'Weapons' Review: Hilarious and Horrifying Suburban Mystery That Ingeniously Explores American Psychosis
Every generation, a large-scale mystery flick comes around. At best, it knocks your box off like Seven. At worst, it’ll leave you cold like The Snowman. Basement enthusiast and writer-director Zach Cregger throws his hat into the “high concept mystery” ring with his Barbarian follow-up, Weapons. As expected, Cregger’s sophomore project is a horror, but one revolving around missing kids and a suburban community in psychological crisis because of it. What Cregger conjures up is further proof that the former comedian from The Whitest Kids U Know is indeed one of the most twisted, original minds out there.
Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
MPA Rating: R (strong bloody violence and grisly images, language throughout, some sexual content and drug use.)
Runtime: 2 Hours and 8 Minutes
Production Companies: New Line Cinema, Domain Entertainment, Subconscious, Vertigo Entertainment, BoulderLight Pictures
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Zach Cregger
Writer: Zach Cregger
Cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan
Release Date: August 8, 2025
At 2:17 AM on a particular morning, the entire third-grade elementary school class of Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) fled from their suburban homes in Maybrook and Naruto-ran into the woods. The following day, only one student, Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), attended class. After almost a month, parents have blamed Justine, who is harassed all the time and turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism. One of these harassers is Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), a dedicated parent who steps in to investigate after the town's incompetent police officers are unable to find anything. As the events surrounding them begin to take on an odd pattern, Gandy and Graff reluctantly join forces to try to find the children.
Zach Cregger revamps Barbarian's mechanics with fresh ambitions via Weapons
Within his gnarly as hell Barbarian, Zach Cregger examined social and anthropological issues framed around abuse. His exploration of time and perspective within the narrative was instrumental in its popularity, resulting in a modern horror classic.
Cregger repurposes the elements that made Barbarian a success in Weapons and uses them in new, more ambitious roles. The art of perspective propels the story as it's framed in a Rashomon-style fashion. It's split into personalized chapters that focus on how the community members view this terrifying occurrence and the horrifying feats to solve the mystery. The film commences with its most prominent characters, Justine and Archer, but it rapidly broadens its scope to encompass additional individuals within the Maybrook community.
With each title card, Cregger carefully peels back the layers of the overlying mystery, engrossing you each step of the way and leaving you guessing at every turn. While doing so, the man flexes his improved filmmaking skills. Although the viewpoints lack the “unreliable narrator” motif that makes the Rashoman format, Cregger effectively personalizes their navigation through immersive camerawork and a skillful handling of genre, whether it be action, comedy, or suspense. The base is still a horror film that is absolutely batshit terrifying and squeamishly gory, but as it branches out, it becomes an astonishing genre-bender that naturally hits every mood jump.
Weapons rocks the suburbs with potent social commentary
As a city kid, I’m drawn to movies that examine suburban culture. Weapons elaborates on the social anthropological psychosis and brain-rot stemming from the kids' disappearances. Cregger establishes how quickly everyone points fingers at Justin. Although she unjustly becomes public enemy #1, and you sympathize with her, you can also feel the sorrow emanating from the families afflicted by grief. Because the film is sensitive to those factors, the script avoids portraying the distraught parents as blatant villains. This event is treated with the same gravity as an even more horrifying real-world scenario: a school shooting. Initially, it appeared that this film would serve as a sophisticated metaphor for the subject of gun violence, since it's named "Weapons". However, this is not the case.
Cregger's script is more concerned with the moralistic humanity within its characters. While it takes influence from Seven, Zodiac, and even Prisoners, the anchor of Weapons revolves around everyday people, not a detective propped up as a hero. Hell, the one prominent law enforcement character, Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), a local officer with whom Justine had a romantic relationship in the past with, is a pathetic, incompetent fool.
As the story expands beyond Justine and Archer, moving on to other adults such as Justine's boss Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong), and even a junkie (Austin Abrams), you have a twisted yet compelling portrait of community. When the film shifts to Alex, the sole child character, Cregger skillfully adds a new weight of commentary. One that focuses on toxic generational dynamics and family abuse reminiscent of Stephen King – if not also Roald Dahl – and feels naturally ingrained into the overarching plot.
There’s a clear message surrounding communal relationships and how all we have is each other during uncertain times. The government systems set in place for us won't solve our problems. It's the responsibility of the collective of everyday individuals to do so. The motif is powerfully textured in his storytelling, with outstanding lead performances by Garner and Brolin and their well-developed characters.
Weapons’ balancing of horror and humor makes for an unforgettable theatrical experience
Cregger can't stray away from his comedic sensibilities as he adds an aura of dry wit to the fray. Occasionally, it feels like a Gravity Falls episode playing up its horror elements comedically while maintaining a menacing ambiance. Many might take umbrage with the tonal jumps, but given the environment, the dry humor adds authenticity to the sunny backdrop.
That doesn't mean the movie isn't scary, though. Seeing a bloodied-up Benedict Wong bug-eyed chasing someone while Naruto-running will haunt my dreams. This time, Cregger demonstrates his mastery of the genre by integrating dreamlike atmospheric horror into certain beats, making you wonder whether the images are real or hallucinations, particularly when characters interact with a lady in powdered makeup (a show-stealing Amy Madigan).
Weapons suffers from the same issues as many mysteries of the same ilk (thinking of Prisoners) where it teeters the longer it progresses. The second act loses steam and is overly reliant on its humor as it trudges towards the climax. However, the finale's remarkable precision easily surpasses any shortcomings within that second act. That finale will either make or break your thoughts on the film. Man, when I thought The Naked Gun would take the cake for the funniest scene of the year, Weapons' climax instantly goes down as one of the most gruesome and cathartic finales I've ever witnessed, in addition to being outrageously funny. The climax was so grandiose and hilarious that I was hooting and hollering to the brink of tears.
See Weapons on the biggest screen possible and with a full crowd. This is what moviegoing is all about. Now I understand why Jordan Peele was (allegedly) so peeved that he fired his management team after failing to acquire the movie.
Final Statement
One of the year's best original films, Weapons, is a modern horror epic that efficiently weaponizes Zach Cregger's storytelling abilities, mastering tonal balance and gripping gory horror.
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