“Ozark” star Julia Garner is at the top of her game in “Weapons,” which is certain to be one of the most talked about films of 2025. She stars as Justine Gandy, a new teacher who comes to school one day to find only one student. The other 17 have gone missing, leaving their homes at 2:17 a.m., running with their hands at their sides. Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) pushes police to press Justine as he thinks she has done something to his son and the other students.
“Weapons” is told from different points of view, including Justine’s, Archer’s and a police officer named Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) who is trying to get sober. Cary Christopher plays Alex, a boy who is a bit startled when his extremely ill aunt Gladys Lily (Amy Madigan) comes to stay with his family. Christopher is a gifted child actor and Madigan could not have done a better job. Ehrenreich is convincing as a cop stuck in his work life and personal life.
Brolin brings the bravado as a man who thinks it will be up to him to solve the mystery, and he has the funniest line in the film. Writer and director Zach Cregger comes from the world of comedy, and he puts in the right amount of jump scares. Cregger’s debut, “Barbarian,” a horror movie about someone who finds their Airbnb has been double-booked, was solid, but “Weapons” is far more engaging and complex.
You will be guessing to know what happened to the children and why Alex hasn’t gone missing. Is it aliens? The government? Something supernatural?
“Weapons” is not only entertaining, but with characters trying to deal with poverty, drug and child abuse, alcoholism and infidelity, it’s a commentary on life in today’s America.
It hits on the problem of school shootings, scapegoating and the idea that children can be manipulated and or weaponized by teachers or the media. It also examines the pain of keeping trauma a secret and with bullying. It may also be a commentary on parenting and how there are some self-inflicted wounds. In addition, there is the concept that adults could be easily manipulated and turn on each other and perhaps some things that should be prioritized, are not.
The cinematography makes the movie so creepy that the viewer feels like an attack is imminent.
“Weapons” will keep you guessing and make you feel every emotion.
“Weapons” will keep you guessing and make you feel every emotion. Some masterful techniques include a door seemingly opening on its own, the contrast between monotony of bureaucracy and horrific evil.
Campbell’s soup might not be too happy with how its product is used in the movie. Salt is also used in a way it never has been before. There on one scene that is a fitting homage to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
“Weapons” might have been better as a TV series but it’s a walloping winner that shows the power of horror films with a message rather than blood for the sake of it. I would have liked to see Garner and Brolin get some more screen time together because they have great chemistry as actors. Garner is easy to root for but in the back of your mind, you’ll wonder if she is to blame or not. There are two absolutely wild scenes, one involving the principal, his husband and someone who knocks on their door and one where Brolin throws punches. In this movie and “Barbarian” there are unnerving basement scenes.
The ending may be a bit over the top for some but it’s extreme for a reason; it evokes the idea of how people seem to only notice things when they’re right in their faces. The script is fine tuned and Cregger has said the movie was a way to deal with grief from the death of his good friend and comedy colleague, Trevor Moore, who died in Los Angeles on August 7, 2001.
In an interview with Collider, Cregger said the horror genre allowed him to be risky in making the movie.
The style of taking you through the point of view of different characters isn’t easy, but Cregger nails it. He is on the rise, and his next project is “Resident Evil.” Those who enjoyed Nicholas Cage in “Longlegs” will love “Weapons.”
“Weapons” is an unforgettable film that will freak you out, make you think and cause you to hug your children if you have any.
