More psychological thriller than horror, Weapons is a haunting film told in a unique way about missing children and the lengths people will go to find them. Here’s our review.
What is Weapons about?
At 2:17 a.m., all but one of the children from Ms. Justine Grady’s (Julia Garner) class, woke up and walked out into the darkness. As a result, the disappearance leaves the community wondering who or what caused it. Naturally, they suspect the teacher, since only her class was affected. Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the father of one of the missing students, does everything in his power to find him. Both become tangled in a mystery that could cost them their lives.
Weapons Review
We absolutely loved this movie. In fact, we went to the first showing at 2:17 p.m. on Thursday before the release. First, let’s talk about the structure of the film. You would expect it to begin with the children leaving their homes. Instead, it starts a month after the incident. One of the elementary school children narrates the film to briefly explain what happened. Different characters—some seemingly unrelated to the main story—also share their perspectives during the same 48-hour period. With each account, the story gradually unfolds. At the same time, the events get darker and darker. Overall, it was easy to follow and made it more interesting.
Secondly, the cinematography is outstanding. There was a certain uneasiness and creepiness to the film. You know something is off, but you can’t quite pinpoint it. For example, you see a house at the end of the street. You know something isn’t right and you’re trying to figure out what’s going on. There’s newspaper over the windows, a car in the driveway and signs that no one is home. To make matters worse, when the door opens, it’s complete darkness inside, even during the day. And the camera angles add to the story as well. At one point, Justine is walking through a convenience store and someone is chasing after her. As she movies through the isles, the camera turns with her so you can see the person behind her.
As far as the acting, the characters really sell the story. Julia Garner’s character is distraught with a sort of survivors guilt. She’s drinking herself to sleep every night and is desperate to learn what happened to her class. There’s no greater than pain than not knowing where your child is. Josh Brolin’s character (originally Pedro Pascal) is sleeping in his son’s bed just to stay close to him. Next, Cary Christopher as Alex (the remaining classmate), did an excellent job. His character goes through a lot in the film. It’s kind of hard to explain in detail without spoiling the details. Finally, James (Austin Abrams) is the comic relief. He’s a clueless drug-addict fumbles his way into this mystery.
With all that, there were a few minor flaws. One part of the narration in the beginning does not line up with the end of the film. Also, the film left me with a few questions. Again, I can’t expand without revealing the plot.
Overall, we enjoyed it so much we saw it twice. Even though it’s technically considered a horror movie, it’s more of a psychological mystery thriller with some horror elements. It’s a definite must see.
Weapons is currently in theaters. However, this film is distributed by Warner Bros Pictures so it will stream on HBO Max in the near future.
What is Weapons rated?
The film has a rating of R for strong bloody violence and grisly images, language throughout, some sexual content and drug use.
Does Weapons have an end-credit scene?
The ending of the film wrapped up the events pretty well so there are no end or post credit scenes.
