Film Review: Weapons

Welcome back to the blog readers. As you know by now, I have had a somewhat "contested" relationship with horror films over the last half decade because a lot of them have been really dumb. Take films like Halloween Ends, Prey for the Devil (both 2022) and The Pope's Exorcist (2023). But 2025 has seen a seismic shift on the scale of justice: most of the horror films I have seen this year have ranged from good to Sinners (2025) great. Would this film, probably one of my most anticipated films of the next few months, be able to rise to the occasion and continue the streak? I hope so, because there is a lot of buzz for this film.

Weapons was written and directed by Zach Cregger. The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. In the film, a school teacher comes under fire from her local community when all but one child from her class disappears on the same night at the same time, leading to the reveal of a dark secret lurking in the shadows.

I remember back in 2022 the buzz for Cregger's previous film Barbarian (2022) was at about the same level. I went into it not being the biggest fan of that film but I have been able to appreciate what Cregger was going for in a film like that. This is a far bigger film for him than Barbarian, with award-level talent and more of a budget, and it definitely feels like it. The performances, especially from Brolin, Garner, and Madigan were all top-tier, and the mystery was done insanely well, although I do admit the film was a bit of a slow burn.

I want to start by talking about the performance of Josh Brolin. Brolin=horror films? Not a mathematical equation I ever thought I would be solving in my lifetime. Formerly of Thanos fame, Brolin has been one of Hollywood's most bankable stars since the 80s, but his role as Archer Graff brings something out of him that I have never seen before. There is emotional vulnerability in the search for his missing son (since his was one of the 17), there is a level of grief that I sensed out of this character, and there is a rage bubbling underneath the surface that we see pop out in moments. Personally, I think Brolin should do more horror films, because I get the impression he would fit right in.

Next up, I want to talk about our Silver Surfer in Julia Garner (who can herald my end any day of the week, if you know what I'm talking about). The former Ozark (2017-22) star and Emmy winner has some high profile roles in her career thus far, including in the aforementioned The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025). Her performance in this film as Justine Gandy is one that I will remember for a long time. And I say this because her role required a lot of emotional turmoil, a lot of trauma, and a lot of vulnerability. I really think she was able to flex those Emmys and pull off all of these emotions. I do not think Renate Reinsve (who was pegged for this role before dropping out) would have been able to pull off these emotions like Garner did.

And finally, I want to talk about the performance of Amy Madigan. I cannot lie and say I knew who this woman was before this film, but I have since learned she is an Oscar and Emmy nominee and a Golden Globe winner. Her most notable role would be in the film Twice in a Lifetime (the Oscar nomination she got). But as Gladys in this film, she was basically playing two separate characters, and both of them were delectable in their own way. She is able to pull off the "sweet old lady that is the aunt of the one child who did not disappear" and make you sympathize with her character, but when she flips the switch and turns the dial all the way the other way, she is quite literally terrifying and cold. Just like Garner's performance, I think Madigan's will stick with me for a long time.

And finally for the positives of the film, I want to talk about the narrative structure of the film. If you were going into this film expecting one linear story, then you were...just like me, because that is exactly what I thought we were getting. But the structure of this film, told from individual perspectives almost like a book from the Song of Ice and Fire series, was perfect for this film. We get things from Archer's perspective, from Justine's perspectives, from the homeless druggie, to the ex-boyfriend cop of Justine, to the principal of the school, to the one kid who survived. And each individual perspective pieced together the mystery in a way that made you want more and more, and I think this was brilliant.

But I want to end this review by talking about the one thing that kind of took me out of the film, and that would be the pacing. I understand in the grand scheme of things everything has to be introduced, but I think we spent a bit too long trying to introduce things and not enough time on the things that really mattered with the film, which was the central mystery on where the hell these kids went. And I say this as someone who thinks the third act of this film feels a lot like a fever dream in a lot of ways. Plus, the film is comedic in ways, and I like how it was very subtle and not forced.

In conclusion, Weapons has great performances and a great narrative structure as its ammunition, but finds itself loading a dud when it comes to the pacing. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.