicitly at Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), the teacher who is entirely in the dark about what has happened, but still a clear scapegoat, given how inexplicable this all is to the parents.
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There’s a true success at play in terms of narrative cohesion, as the film is divided into several parts, each taking on the perspective of a different central character. That the film can keep from feeling repetitive when presenting previous scenes from various angles, as well as develop an emotional narrative throughline, speaks to fine writing and strong editing choices on the part of the filmmakers. Yes, there are times when we are almost ahead of some of the characters, or others when we are still in the dark. Still, the movie understands that this works all the better in being organized the way that it is, and reminding us, on occasion, of the psychological standpoint of the various characters.
For his efforts, the structuring of this film makes Josh Brolin’s Archer Graff one of the more headstrong parents, remarkably effective. He’s understandably upset, but he’s also afraid, yet determined enough to take action by way of rationalizing what’s going on and trying to figure things out. This balances well against Benedict Wong’s Principal Marcus, who has concerns and empathy for all involved, but would rather do as little as possible as a means to keep the parents from becoming more upset. I appreciate the level of nuance in a film that primarily focuses on advancing its plot.
That said, because the film runs at a comfortable 128 minutes, there’s enough breathing room to add some extra depth. Principal Marcus, for example, is in a same-sex relationship, which is not commented on (nor does it need to be), but it allows for brief glimpses into this man’s inner life, adding possible additional layers to what eventually occurs when the movie shifts its focus to him.
Similarly, Garner’s Justine, who is ostensibly the lead character, has plenty of opportunities to build a character who becomes richer and richer as the film progresses. We want to root for her to get out of this situation in some way, given how the setup firmly places us on her side. That said, we also learn more about her character’s inability to separate concern for students from an inappropriate crossing of boundaries. Add to that the idea that she’s a borderline alcoholic with a past, and has on more than one occasion crossed the line with a local dim-witted police officer (Alden Ehrenreich), and this film would have all the makings of a melodrama built around a different sort of powder keg, were the story at hand involving missing children not being the one about to blow wide open.
Without delving too far into where this plot goes, I’ll say that I was intrigued by taking on different thoughts on what Weapons is trying to say. While there is a point where the film makes a few things completely clear for the audience, the “why” of it all is not presented as cleanly. I like that it means a viewer can only speculate what Cregger is after, even while getting a sense that he is looking at the world and seeing certain dangers coming in the form of how protective we are of children, as well as what could being overlooked in the process when debating why certain things should or shouldn’t change, even in the wake of tragedies that involve children. One can trace things back to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, all the way up to Brian Duffield’s excellent Spontaneous, in that regard, but at least Weapons is far more in favor of balancing the chills with laughs, like the latter feature. Plus, having the sense of a modern-day dark fairy tale provides plenty more to chew on, especially in retrospect to all that’s occurred.
Much like Cregger’s Barbarian, plenty of breaks are given to the audience, despite the feeling of dread that is constantly submerging the audience further within it. Some random line deliveries, the assurance of satisfaction following fake-out jump scares, and even the escalation of violence make it clear that Cregger knows how to nail a punch line. Granted, this film is far from just fun and games, but particularly given that this is an R-rated horror film, finding a manner in which to satisfy on so many different emotional levels from within a genre picture goes a long way to making Weapons go from a decently satisfying feature to one that can easily be remembered.
I found myself entirely on board with the mystery presented in Weapons, as well as satisfied with the way it rolled out. Being equal measures scary as well as amusing, even if that’s just a matter of nervous laughter, allows for a film that earns its key character moments and plenty of satisfaction from where they all ultimately land. That in mind, I can especially take some pleasure from having a film push characters through some pretty harrowing events and be aware that a simple conclusion to return to a familiar status quo is not the best choice to make. So with that in mind, Weapons is well worth the time of anyone in favor of bold storytelling choices balanced by a dark sense of humor and mysterious bumps in the night.
Weapons opens in theaters and IMAX on August 8, 2025.
