by Rosa Parra
“Weapons,” directed by Zach Cregger, stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, June Diane Raphael, Alden Ehrenreich, and Cary Christopher. One night, an entire class, except for one student, disappears at 2:17 AM. They all step outside their homes and run into the woods, never to be seen again.
The presentation of this film by Warner Bros. at Cinemacon earlier this year was compelling and unexpectedly intriguing. I knew I had to check it out, despite my reservations about watching horror films. I must be fully transparent: for the entirety of its 110 minutes, I loved this movie. I was invested in the stories, scared out of my mind, and it quickly became one of my favorite films of the year.
The film opens with a child’s narration, which adds an eerie and haunting quality to the story. This narration outlines what happened the night the children disappeared and vaguely introduces some of the characters. The story is told through six different perspectives: Justine (the teacher), Archer (a parent), Andrew (the principal), Paul (a cop), James (a drug addict), and Alex (a student). Although the story is the same, I appreciated the various perspectives, as each one added a new level of complexity to the overall narrative.
The execution of the storytelling was simply perfect. The non-linear structure worked brilliantly. As the film progresses, so do the revelations about what is occurring in the community. This movie is genuinely scary, thanks to its unexpected jump scares, expertly done lingering shots, haunting score, and visually unsettling aesthetic.
Although the film runs a bit over two hours, it is well-paced, and the runtime isn’t noticeable due to the strong script and editing. It takes just the right amount of time with each character to develop them and provide enough information for the audience to care about their outcome. I felt complete sympathy for the teacher, who was instantly accused of being directly involved in the children’s disappearance. What she experiences from the community is infuriating and unfair. I also felt compassion for the father, mainly due to Brolin’s sharp performance, as every parent’s worst nightmare is the possibility of something horrible happening to their child. The principal’s rational reactions to the situation make sense, as he tries to find answers while also providing comfort to many angry parents. The cop’s viewpoint was interesting, as it offered a glimpse into how the police department handled the disappearance. James’ perspective initially seemed confusing until we see what he discovers. However, the most shocking and moving perspective was that of Alex; what that boy experienced truly broke my heart.
This film was perfect until the last ten minutes. Once the source of evil was revealed, the ending didn’t resonate with me. It takes a special kind of skill to balance humor in a horror movie, and while it was successfully executed in the first two-thirds of the film, the ending felt significantly less impactful as a result. During the sequence where the children were chasing the old lady, the scene was crafted as a comedy—she was loudly screaming and making exaggerated gestures—which pulled me out of the movie. Finally, when the children catch up to her and eventually kill her, I was taken aback by the severity of the death and the fact that the children did it. Perhaps my innate maternal instincts aren’t too fond of witnessing children engage in such actions, but it still didn’t sit well with me. This aspect detracted from my overall enjoyment of the movie. However, I have to admit that the buildup and the first 120 minutes were expertly executed.
Overall, “Weapons” is a cleverly crafted horror thriller that could have reached masterpiece status had the ending been stronger. With great acting all around, frightening jump scares, and unexpected twists, this film stands out as one of the best horror movies in recent times. However, its anticlimactic ending holds it back from achieving elite status.
Rating: 7.5/10.