What’s tough for me with Weapons is that it has a really strong hook and setup, playing with “weird fiction” ideas as well as modern anxieties surrounding school gun violence, and an incredible climax that undoubtedly caused everyone leaving the theater with smiles on their faces. Like, the bookends on this film are so good. But there’s also this collection of choices that left something to be desired. Even so, all in all the package is worthwhile, if a little tedious.
Despite being set in a fictionalized town, the film is still set in PA (while filmed in Georgia). In PA, every adult in the state is a mandatory reporter. As such, if any person (a teacher especially) suspects abuse (neglect, physical, or sexual), they must report it. There doesn’t even necessarily need to be much evidence. So, for a part of this movie to have a teacher who cares SOOOO deeply for their students, it seemed bizarre she would shove this responsibility on to the principal to investigate when she could call it in. Additionally, Alex (the only child who didn’t run away) was purchasing cans of soup en masse. At some point a grocer would become suspicious, and I’m positive they would call in about it.
Also, with 17 kids going missing, the police presence in the film, albeit purposefully obtuse, is really embarrassing. This would be national, not just local. And the premise of the film isn’t fantastical or absurd enough to be some small, bespoke town that wouldn’t garner attention. Setting the film during the same era as RING cameras makes this absolutely the case. Which, by the way, I really need to talk about this: since the trailer dropped and it showed scenes from a RING camera I thought to myself, “Oh, just grab a local map and draw out the directions the children ran. Eventually you’ll collect such comprehensive data that you’ll know where they went.”.
Now, granted, the film tries to explain a reason why this wouldn’t work, but I call bull on that. Internet slueths were able to find a cabin Shia Labeuf rented out in total seclusion merely by the wood panelling behind his static camera feed. I just don’t by that nobody in this neighborhood could figure out where these kids went. Cameras are not the end-all, and this is proven by how many mistakes both government officials and internet sleuths have made trying to find possible criminals but when part of the films resolution includes what I just described… why did it take a month for it to be resolved? You get one kid running in a single direction, you got a chance. You get two kids, you get a vertex and area of operation. You get THREE kids… It is almost guaranteed you will find the exact location of these kids. And that’s just one such approach. There are so many others to this, and I say that because the film gives so much evidence to its characters.
The IMDB Trivia is not Gospel and is full of misinterpretations of articles, interviews, and film history. Even so, one mentioned an interview where during prescreenings Cregger would take note if certain jokes didn’t land. If they failed to get a laugh, he cut it. Now, the film is a psychological horror with comedy in it, and I wouldn’t necessarily call it a horror comedy, but that quote seemed a bit strange to me when the films primary focus isn’t comedy. Now, granted, a bad joke is worse than no joke, so taking out duds is good, but this film already has an incredible wealth of stuff going on… Does it need jokes at all?
Cregger’s work with Barbarian isn’t perfect but it’s focus is clearer and it’s puzzle box is stronger. Every time you learn something new it’s not only a reward but it’s a further revelation of both the film’s themes and the film’s history. It’s also very efficient, economic in how it unveils new details. In contrast, there is virtually no economy in Weapons, disarming it’s tension every 10-15 minutes by cutting to new characters. It becomes less about the film as a whole and more about the plot. I’m consistently tracking with the plot and timeline, but I had virtually 0 interest in the characters. And if I began to enjoy what was taking place, well, it’s gone before I know it. It just feels bloated, full of filler that eventually teaches us new details but never quite succeeds in tension or scares.
Unlike Barbarian, I didn’t find myself scared nor disgusted by the film. There’s one moment that’s grotesque, a scene I’ll call the, uhh, “head to head” play, and the practical effects for the gore is absolutely gnarly, but that’s two moments out of a very full film. I’ve seen reactions to a scene where a woman comes out of a home with scissors and also a moment toward the end, but all in all I finished the film without a scare. I don’t even know if I would say I was thrilled with anxiety. I didn’t care enough for the characters to do that, you know? But, the mystery was intriguing and, like I said, the beginning and end are solid stuff. But, compared to Barbarian, which not only had great tension and anxiety but also upsetting details like tapes labeled “crier” and “young”, I think Weapons only has these bookends to savor.
Cregger makes good stuff and I mentioned in our podcast episode that I appreciate this current age of post-elevated horror thats taking Horror back to its iconoclastic age. Except, rather than bring iconoclasm to spirituality, politics, or the patriarchy (which occasionally it does), Cregger and a few other creatives right now in the horror space are using horror to ostensibly defraud the genre itself. They’ve become iconoclasts of self-serious “cinema”, and while I’m sure they love the modern greats, I’m very thankful for their contributions to the genre. Like, come on, Evil Dead Rise was dope and that movie was bonkers. The Monkey is pretty much Osgood Perkins’ best movie since The Blackcoat’s Daughter, and the extreme success of the Terrifier franchise is proof of a shift toward a post-modern punk approach to horror. Lovin’ it tbh.
Maybe someday I’ll rewatch this and change my mind, but as of right now I’m feeling mid about it. Wish it was better. It whispers of commentary on a small social environment, and it feels like it promises a discussion on gun violence in school zones (that haunting floating AR shot was genuinely incredible imo), but it kinda just ends up wasting time before getting to what it really wants to; that glorious climax. Looking forward to whatever Cregger cooks up next tho.
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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
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