It doesn’t matter if you watch the screen through your fingers, flinching at each sound, or if you live for the thrill of each jumpscare. Weapons is an awesome action packed gruesome thriller with a surprising glimmer of comedy that will make you never want to stay awake past 2 a.m. or check the footage on your doorbell camera…
I’ve always loved the movie theater and every detail about it. No matter how captivating or sleep-inducing a movie is, there’s something special about sitting in a theater full of people, stomachs full of salty popcorn, staring quietly at a story unfolding on the big screen. I remember dressing up in all pink for the Barbie movie with my mom, grandma and younger cousin, different generations of girlhood, giggling together in our pink dresses and sparkly makeup. Or seeing A Minecraft Movie with my little brother and nervously wondering if the rows ahead would scream “chicken jockey” and toss their drinks into the air. Or when I was little, watching Toy Story 3 with my mom, crying in her arms while Woody and Buzz descended into the landfill incinerator.
Last year I remember loving the movie Long Legs, and the confusing, horrific excitement that sat in my stomach long after it was over. This year, Weapons replicates a similar roller coaster of emotions, but is arguably even better than Long Legs and much more engaging. One second I was hiding behind my hands, covering my ears, and then the next second I was laughing out loud, trying to piece things together myself. Weapons follows six different characters and their perspectives on the series of mysterious events that unfold in their strange town. After all the third-graders in Ms. Gandy’s class run out of their homes at 2:17 in the morning and disappear into the night, a town full of worried parents, neighbors and teachers are left in states of confusion and panic. Even though everyone in the town blames her for their missing children, Ms. Gandy is just as confused as the rest of the town. She too is wondering how it could’ve happened and what it means, and upset she doesn’t have a classroom full of students to teach since her students –– except for one –– are missing.
Cinema can create such beautiful and emotional moments and being surrounded by strangers who are all having their own experiences is magical to experience in person–– even more so with horror movies. It’s like a strange bonding experience, hearing strangers gasp from a few rows ahead. The screams of horror and shrieks of laughter make everything feel a little more exciting. Cinemapolis created the ultimate watching experience for this horrifyingly awesome movie, with the tastiest popcorn I’ve honestly ever had and a theater full of excited audience members who audibly reacted to each funny scene and jumpscare.
It was the cast of Weapons that made the fearsome elements more bearable. The cast was packed with a few familiar faces, but I wasn’t sure where from. I strangely adored one of the main characters, Justine, played by Julia Garner. A somewhat peculiar teacher who comes to school one day to find all her students are missing except for one, At first she really exuded a Gen Z version of Miss Honey from Matilda, and was slightly annoying but in a necessary way. Her reactions and responses to the jumpscares and horrifying moments were so real, instead of the forced and performative reactions of classic horror movies. Archer, a concerned parent of one of the missing children, played by Josh Brolin, was also insanely authentic in a hilarious way and literally brought the WTF reaction to the plot. I also was definitely not complaining when he was on the screen, and the anger and charisma he brought to life reminded me so much of Joyce Byers from Stranger Things and her pure desperation fueled by love and concern for her missing child.
Overall, my personal favorite character is James: the seemingly random side character who accidentally ends up doing a better job at solving the case than the detectives themselves. Upon first glance the actor didn’t seem recognizable but afterwards I learned he was played by Austin Abrams, a familiar face who played Ethan in Euphoria. He exuded this energy of pure desperation, ignoring the absurdness of the haunted house he was robbing to do literally anything to somehow get money for drugs. Even if it meant coming face to face with the possessed parents of Alex, and a spooky basement full of terrifying children. Although he served as the comedic relief, thinking twice about the real purpose his character played helped put things into perspective. He showed how strong and terrifying addiction can be, how destructive it can make someone, and showed just how far someone might be willing to go to get the money to fuel their addiction.
In our current political and social climate, I find it hard to consume media without looking for hidden meanings that can inform the way we see our world. Although Weapons can be written off as just a gruesome comedic thriller, I argue that there’s a little more hidden under the scary surface. Without over-analyzing each detail, the themes of addiction and alcoholism specifically stick out. Multiple characters all suffer with addictions and it’s clear the way this impacts the mood of the movie itself and the wellness of the characters and their connections with other people. Touching on the theme of alcoholism in a horror movie is genius. It can show how scary and destructive addiction can be. A lot of the movie is based on this concept of possession and control over other people, which is exactly what addiction can do.
With that being said, Weapons surprisingly did a fantastic job at incorporating elements of humor into the terrifying plot. It can be a bit risky to implement humor into a horror movie and can sometimes make the horror elements feel less scary and serious, but Weapons did a perfect job at balancing the two. Personally, it was the perfect ratio of funny refreshing moments and thrilling jumpscares. If anything, it made the overall movie even better. Even with all the classic horror movie tropes like gore, supernatural elements, jumpscares and unexpected plot twists, Weapons just felt so different and new.
Although it was hard to fall asleep afterwards, and I still get scared when I hear my doorbell ring, I’m a huge fan of the movie. So, even if you’re scared of horror movies (like me) it’s definitely worth the watch –– especially if you’re a fan of Stranger Things or the aesthetic of a classic mystery and don’t mind a bit of gore.The movie radiates the same energy of the mysticism and suspense of Hawkins, Indiana. The classic cop on the case, concerned parents, missing children and unexpected evilness behind it all that is worse than we think.
Grab a friend, a yummy snack and embrace the approach of spooky season by seeing Weapons in theaters! You might never be able to fall asleep again, but the comedic timing, awesome actors and hilarious ending might make the sleepless nights worth it.