The brilliance of Weapons is hard to pinpoint. It makes a real case for Zach Cregger’s latest film to be one of the greatest horror films of the decade. It’s undoubtedly one of the most ambitious, pushed by a relentless pace and sense of mystery. It is one of the most exciting theatrical experiences of the year, which will make any fan of horror, mystery, or thriller brim with excitement.
Weapons Review
If you’re familiar with the (brilliant) marketing, you’ll already know everything you need to go into this. In the quiet town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, seventeen children from Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) third-grade class suddenly vanish. At 2:17 in the morning, each child, as if controlled by a mysterious force, fled their homes into the night and “never came back.”
The film smartly lays all of this out in the first five minutes, meaning that the following two hours are almost completely uncharted territory. Our primary character is Justine. She’s a teacher with a troubled past, whose alcohol codependencies and overly close affections for her students have landed her in trouble.
The town, in its collective outrage, focuses its hatred on Justine. Writer/director Cregger portrays this sense of mass hysteria with sharp insight. Through the collective grief of seventeen families, they bond over their frustrations with the one woman who seemingly was involved. One parent stands out: Archer Graff (Josh Brolin).
Twenty-five minutes into the film, we transition to Archer’s perspective, piecing together some of the grand puzzle that makes up the film. Cregger is going far bigger in scale than his directorial debut, Barbarian, weaving a profoundly intriguing story of the citizens of Maybrook. A few of the other perspectives follow a cop (Alden Ehrenreich), the school’s principal (Benedict Wong), a drug addict (Austin Abrams), and one of the only surviving children (Cary Christopher).
Each of these stories builds out the lore of Weapons and creates an experience so fun to unravel that the two-hour runtime feels less than an hour long. I checked my watch a few times throughout the film, only to be shocked every time at how much of the movie had passed. As I approached the ending, I was desperate for the film to keep going.
This ambitious story requires a cast that can anchor its high-concept premise in believable human emotion, and the ensemble here is simply flawless. Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are outstanding, providing the film with two compelling, complex figures at its core.
The film is full of standout work in the margins, particularly from a transcendent Amy Madigan, who gives one of the year’s standout performances. Cary Christopher delivers a performance beyond his years. I’m inclined to say little about either to give you the chance to unravel the mystery yourself.
Weapons is also a beautifully crafted film on a technical level. The cinematography isn’t necessarily showy or full of arresting, standalone images, but it’s shot with a pure competence that makes the world of Maybrook feel completely real and lived-in. Every frame serves the story, building the atmosphere without ever being distracting. This is all propped up by a fantastic, pulsing score from Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay, and Cregger, essential to the film’s relentless tension.
Is Weapons worth watching?
For a film built on such a complex mystery, the ending is surprisingly straightforward once all the pieces click into place. The final act leaves almost nothing to be discovered, leaving room for an ending that is as exciting as it is satisfying. In this ending, the film becomes surprisingly funny, showing that Cregger still has his funny bone intact.
Weapons is a masterful odyssey. The story is complete, but it leaves you with a perfect sense of wonder and plenty of ideas to ponder on the ride home. With this, Zach Cregger isn’t just a great horror director; he’s proving to be one of the most exciting and vital filmmakers working today and a modern master of horror. I look forward to revisiting this for years to come.
Weapons is in theaters on August 8.
Weapons Review — This Horror Odyssey is a Masterpiece
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