Weapons

1) I love horror movies.

2) I avoided all trailers, marketing and reviews, so I am not a victim of overhyping.

3) I felt like this would be another example of a movie that will be unanimously praised and lauded as the best/scariest horror movie of the year. That seems to be the case.

4) Six stars is a positive score, but this review will be mostly negative as I try to explain why I didn't like this more.

5) The mystery is built masterfully. But once we find out who or what is behind the horror, all I could think is, "That's it?" I hoped there was more to the story or somewhere interesting the plot could go from there. But there really isn't.

6) They keep telling us more about the flawed characters, and have them involved in drama, which I enjoyed as it happened. But it doesn't come into play even a tiny bit, not with the story or any character arcs.

7) There are some really good horror elements and jaw-dropping moments. But I ask myself if I would watch this again, and the answer is... probably not.

8) It's a good movie, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday EMX 8/7/2025)

Weapons is a tense and gripping new horror from Zach Cregger that lives up to much of its immense hype. The story follows a community reeling after all but one child from the same class vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, and from there it unfolds with a sharp mix of mystery, dread, and dark humor. The acting across the board is phenomenal, the suspense is crafted with precision, and the world building for the small town setting feels rich and lived in. Practical effects shine, the score adds weight to the tension, and there are even moments of levity that break up the intensity without ever killing the mood.

What makes Weapons stand out is how confidently it holds your attention. From start to finish, it's a film that refuses to let go, pulling you deeper into its unsettling premise. It's refreshing to see such commitment to originality in mainstream horror, and the movie feels like a love letter to the genre's willingness to take risks. While the final reveal of what truly happened may divide viewers, and for me personally, it didn't entirely stick the landing but the journey there is so compelling that it's hard not to walk away impressed.

It's not a bad movie but all these reviews saying how original and unique it is are reaching.

You have seen this movie before.

It's interesting, it has occult elements and it has some good performances from the actors. But it is being severely overhyped.

The plot progression hinges on people making stupid decisions. If the characters acted reasonably, it would have been much shorter.

For me, the scariest movies are ones based on a true story. This movie boldly claims it's based on actual events, but it's really not.

It's like saying Scream was based on a true story because some teenagers got stabbed.

It's not one of those cerebral horror movies that demands a second or third watch. It's not really even a horror movie. At the core, it's a movie about a search for kids with some random horror elements mixed in.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying it's a bad movie. But the claims that it's the best horror movie in years is nonsense. It's not even the best horror movie THIS year.

People in the theater laughed through most of it and the ending was pretty ridiculous.

Watch it if you want, come to your own conclusion, but I saw it once and that was more than enough.

Anybody that rated this over a 7 is either lying or has really low standards.

Honestly, I don't know if I watched the same film everyone else is raving about, but I'm pretty sure my brain was left waiting in the lobby the entire time. The movie is long. Too long, too slow, too... boring. And yet, somehow, it still manages to feel overstuffed. Imagine a film that wants to be edgy, intense, and dramatic, but instead just flatlines.

The multiple points of view were supposed to add depth or suspense, I guess, but instead they just fragmented the story and made it even harder to care about any of the characters. It felt like a patchwork of perspectives that didn't really go anywhere, leaving me more bored than invested.

I waited the whole movie for something to happen... and nothing happened.

Sure, it's original, I guess, but by the end, I wasn't scared, I wasn't impressed - I was just relieved it was over.

I liked Creggers' Barbarian a lot, but he didn't entirely stick the landing for me. Weapons is his sophomore effort, and you can see the confidence in direction and story telling is more refined. I had a blast watching this, as much as i love serious horror, Weapons wasn't afraid to inject some huge laughs to release the tension. Its gonna be hard to choose between this and 'Bring her Back', as my fave horror of the year thus far...