Weapons Score Details

Zach Cregger's Weapons is a heat-seeking missile armed with rich storytelling and mind-blowing terror. Pros Zach Cregger's terrifying direction An incredible ensemble cast A layered and surprising story Cons Some characters may leave audiences wanting more Why you can trust Digital Trends We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.

Writer-director Zach Cregger (Barbarian) has delivered another frightening masterpiece with his new blockbuster, Weapons. This ensemble horror epic follows the residents of Maybrook after 17 children from the same classroom all walk out of their homes and disappear at 2:17 a.m., unleashing a wave of terror and confusion on everyone.

Recommended Videos Cregger made a spectacular step forward as a horror filmmaker with Weapons, proving that his success with Barbarian wasnt a fluke. Like directors Jordan Peele and John Krasinski, Cregger succeeds in branching out from his comedy roots and establishing himself as one of the brightest, most distinctive horror directors working today with his winding, layered story of an ordinary town that descends into Hell.

　　Unique, unbridled, unpredictable

Weapons presents a nonlinear narrative from multiple characters perspectives. Specifically, it follows Justine (Julia Garner), father Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), police officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), principal Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong), homeless drug addict Anthony (Austin Abrams), and Justines remaining student Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher).

Related: Jurassic World Rebirth review: A fun but all-too familiar blockbuster This story sends the audience on a terrifying odyssey through Maybrook and unravels the films layered mystery from several points of view. Though this narrative couldve been hard to follow, the movie neatly organizes all its different storylines and has them converge in many surprising ways.

Harkening back to Stephen Kings It, the setting of Maybrook itself becomes a character as it reveals the personal demons haunting its various townspeople through an explicit supernatural lens. After the kids from Justines class disappear, the parents of the missing kids direct all their fear, sorrow, and hatred toward Justine as they blame her for this baffling tragedy and demand answers.

However, Weapons presents a rich mosaic of human misery with its expansive narrative, which showcases its characters living through grief, drug addiction, alcoholism, police brutality, school bullying, and familial abuse. Like many great horror movies, Weapons shows that the true monsters arent witches and zombies but the ones living deep inside ourselves and our neighbors.

　　A rich cast of conflicted characters

As a dark, harrowing portrait of small-town America, Weapons and its cast bring many flawed and realistic characters to life. Julia Garner gives a layered performance as the well-meaning but misunderstood Justine. While the characters relationship with Paul couldve been fleshed out more, Garners dysfunctional romantic chemistry with co-star Alden Ehrenreich makes these two lovers seem especially real.

Meanwhile, Josh Brolin generates rage and sympathy as the grieving and confused Archer, particularly with his tear-jerking nightmare about his son. Though Archers character clashes with Justine, the line-crossing actions they take to get to the truth make them strong reflections of each other.

Austin Abrams delivers swift comic relief playing the twitchy, crack-addicted James, whose short-lived subplot makes for a wild ride. Meanwhile, the young Cary Christopher stands out with his performance as Alex, realistically conveying the terror, torment, and confusion felt by a child being held hostage by his own family.

While her character didnt get her own segment, Amy Madigan steals the show as Aunt Gladys. Without giving away too much, Madigan cements her character as an instant horror icon

　　Weapons unloads great terror and suspense

Like with Barbarian, Cregger proves he is a master of invoking extreme terror and building tension with Weapons. The horror is well-rounded with a terrifying blend of nail-biting suspense and genuinely surprising jump scares. The scare factor is only elevated by Scarlett Shers unsettling narration, Larkin Seiples eerie cinematography, and a chilling musical score created through Creggers collaboration with Ryan and Hays Holladay.

Though Weapons is a slow burn, its moments of horror are intense and unforgettable. With a bug-eyed Benedict Wong chasing after Justine and Aunt Gladys popping up in peoples dreams, the film turns a seemingly ordinary Maybrook into a town filled with terrors. It all crescendos with the films suspenseful, frightening final act, which features one of the wildest, most cathartic kills ever seen in a horror movie.

The film blends its ultra-horrifying moments with bits of dark humor that will leave audiences screaming and laughing. With Archer repeatedly punching a brainwashed man to Gladys fleeing from a mob across the neighborhood like Ferris Bueller, Weapons shows Cregger flexing his comedic chops to send audiences on an emotional roller coaster.

　　Is Weapons worth a watch?

Weapons is hands-down one of the most bizarre and terrifying horror movies of the decade. Its a must-see for fans of the genre. Cregger continues to share a fresh voice as a filmmaker thanks to his movies unconventional narrative with realistic characters and incredible terror. If Cregger continues to make terrifying blockbusters after Weapons, then the world of cinema is better off for it.

Weapons is now playing in theaters.