Weapons - Movie Review

In 2022 Zach Cregger treated audiences to his feature debut Barbarian, a film that seemed like a basic horror movie but wound up being one of the wildest and most original genre films in recent memory. Now a little under three years later he's back with his sophomore effort Weapons, a script that Jordan Peele reportedly wanted to direct so badly he fired his team after they failed to acquire it. That sets a pretty big bar as far as excitement goes, and boy did this ever live up to the hype for me. 

This is the kind of film, much like Cregger's debut, that feels impossible to ever guess what's coming next. It's the kind of movie you want to go into as blind as possible so I'm going to give the tiniest synopsis I can. Essentially the film is set in a town amidst unrest when at exactly 2:17 one morning all the kids from the same third grade class all get up out of bed and run out of the house, disappearing in the night's darkness.

Barbarian had a unique and at times jarring narrative structure, and Cregger similarly lays this out in a slightly abnormal way. Rather than watch the story play out chronologically we bounce back and forth in time to see things unfold through different points of view. It's a form of storytelling we've seen before, whether it be the classic Rashomon or PTA's Magnolia, but I can't think of a time where I saw it in a horror movie. It ultimately makes the film feel a bit like a puzzle that we as an audience get to piece together, and the way Cregger ties the story's threads together I found extremely satisfying.

In switching points of view Cregger also allows every key piece of this cast to shine. Julia Garner plays Justine, the teacher of the class who all went missing. I've enjoyed a lot of Garner's performances in the past but this is the best I've seen from her. She crafts a character that has her flaws but you can't help but feel for her, even if you know some of the decisions she's making go against what may be best for her. Being the teacher of all the missing kids points a lot of negative attention towards her, and the fear Garner brings to essentially being labelled the town witch is just incredible. Josh Brolin plays one of the father's of the missing students and he's also amazing. His character is one full of anger and confusion and you can see Brolin allowing those emotions to always bubble under the surface. Alden Ehrenreich plays a cop going through a series of tough events largely tied to James, a young vagrant played by Austin Abrams. These are two characters that on the surface should be easy to hate but I wound up really enjoyed both of their characters. Among the rest of the cast, Amy Madigan and Cary Christopher are absolutely magnificent, and Benedict Wong was slightly under-utilized but had some highlight moments.

I would love the chance to pick Cregger's brain, as this is somehow even wilder and more ambitious than Barbarian. It's a transfixing watch, with its central premise matched in intrigue by the unique way he ties everything back to it. It certainly helps that along with a great script his filmmaking is phenomenal. The cinematography genuinely casts a spell on you at times, and the score achieves a fascinating tonal balance between notes of drama and fear, as well as tinges of humour. The comedic sensibilities Cregger brings to this worked wonders on me, as the heavy premise and at times terrifying fallout from it are delicately balanced with some truly hilarious moments that manage to bring levity without taking away from the tone whatsoever.

I could talk about this movie non stop but I don't want to risk saying too much, this is one you have to go in and experience for yourself. If it weren't obvious, I loved this. I was hooked for the entirety of its 2+ hour runtime and I'd gladly go right back in. This is the best kind of horror film in my opinion, a film that focuses on its story first and allows the horror to shine as an element of the story rather than forcing it in. It's ambitious, it's wild, and it's one of if not my favourite movie of the year so far. 4.5/5 but easily could be five stars on a rewatch.