Movie Review no 1 Weapons (2025)

“In this story… a lot of people die in a lot of really weird ways… you’re not gonna find it in the news.”

Weapons (2025)

Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams as James

Written & directed by: Zach Cregger

Well, horror fans, what a year we’re having! Sinners was an unexpected smash—a crazy mash-up of psychotic zombies (are there any other kinds?), Southern sultriness, and hillbilly music. Then came Final Destination: Bloodlines, proving there are still inventive ways to bump off your main players—crushed in a rubbish truck, anyone? And we can’t forget the truly awesome Bring Her Back, an Aussie head-trip into grief and unhinged madness (see my review).

Having watched Weapons last night, I feel compelled to write this as a kind of mental exorcism—just in case I start dreaming about it. Or nightmares. It is the cat’s pyjamas—or the dog’s b*****Ks—of this year’s crop and scared the bejusus out of this horror fan.

Weapons is set in the small town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, where 17 elementary school children mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., leaving only one child, Alex. The film is structured in character-specific chapters, each offering a different perspective: a distressed parent (Josh Brolin), the teacher (Julia Garner), a conflicted police officer (Alden Ehrenreich), a chaotic drug addict (Austin Abrams), and the lone child survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher). This fractionated narrative (a la Pulp Fiction) keeps jump scares unpredictable and heightens tension throughout.

As the story unfolds, unexpected and unsettling forces emerge, blending mystery, psychological horror, and surreal dread. The storytelling remains deliberately ambiguous, raising emotional and symbolic questions rather than providing clear-cut answers. We piece together the protagonists bit by bit, and the pacing—unusually slow for a horror after the initial shock of the children disappearing—encourages the audience to speculate: alien abduction, mass kidnapping, or cult activity? Hints abound, but I won’t spoil anything. Red herrings and ominous asides keep you guessing. Why is the teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), so obsessed with Alex? Is the anger of bereft parent Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) a smokescreen? And what about the ex-alcoholic cop Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich)—is it his suspicious behavior or that weird moustache?

There are some weighty themes at play for a horror film. Trauma, grief, fear, and possible metaphors for school violence thread through the narrative, yet Cregger leaves interpretation open-ended. The performances are superb: Garner, Brolin, and Abrams deliver emotional depth and tension with nuance and subtlety.

Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised the film’s tonal originality—a blend of horror and hilarity—and Cregger’s refusal to rely on typical horror tropes. Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) notes: “One of the greatest strengths of Cregger’s ambitious script is its abject refusal to connect every dot in the manner that so much ‘elevated horror’ has done in recent years.” Peter Debruge (Variety) adds: “Regardless of how you feel about the bittersweet ending … Cregger has achieved something remarkable here, crafting a cruel and twisted bedtime story of the sort the Brothers Grimm might have spun—not the kid-friendly Disney version, mind you.” Others describe it as “wildly creepy,” “bleakly hilarious,” “suffocatingly tense,” and “unforgettable.” All are accurate, and one thing is for sure—you’re in for a wild ride that will linger.

My only quibble is the inevitable descent into an over-the-top blood-and-gore finale. Modern FX toolkits often sacrifice subtlety for spectacle, as seen in Get Out (2017) and the almost-great The Substance (2024). That said, it does not spoil Weapons—the suspense, weirdness, and evilness have already done their work.

Enjoy… just don’t have nightmares.

Score: 9/10