Weapons Movie Review: Gore and scares anchor this domestic horror

New Indian Express

4 days ago

The visuals and sound effects are worth a special mention, as no shot is too long or unwarranted. It serves the purpose of brilliantly heightening the tension. The same is true about the cuts that seamlessly weave through the various stories and perspectives. Pulsating music needs to add to the eerie atmosphere in a horror movie.
The sound design is exceptional, and even the sounds of objects are employed efficiently. Take, for instance, a scene where an anxious Justine is sitting inside her car outside Alex's house to prevent anything from happening to him. She comes to the spot at noon, and the frame is on her throughout the time transition when a creepy person passes her car and opens the door (known by the sound) when the camera is still on Justine. There is no need for a reminder for where we left off in a story, be it Justine's, Paul's, Archer's, James' or Alex's. We resume with everyone's story after a break, with no confusion or need for reminders, thanks to the ingenious editing. The visuals play an integral role in the screenplay and seamlessly enable the convergence of all their stories and motives.
Additionally, the makers have also innovated in the dream sequences. Dreams in most films are lucid and real-worldly. In some cases, they are done so deliberately to confuse us. In Weapons, the dreams are visualised like how we dream in real life; you see a giant gun over the roof that has a digital clock in it. Dark humour is another factor that works in favour of the film. The comedy writer that Zach Cregger is comes to the fore in these spaces, dishing out two to three well-thought-out portions, including the climax resolution, which is a mix of absurdity, comedy and gore.
All the actors have displayed strands of brilliance in their respective portions, but the last act featuring a splendid Cary Christopher and an equally exceptional mystery character outweighs them all. Alex, like any kid of his age, is easily influenced and malleable to manipulation. His walking on eggshells, not knowing how to come out of the danger that he and his parents are trapped in, evokes empathy. Cregger makes us reconsider our wish not to have heroic moments in such a film, providing a proper cinematic high when Alex uses his enemy's weapon against them.
From battling a stranger inside one's home to becoming a stranger in one's own home, Weapons is an apt follow-up to Barbarian. Just because the film is A-rated and has gory scenes, Cregger doesn't take the genre for granted. There is a method to his madness. The film is amply filled with every prerequisite of the genre, and as a bonus, it creates an emotional catharsis... a rarity that turns weapons out of one's own trauma.