Weapons movie review: Bold, beautiful and bloody, but ultimately... empty

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams and Benedict Wong Director: Zach Cregger Star rating: ★★★
Josh Brolin and Julia Garner in a still from Weapons
Following the unexpected success of Barbarian, a delightfully twisted Airbnb horror from 2022, Zach Cregger returns with Weapons—his bigger, starrier, and far more ambitious sophomore feature. This time, there's no surprise release or low-key rollout. Ever since the script sparked a fierce bidding war in Hollywood, expectations have been sky-high. With comparisons to Magnolia and the sensibilities of Stephen King, Zach's latest project assembles an ensemble cast including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Austin Abrams in a film that's part mystery, part nightmare, and all chaos. It is a gorgeously mounted, gleefully grotesque horror-thriller packed with eerie moments and gallows humor. But despite the strong set-up and immersive direction, the film doesn't quite deliver on its potential—collapsing under the weight of its own intrigue in the final act.
The story of the movie is fairly straightforward: In a sleepy town, a bizarre and terrifying event throws the community into chaos: one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., 17 children from the same elementary school class walk out of their homes and vanish. The only student who stays behind, Alex, becomes the center of an investigation that quickly spirals into paranoia and suspicion. Their teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), becomes the target of the town's outrage. We follow different perspectives—a grieving father (Josh Brolin), a disillusioned cop (Alden Ehrenreich), a struggling addict (Austin Abrams)—as the mystery unfolds through overlapping timelines and creeping dread.
The good
Zach remains a striking visual storyteller, and Weapons demonstrates his growing confidence behind the camera. From the first scene—an eerie montage of children walking zombie-like into the night—he masterfully builds suspense. The film's structure, shifting perspectives like chambers of a revolver, is ambitious and occasionally brilliant. There are also flashes of sharp, biting comedy. Zach leans into absurdity in a way that feels daring. A school principal trying to keep order amid chaos, and surreal hallucinations bring a twisted levity that recalls The Leftovers and even sketch comedy. Each character is introduced mid-crisis, and the storytelling style forces viewers to reorient constantly, adding a layer of tension.
The cast is uniformly strong, even if the characters themselves are sketched thinly. Julia brings real pathos to Justine, a woman unraveling under public suspicion and private guilt. Josh channels rage and heartbreak in equal measure, while Alden injects dark humor into an otherwise grim storyline. There's a late-arriving, uncredited performance that delivers a truly unsettling jolt—one of the film's high points.
The bad
For all its ambition, Weapons does struggle to hold itself together. The non-linear narrative, while initially engaging, begins to feel repetitive. Scenes are replayed from different angles, but without enough added insight to justify the structure. Characters feel like placeholders—vessels to keep the plot moving rather than fully realized humans. The emotional stakes remain curiously flat despite the apocalyptic premise.
While Zach avoids the pitfalls of trauma horror clichés, he also fails to fill the void with anything more meaningful. The film flirts with social allegory but doesn't fully commit. The mystery's resolution, while chaotic and gory, is ultimately unsatisfying and more shock than substance. Tonally as well, Weapons wants to be both a profound statement and a pulpy thrill ride, but never quite balances the two. At times it feels like it's building toward a grand thesis, only to shrug and throw more blood at the screen.
The verdict
Weapons is a curious beast: a stylish, wildly entertaining mess that impresses moment to moment, but doesn't leave much lasting impact. Zach proves again that he's a filmmaker to watch—his ability to craft tension and orchestrate chaos is undeniable—but he's still searching for the narrative precision to match his flair. It's not the next Magnolia, nor is it the next Barbarian. But as a bold, bloody genre experiment, Weapons might be a trip worth taking—even if you don't quite end up where you hoped.