- Weapons
Weapons, a Sophomore Misfire Zach Cregger’s Weapons arrives with the kind of anticipation that naturally follows a filmmaker fresh off a breakout hit like Barbarian. This time around, though, the promise of unsettling ideas and genre subversion never quite materializes. Instead, what unfolds is a sluggish and oddly detached mystery, one that drags not only because of its pacing but because the characters themselves appear so uninterested in the events at the center of it. When the people onscreen don’t seem compelled to dig deeper into the horror before them, it’s difficult for the audience to feel much urgency either. The story is divided into character-focused chapters, with title cards introducing figures such as Justine, Archer, and James among others. The approach suggests an ensemble tapestry where every thread will matter, yet several characters prove to be inconsequential once all the connections are revealed. Archer (Josh Brolin) stands out as the only parent actively searching for answers after a chilling disappearance, while others fade into passivity, as though resigned to their children’s fates. That lack of collective drive robs the mystery of its emotional weight. It’s not just that the townspeople behave unrealistically — it’s that the film never convinces us why they wouldn’t be consumed by the same fear and anger we expect them to feel. The script compounds those issues with plot holes and head-scratching logic. Seventeen kids vanish in the middle of the night, yet aside from a throwaway line about the FBI’s involvement, the absence of state or federal presence feels glaring. The film depicts a community of grieving parents, but only Archer is written with any real determination to uncover what happened. Elsewhere, extended character backstories — like Paul’s (Alden Ehrenreich) subplot — never meaningfully tie back into the outcome, serving more as narrative padding than essential insight. Even the film’s eerie visual flourishes often seem placed for standalone effect, striking in the moment but ultimately untethered from the larger story. Cregger attempts to weave horror into this fractured structure, but it rarely lands. The movie relies on standard jump scare setups that grow predictable, though there are a few moments where he resists the obvious payoff and creates brief tension by omission. Unfortunately, these sparks are few, and the film never sustains an atmosphere of dread or unease. With a cast as stacked as Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Julia Garner, it’s surprising how little the performances resonate; the actors do what they can, but the material rarely gives them something urgent to hold onto. In the end, Weapons feels like a misfire — a film full of pieces that never click into place, mysteries that don’t warrant their build-up, and characters who act with so little conviction that the viewer is left to wonder why they should care more than the people onscreen. Cregger’s willingness to avoid some predictable genre moves shows flashes of his talent, but here the execution sinks under sluggish pacing and hollow scares. For a movie about terror rippling through a community, it’s striking how little impact it leaves once it’s over.Weapons
