‘Weapons’ – A sensational horror story

One of my favourite movies of 2022 was the horror film Barbarian. That film, directed by founding member of the sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U’ Know, Zach Cregger, was the gift that kept on giving from the most unlikely source, with shocking twists throughout. Now, with his second major project Weapons, the element of surprise is less of a factor.

The premise hooks you in from the get-go. Seventeen children disappear one night, leaving the comfort of their beds at precisely 2:17 a.m., and vanish without a trace. The movie picks things up a month later, telling its story through multiple perspectives. Each character’s journey plays out as a chapter, intersecting as events are retold from different viewpoints.

The unorthodox framing of the story works on many levels and informs the film’s overall point. In a community struck by tragedy, communication has broken down significantly. Julia Garner plays Justine the school teacher whose students have disappeared. She faces the ire of Josh Brolin’s Archer, whose son sat in Justine’s class. Their clash creates tension in the film that’s understood in one sense in the beginning, but takes a different form as you learn each of their outlooks.

Weapons has incredibly compelling characters, and as it weaves together their stories, it starts to dabble in vastly different tones. Julia Garner is suffering in a state of constant paranoia, while Austin Abrams’ James travels about in what can only be described as an R-rated Looney Tunes episode. The dissonance in tones works in the movie’s favour, keeping you on your toes for its several surprises.

It’s definitely a horror movie, but it’s not horrifying throughout. The film devotes time to developing its characters and the plot, but does find space for a handful of jump scares. Credit is owed to Amy Madigan’s Gladys, who deftly walks the line of Weapons’ various storylines and tonal shifts, with a performance that quite simply ties the film together.

The film evokes the works of Stephen King, particularly the suburban setting with a prevailing mystery that affects the lives of children. Representing kids in the movie is Cary Christopher, who carries the whole film on his small shoulders with a massively impressive performance.

The film builds toward a sweeping crescendo that doesn’t disappoint. The ending is satisfying, and any lingering questions you may have only exist thanks to the well fleshed out world the film delivers in just over 2 hours. Weapons leaves plenty to the imagination but provides context where it counts. Walking into the next film by the mind behind Barbarian, my expectations were cautiously high. Delightfully, Weapons far exceeded them.

Rating: Big screen watch

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.