Jay Rohr
Weapons taps into a terror any parent can appreciate. What makes it compelling, though, is how well the film explores the radiation of that nightmare. Like any good urban legend, the events of the story ripple out, tearing apart other lives as reality mutates into something sinister. This modern fairytale shows that tragedy effects more than those in its immediate vicinity. Yet, the real monsters aren’t just the supernatural ones.
The story focuses on the disappearance of seventeen children from a relatively small town. One night they simultaneously wake up, leave their homes all alone, and run off into the dark. All of them belong to one teacher’s class, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), and nothing hints at where they vanished to let alone why. It isn’t long before the strain of events starts cracking people psychologically. Yet, as individuals go searching for answers, they aren’t necessarily making things better.
In many ways, Weapons is about how people can make an already bad situation worse. What’s great is that the choices made by characters routinely make sense. Sometimes, this helps build tension on the road to scares. Other times, it makes their lives more of a mess. The point is that the audience can always appreciate, perhaps even agree with how certain characters behave as well as react to circumstances. This relatability creates an emotional investment in the narrative that heightens tension.
At the same time, the investment helps weave a compelling web. The mystery of what occurs slowly burns into an image portraying a modern suburban fairytale. The plot is peppered with flawed individuals who don’t always do what’s best, but they do continuously move the story forward, deepening the mystery even as they reveal aspects of it.
This is largely achieved by an interesting narrative multiperspectivity. Weapons unfolds in what are essentially chapters which focus on specific events involving particular characters. For instance, the teacher, Justine, opens the story with her trials and tribulations as the town’s increasing demand for answers results in a borderline witch hunt. As the film progresses, the audience sees how her storyline intertwines with others, but also how those interactions branch out on their own.
Every instance expands the narrative perspective allowing for a sense of a bigger picture. This builds until the whole mystery is satisfyingly revealed. Since this takes time, Weapons does begin to feel long. However, writer-director Zach Cregger manages to keep the energy going with some amusing moments alongside terrifying set pieces, all of which come to a cathartic conclusion. Furthermore, the film’s chapters never feel like retreading territory. The story is always building or moving forward.
When it comes to cinematic stylization Weapons is top tier. Zach Cregger, who already hit a grand slam with 2022’s Barbarian, rarely lets the camera remain still. Even when an image lingers, it’s always being orbited or followed as if each instance is under observation. Meanwhile, there are marvelous setups that allow the background to have very definite signs that something is amiss. The camerawork often enhances moments which are themselves amplified by excellent editing by Joe Murphy (Swallow) which keeps the proper pace whether characters are in danger, suspense is building, or something emotional is transpiring.
Cinematographer Larkin Seiple (Everything Everywhere All at Once) assists in the ethereal sense of dread that drips throughout Weapons. There’s an intriguing sense of ordinary spaces turned into areas askew, thanks to certain lighting choices. What starts as an inviting, warm home filled by a loving family becomes a liminal space warping into a nightmare. Dark hallways terminate abruptly in blank black spaces that may hide lurking horrors. It’s hard not to stare into them dreading what may emerge.
The cast is an amazing assortment who nail every vibe Weapons aims to deliver. Julia Garner (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) provides an imperfect person who seems to be pulling the pin on a grenade she won’t let go of while being the victim of irrational paranoia. Josh Brolin (Dune) is an understandably angry father refusing to fall apart despite being in broken pieces shredding the life he’s holding together. Benedict Wong (3 Body Problem) offers a voice of reason that is all too content to pretend a return to normality is inevitable. Alden Ehrenreich (Cocaine Bear) wonderfully portrays a police officer carrying an anchor across quicksand.
When the film asks for tears, they weep. When it needs shivering terror, they shudder like anxious children. When Weapons wants blood, they bleed. And while I would love to elaborate on some other magnificent performances, they risk implicative spoilers. Weapons is at its best when viewers know the least. Suffice it to say, everyone shines.
There is a tendency to rely on jump scares. However, Cregger navigates that potential pitfall by always building proper tension first. Sound, cinematic style, and the right blend of quiet maintain an atmosphere of dread throughout. This mixes with clever timing that often suggests all is well before a solid scare arrives. While Weapons is not gory, relatively speaking, it certainly has more than a few horrifically gruesome moments. Used sparingly, these hit hard whenever they occur, and extreme as they may be, none feel gratuitous.
Weapons is a multifaceted scary story with a surprising amount of depth. Its themes of loss, paranoia, and tragic flaws suggest several layers. However, audiences simply in search of something sinister will not be disappointed. Writer-director Zach Cregger helms a horror show that features a marvelous cast and an excellent assortment of humor, scares, and perhaps a splendid display of fridge horror. That’s to say, the kind of scares that may not hit hard in the theater, but alone on a quiet street, or after the lights go off at bedtime… the horror really hits then.
Weapons is a marvelous scary story, especially for anyone who wants a fright without getting gutted. The sinister events that unfold are a fabulous drama about flawed people. As such, its greatest terror is that, in some ways, this is a story many people have already lived.
