“Last night at 2:17 AM, every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark …and they never came back.
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.” – Letterboxd Synopsis
The first time I saw the trailer for this movie was a few weeks ago when it played before The Fantastic 4. I love horror movies to begin with, and this one instantly hooked me with its intriguing premise. It gave off a more eerie mystery, and even though I got those vibes, this movie was way more of a mystery than I expected, but that mystery and tension work so well. This is one of my favorites of the year and one of the best horror movies I’ve ever seen, period.
This movie probably has one of the best hooks I’ve seen in years. The idea that every kid in one class except one disappears overnight. Footage of them leaving, running out into the night all at the same time, yet no one can find them. It is so intriguing. And while I should’ve expected the multiple POVs/ character chapters based on Zach Cregger’s previous work Barbarian, which featured them as well. I feel like they added so much to the mystery and intrigue of this story. Every character in this movie is a very normal person with normal person flaws and has their own motivations that they could carry this movie on their own, but swapping between them adds so much to the mystique of the story. Seeing events happen, then going to another character and seeing a whole other set events happen that eventually raises more questions but answers some along the way to connecting with the other story lines. It is one of my favorite ways to tell a story, and it is pulled off flawlessly here. This is one of those movies that I would hate to spoil for anyone. The big reveal is actually so satisfying, and what comes after is even more so. Cregger has beautifully crafted a story that is equal parts horror and mystery, and all of those blended elements work so well together.
So this movie follows a handful of characters. Everyone was amazing, wise, and the writing of these characters is great. Justine (Julia Garner) is a very flawed person and teacher who really loves her students. She is just as traumatized over their disappearance and is constantly being blamed and harassed over it. But she loves and cares for these children so much, and it kills her inside that the only child that didn’t disappear, Alex (Cary Christopher), is being kept away from her. Which leads to her being more intrusive than a teacher probably should be, but it all comes from a place of genuine care. Archer (Josh Brolin) is the father of one of the children who disappeared. He is desperate to get his child back. It has almost derailed his life. Which is completely understandable. Even if he is a bit heavy-handed in what he does and says, any parent, teacher, sibling, etc. Can easily relate to both his and Justine’s characters. They were written very well. This movie never shied away from showing their flaws as people, but always highlighted their real care. Which made them super compelling leads to this movie.
The other characters definitely take on more of a supporting role, but they were all great in their own ways, and again, they all felt like real people, which really grounds this movie. As much praise as I have for all the characters that I just mentioned, the stars of this movie, to me, are Alex and the villain of this story. Speaking of the villain at all is a spoiler, and I think this movie is really worth watching, so I’ll just say, great villain. Alex, as a character, is very interesting. It’s great child acting to portray this kid who has an aura of mystery and suspicion around him because he is the only one who didn’t disappear in his class. It was a traumatic experience for him, and you feel that, but there always feels like there’s something more there. I don’t want to spoil anything beyond those feelings, but he was great. I loved all of these characters. This movie paces itself very well to flesh everything out, and I never got bored of following any of them.
The camera work in this movie is crazy. Not only do different characters often have different vibes in the direction, but there’s a great use of darkness and framing that puts the topping on the high tension and scariness in a lot of these scenes. As much as I love the score in this movie (it is amazing), there are so many scenes that are elevated by not using music or a score at all. When the movie pulls back and lets silence and ambient noise do the heavy lifting. The scenes of those kids running into the night are already haunting with the music, but even more so without. Even though I wasn’t as fond of Barbarian as most were. Seeing that and then watching this, there’s no denying that Cregger is elite when it comes to this stuff.
So yeah, I love Weapons. This is one of my favorites of the year in a year where I’ve watched nothing but amazing movies. This stands next to Sinners, Superman, and Nosferatu as one of my favorites. This has also soared into one of my favorite horror movies of all time. Weapons has one of the best premises I’ve seen in a while, and it delivers on that premise in spades. It’s a lovely marriage between horror and mystery, two of my favorite genres. There’s even a good amount of actual hilarious moments in this movie. I can’t sing its praises enough. I loved Weapons.
Weapons – 10/10
