WEAPONS

Year: 2025
Rated R
Genre: Horror-Adjacent, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller
Language: English
​Runtime: 2:08:00
Director: Zach Cregger
Main Cast: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Cary Christopher, Amy Madigan, Toby Huss, Sara Paxton, Justin Long

​Notable Mentions: Amy Madigan as Gladys

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Ah, it's so nice to watch a film and immediately concludes that the film is worthy of being on the list. It's refreshing.

I'm biased towards the style of storytelling used in Weapons. I find telling a story from multiple characters' perspectives very intriguing. It enhances the mystery. With each viewpoint, we dive deeper into the story; we're closer to the big reveal. Each story is a piece of the puzzle. The complete puzzle being the film. It's exhilarating to watch the director, the screenwriter peel the onion, to watch the layers unfold.

The film is great, but it could've been better. With a little more marinating, the film could've elevated from excellent to masterpiece. Online commenters linked the missing children in the film to real life school shootings. If Zach Cregger dare, not beat around the bushes, firmly stands on two feet and leans into that analogy by spending more time in the beginning of the film portraying profound community sadness, following the disappearance of the children, then later in the film, succeeds at illustrating Gladys as a metaphor for assault weapons, man, that would weaponize the film, give the film weight, a purpose other than entertainment.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with a film that's just for entertainment. Not every film needs to have a grand message. A lot of times, good fun is good enough. But this one is just so close to be more than just a surface-level film. 

Amy Madigan was a standout. She was terrifying. I hope Amy Madigan gets an Oscars nomination. I hope she wins! I liked Austin Abrams the second most. Cary Christopher was my third favorite. Benedict Wong's performance was the weakest.

Nov. 30, 25.