"Weapons" Movie Reivew

What a great movie! I went in without really knowing much about the story. In fact, the very title, using a singular word, “Weapons,” didn’t even make me consider, “What weapons?” The poster of a group of kids running through darkened streets with their arms outstretched like airplanes mesmerized me so much that I couldn’t think beyond its creepiness and mystery. Having seen the movie now, I realize their outstretched arms weren’t meant to resemble flying but rather being controlled like marionettes. In retrospect, how ingenious!

Weapons tells the story of how and why 99% of the kids from a single classroom all got up from their beds and walked out the front doors of their homes at exactly the same time late one night. The story actually unfolds via voiceover narration within the first ten minutes but then backtracks to tell the events from different perspectives, à la Pulp Fiction. Julia Garner, an actress I don’t typically care for outside of Ozark, was perfectly cast. Her disconnected demeanor, blank stare, and lack of emotion fit the role of the schoolteacher perfectly. Josh Brolin’s role could have been played by almost anyone, preferably someone younger, but as one of the film’s producers, he got the part he wanted. I always enjoy seeing Justin Long in any movie, but if you got up to refill your popcorn midway through, you probably missed his brief appearance.

All in all, the story is a palpable suspense about an evil witch hellbent on causing confusion, destruction, and death. Sadly, her motives are never fully explained, perhaps they will be in Weapons 2: Reloaded, or has that title already been taken? There are several scenes and storylines I’ve never seen in a film before, and for that, I have even more admiration for this late-summer installment. The performances are solid and believable, and the pacing was spot-on, keeping viewers engaged and anxiously awaiting more.

The film is oddly being marketed as “part comedy,” but aside from the Benny Hill–style chase scene toward the end, I didn’t see any humor. Not that it tried and failed to be funny, it simply wasn’t. I found it intense, scary, interesting, and even jarring at times. A great film in a sea of 2025 summer doldrums!

- Paul Rosen