Down Time: Movie Review of “Weapons”
I was excited to hear that director Zach Cregger had a new movie coming out – and I was even more excited to find that almost nothing was known ahead of time about the plot! Up until a few weeks before the film “Weapons” was released August 8, there was a lot of positive buzz about the “Barbarian” follow-up but not a lot of details. And that’s the way I like it – I don’t enjoy it when the movie trailer essentially shows you the entire film ahead of time. People, I want to be surprised!
And surprised I was – I loved Barbarian and really wanted to see this one in a theater, but I insisted on going with other horror movie fans! As we sat down, you could tell people were anticipating the twists and turns to come. If you loved Barbarian, you’ll love Weapons. Zach Cregger absolutely levels up with this twisted, wildly original horror ride. Where Barbarian shocked with a sharp twist and a brilliantly simple premise, Weapons is bigger, bolder, and even more unpredictable. And SO TENSE.
The film’s story of a small town shattered when 17 kids vanish is chilling, but that’s really all you want – or need – to know going into the film. Cregger outdoes himself by layering on the tension while throwing in several shocks and darkly funny moments that show he’s only gotten more confident since his last hit. At one point near the end, people were laughing out loud – and not because it was funny, but more due to the absurd insanity of what was taking place on screen.
What really makes Weapons stand out—even compared to Barbarian—is its wild narrative structure. Instead of following one perspective, it flips the script with a Pulp Fiction-style remix, letting you piece together the terrifying mysteries through multiple overlapping viewpoints. First, we see things from one perspective, and then we see the same scene from across the room—and it plays completely differently. The result is even more suspenseful and rewarding, revealing just enough at the right moment to keep you guessing and grinning all the way to its jaw-dropping finale.
And the building of tension? Cregger knows what he’s doing. Some scenes are so tense you might forget to breathe. Julia Garner’s fierce lead and Josh Brolin’s calm, understated angry father lead a cast of weirdos and others, all caught up in the drama as people search for the missing children. In short: if you thought Barbarian was clever, Weapons doesn’t just raise the bar—it launches it into orbit. An absolute must-watch for horror fans!
