Weapons – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Weapons – Horror Lullabies of the Night …

To look at what it is, we must look at what it may become.  Circumstance becomes a swirl of chance, a marker of constraints upon the moment.  To pull at the heart is a matter of prowess, and for filmmakers, it can lead to an outcome of unexpected emotions.  When that happens, then the experience is worth everything imagined.  In this review, I look at the latest horror/thriller to hit the big screen.  I will not dance around it; Weapons is an auspicious human journey that pushes the bounds of storytelling that leads to one of the best film experiences of the year.     

When a group of children disappear from a single classroom, a community falls divided.  When surreal moments begin to happen in the town, one teacher and parent slowly discover the truth.  There is a certainty within expectations that dwell in everyone’s mind when watching a movie.  No matter what comes to be, it is the creative spirit in taking risks that can twist the foundation and turn that general experience into something more.  With this latest film from Zach Cregger (Writer/Director) he leaps into this story with a guise of mystery that builds through the dramatics.  This twisting of riveting thoughts of pain, suffering and living in the moment builds up a journey that truly breaks expectations.  This break begins with my first point, atmosphere:

Atmospheric Deconstruction

The story begins when 17 children, at 2:17 AM got up from their beds and disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.  From this starting point, the path of mystery is told through the grounding of a relatable community, but also the tension that comes (one month) after all of this happened.  You witness a town that struggles between finding out the truth and learning to move on.  For this being a horror, topical references to personhood, purpose and duty break out the momentary looks at individuals, leveling the atmosphere that plays against traditional norms (of the genre).  From this breaking of the norms, Cregger leads into the dramatics through the perspective of individuals in a multilayer technique that captures that ‘day in the life’ mentality through specific characters.  This includes Justine (Julia Garner) the teacher of the disappearing class and Archer (Josh Brolin), one of the fathers of the missing kids (you can view the rest of the cast at the film’s IMDb Page – link).  As the journey unfolds, the manner in which these individuals cope is a raw and visceral look at tragedy and flawed perspectives.  The worst comes out when the unknown strikes, leaving you to witness individuals that have to navigate circumstances of solace, pain and mystery.  These weaving of multiple stories is driven by purposeful direction … which leads to my next point that makes this film great, a slow build:

Slow Burn of the Build

As the mystery unfolds, you are engaged to what is happening because of the focal character aspect.  Through specific characters (ex. Justine or Archer), there is a purpose enhanced by the unknown, one that weaves grounded tones through the surreal.  As ‘the lifting of the veil’ slowly comes about, the laced threaded storytelling drives a wonderment in the contrast of distraught.  Real conversations start to provide pieces that become the levity through a directive of ‘visual perspective without explanation’.  This elevation of the script levels out a horror experience that trusts the audience to live through their eyes as if it was happening to them.  This throughline bleeds upon that tension of the moment, leading to my final point, The Pay-off: 

Ultimate Pay-off

In most cases, the blending of genres can lead to a cause and effect of underwhelming outcomes.  For this tale, that slow burn drama and suspense like threads weave a tone that is raw but emotional jarring.  These small drips of characterization and humanistic reflection provide that attentiveness so when the surrealist door is busted wide open, the reactive nature at the truth is just as tense as the drama.  The satisfactory irony in the outrageous twists builds to an unexpected climax that is truly rewarding.

Weapons is a film that breaks traditional genre roots to become cinematic art.  If you are fan of the actors/actresses involved, horror, dramas or the unexpected, go check this out.   This is one of the best films of the year, a horror masterpiece in its own right.

Full Score – 5 out of 5 (Legendary)