★★★½ (3½ out of 4)
Sometimes in summer an unknown movie comes along that once seen, no one can stop talking about with anyone who saw it with them. Such a phenom is “Weapons,” only in theaters, an artful study of the human condition disguised as a frightfest that provokes nervous laughter and visions that haunt your dreams like a waking nightmare.
The tagline is purposely vague: “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time—2:17 am—a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”
This is where all self-respecting critics must insert a spoiler alert. And for good reason. “Weapons” is best experienced in a packed theater where everyone can hear you screaming and no one should give away its secrets and bombshell twist ending. So hold off reading this review until you join the “Weapons” club, which you should do pronto.
[L]et's celebrate...'Weapons' as the unmissable and unforgettable film event it is.
Right off, we hear a child’s voice on the soundtrack: “This is a true story. It happened right here in my county. A lot of people die in a lot of really weird ways in this story, but you’re not gonna hear about it in the news. Are you watching?”
You should be. Director Zach Cregger, 44 and the mad genius behind “Barbarian” (see streaming review under Spotlight) should become a household name after “Weapons,” as he creates finger-on-the-trigger tension that makes you jumpy even when kids are just sipping soup. Cregger’s creativity is off the charts, ranking him as one of those rare filmmakers who make you eager to see what they’re doing next. It’s a reboot of “Resident Evil” that doesn’t sound promising, but never ever discount Cregger.
If you find yourself laughing between shudders in “Weapons,” that stems from Cregger’s roots in comedy as part of The Whitest Kids U’Know, the anarchic sketch group that earned a cult following. The sudden 2021 death of Trevor Moore, his close friend and collaborator in that group, inspired Cregger to write “Weapons” as a way to deal with his persistent grief.
You can feel it in the small town of Maybrook, where “Weapons” is set. No one knows how to deal with those 17 missing children. Josh Brolin plays Archer, the father of one of the kids, who aims his anger at teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). “Why just her classroom—why only her?” Archer shouts at a meeting called to deal with the mystery.
With indelible contributions from camera wiz Larkin Seiple and a chilling score by Cregger and the Holladay brothers, Ryan and Hays, Cregger tells his story through multiple perspectives—student, parent, teacher, an unraveling school principal (Benedict Wong), and others best left unrevealed. Someone likened it to “Magnolia” by way of Stephen King.” It’s a fair assessment that Cregger takes into deeper, more troubled waters.
The performances, led by three-time “Ozark” Emmy winner Garner, Thanos himself Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich as an alcoholic cop with a link to Justine, could not be better, with special mention of Austin Abrams and Amy Madigan in roles too spoilery to give away.
“Weapons” is already being hailed as the horror hit of the year. But it’s more than a genre exercise. Like Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” before that, “Weapons” is a movie with pain at its core that uses elements of the supernatural to examine the very real reasons why humans turn against each other. The admittedly divisive ending only strengthens Cregger’s central provocation that we should look inside ourselves before externalizing blame.
After more audiences see “Weapons,” The Travers Take will return to unpack how and why the structure of Cregger’s creation is so integral to its explosive impact. For now, let’s celebrate Cregger as a propulsive new force in cinema and “Weapons” as the unmissable and unforgettable film event it is. That leaves only one question: What are you waiting for?