Weapons

2025
Directors: Zach Cregger
Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Jason Turner, Benjamin Wong, Alden Ehrenreich, and more.

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

Going into this, I had seen one of director Zach Cregger’s films a couple of years ago — Barbarian (2022). That was quite a nightmare. With Weapons, he doubles down on horror while keeping the same dark, sardonic humor that made Barbarian such a strange delight. Cregger seems to enjoy proving he can make you laugh right before he makes your skin crawl.

Weapons is split up into six character-driven chapters, reminding me a little of a Quentin Tarantino film. Each vignette focuses on a different character connected to the strange disappearance of the children. It gives the film a badly-shuffled, anthology-like rhythm. Some segments hit harder than others. A couple really weren’t necessary. The tonal swings between grim and absurd are on purpose, and can really stop you cold while you’re watching. Even the villain throw some comedy in.

Julia Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna) stars as Justine Gandy, an elementary school teacher whose entire class vanishes overnight, with the exception of one child. Despite clear video evidence showing the kids running away on their own, suspicion lands squarely on Justine. The logic of the town’s paranoia doesn’t really hold up, but it does create an eerie, witch-hunt atmosphere.

Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) plays Archer Graff, a grieving father determined to find his missing son. His obsession turns into a near-manic investigation, though he never seems to question why the one remaining child wasn’t taken, an odd part of the mystery that’s important later.

Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Solo: A Star Wars Story) appears as Paul, Justine’s married ex-boyfriend and a recovering addict navigating relapse and codependency. His storyline, along with hints of Justine’s drinking problem and another character’s heroin use, hint at addiction. The supernatural mystery, then, feels like an allegory for how addiction consumes people and corrodes communities from the inside out.

Cary Christopher shines as Alex, the one child who didn’t disappear. His performance adds heart and tragedy, particularly if one reads the film as a metaphor for what addiction does to children forced to grow up too fast. Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams) steals scenes as Alex’s unhinged Aunt Gladys, blending menace and absurdity in a performance that channels Heath Ledger’s Joker including smeared makeup, manic energy, and all. She looked familiar as I watched the film. Once it was over and I looked it up, I was shocked to see her in a horror film. That said, she was amazing.

Weapons is strange, messy, and fascinating. It’s a horror film that dabbles in comedy and tragedy equally. Its structure might frustrate viewers who prefer a clear through-line, but beneath its chaos lies a sharp, uncomfortable reflection on human desperation and dependency. Cregger doesn’t just craft scares. He dissects the emotional rot beneath them.

Isy