Time: 128 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Graphic violence, horror and gore
Cast:
Josh Brolin as Archer Graff
Julia Garner as Justine Gandy
Alden Ehrenreich as Paul Morgan
Austin Abrams as James
Cary Christopher as Alex Lilly
Benedict Wong as Marcus Miller
Amy Madigan as Gladys
Director: Zach Cregger

Barbarian was a surprising and refreshing horror film and 3 years later, director Zach Cregger has followed it up with Weapons, another intriguing and entertaining horror film that absolutely delivers on the hype and promise.

The movie starts out with a simple premise about kids from the same classroom disappearing on the same night at the same time, but it’s the construction and handling of that plot which feels so fresh and original. Going into Weapons, I had heard plenty of comparisons to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. I can see why those comparisons were made, although that must be qualified. While both movies follow a wide cast of characters whose individual storylines intertwine with each other, Weapons is a little different. It is separated into chapters, and in each chapter, it follows a particular character to a certain point before jumping to another character’s perspective. I think that this narrative structure works really well for this movie. The pacing can be a bit all over the place at times especially considering how it jumps perspectives often, but it makes sense within the movie. Another notable part is how Zach Cregger handles tone. Weapons is definitely a horror movie with tension and scares. However it also has a fair amount of comedy which works perfectly in tandem with the horror; it would often slide between tones seamlessly without taking away from the other. It does this while also being an empathetic and human movie about how a community reacts to a tragedy. Weapons begins steadily enough with an intriguing mystery, and it goes through many revelations, changes and unexpected shifts, culminating in an unhinged and satisfying third act. Therefore, I would recommend going in knowing as little as possible beforehand. I can say that it was particularly enjoyable watching it in cinemas and hearing the audience’s reaction to every scare, joke and surprise.

There is an excellent cast assembled here; Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, Austin Abrams and Cary Christopher all deliver memorable performances and convey their characters wonderfully.

Zach Cregger’s direction is once again amazing. The camerawork is great, ranging from steady to hyper intense, the imagery is effectively eerie, the sound design is top notch, and the scares hit in the best ways possible.

Weapons is a unique, unpredictable, engaging, entertaining and darkly comic horror film, incredibly directed and with an amazing cast. Between this and Barbarian, Zach Cregger has certainly shown himself as a horror director to keep an eye on, and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing what he does with his upcoming Resident Evil movie.