In his sophomore horror outing, Zach Cregger followed up Barbarian with his second straight feature project that begged to go in blind, yet despite the pitfalls of its predecessor’s second act, Weapons will have audiences laughing until their gasping, and as the laughter leads to a gasp, the gore of the third act allows for a catharsis release.
That catharsis is set up by an interesting premise: At 2:17 one morning, an entire elementary classroom gets up and leaves their house, all of which become missing peoples. The parents, one particularly played by Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, True Grit) in a physical yet delicate performance, place their blame in the only place they know to look, the teacher, played by Julia Garner (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ozark), until Brolin finds any possible lead. Refraining from pertinent spoilers to the plot, the audience follows the investigation from every individual involved, including one of the children, the teacher, a parent, and an officer as each character finds out details with the audience that peels back the onion, revealing the mystery of a small town.
Weapons ended up being one of the most staunchly original projects of the year, another auteur vision in an ever-growing list of WarnerBros projects under Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca that includes Mickey 17, Sinners, and upcoming projects such as P.T. Anderson’s One Battle After Another. The decisions that had the De Luca and Abdy regime on the ropes just a few months ago seems to be paying off in spades as Warner Bros just reported their best quarter in years on the strength of an over-performing studio division. Weapons continues an excellent run of quality from auteur-led visions, and hopes to continue the current stretch of box office hits with Cregger making the film on a modest $38M budget.
If you’re expecting cheap thrills, this likely isn’t the film for you. The film is a slow burn that details the story in a non-linear fashion, but does so in a way that pays off for all kinds of moviegoers. Cregger uses his background in comedy to balance the tension with a comedic effect, maintaining the integrity of the film and its premise while keeping it from being too dark The less that audiences know, the more fascinating the layout and subsequent unraveling becomes captivated. Weapons is a certified future-classic.
You can see Weapons in theaters everywhere starting Friday, August 8th, and in IMAX in select cinemas. While not necessarily a movie that uses IMAX technology to enhance the film itself, it does expand the tension of the film. A worthwhile trip to movies.
Follow me on Twitter here.
Follow me on BlueSky here.
Follow me on Letterboxd here.
