Weapons Review: Zach Cregger’s Follow-Up to Barbarian Excels in its Absorbing, Multi-Perspective Horror Mystery
Watching Weapons is like walking into the unknown. Zach Cregger’s much-anticipated second solo directorial effort after the heavily praised (though frankly, overrated in my opinion) Barbarians has again sees the writer-director incorporate unconventional, shifting-perspective storytelling to keep us hooked. It works well for Barbarians, but only to a certain extent, with the movie’s subsequent revelations unfolding in the second and third acts somehow deflating its initially promising build-up with a rather underwhelming payoff.
The hype surrounding Weapons hits the feverish peak, thanks to Warner Bros.’ ingenious marketing campaign that includes Longlegs-style cryptic trailers. Here’s what you need to know about the movie: At the specific time of 2.17 am on a seemingly mundane morning, a total of 17 children from different houses in the same suburban neighbourhood wake up for no reason given. They simply get out of their beds, head downstairs, run out of their houses and into the dark with their arms stretched wide open. Why do these kids resort to such a mysterious act? Nobody knows.
Worst of all is they just disappear without a trace. Here is where Cregger taps into one of the ultimate parental nightmares: the fear of finding out their children have gone missing. Interestingly, these missing children all belong to Maybrook Elementary School teacher Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) classroom. Her class is now eerily empty, except for the shy Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher).
And yet, he looks severely traumatised to the point he refuses to speak a word. The parents are angry and demand answers not only from the school board but also from the local law enforcement. Cregger has no doubt opened his movie with a creepy yet intriguing start, making us wonder all the hows, whys and whats surrounding the children’s unexplained disappearance.
Instead of focusing solely from Justine’s angle, he favours a sprawling multi-perspective narrative that recalls the work of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. The story soon shifted its focus, spreading across different characters told in six non-linear chapters such as the grieving home builder Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), school principal Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong), and uniformed police officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich).
Cregger employs the power of ambiguity and curiosity to maintain a consistent sense of ominous dread. He sure knows how to build suspense by utilising lots of long takes, strategic camera placements, and the prominent use of darkness to remarkably engrossing results. He also includes expertly staged jump scares, only using them sparingly without overstaying their welcome. He even gets visceral whenever some scenes call for it, mixing uncomfortably graphic violence and gore with his extensive use of practical effects. The movie also benefits from Larkin Seiple’s atmospheric cinematography, while the director himself deserves equal praise for co-composing the unnerving score alongside Ryan and Hays Holladay.
Solid technical prowess aside, what makes Weapons a standout is Cregger’s knack for blending different genres seamlessly, alternating from the missing-person mystery thriller to the supernatural and gory horror tropes, and even a dark comedy territory (the part with Archer quickly comes to mind). Cregger assembles a stellar cast, beginning with Julia Garner and Josh Brolin’s respective engaging turns as Justine and Archer. Credits also go to other actors like Alden Ehrenreich’s role of a troubled cop and Austin Abrams’ down-on-his-luck junkie for rounding up the strong supporting cast.
The interconnected storyline is intricately put together with certain scenes repeated from different angles and characters’ points of view to offer the viewers a fresh perspective. It’s like piecing the puzzle as the movie gradually unfolds itself, even though not everything works in Cregger’s favour. The aftermath of the missing children that follows the first chapter revolving around Justine is bogged down by a subplot of her complicated relationship with Ehrenreich’s Paul Morgan, stalling the otherwise built-up momentum that was supposed to escalate instead.
Thankfully, the subplot doesn’t take up much of the movie’s 128-minute runtime as Cregger manages to pick up the pace before it starts to wear down. The eventual payoff in the third act is somehow a mixed bag, and while Cregger upped the ante with an all-hell-breaks-loose finale, I can’t help but feel the ending undermines its much-needed depth to wrap up the mystery in a satisfying manner. Even with some of the shortcomings, Weapons still emerged as one of the most exciting movies of the year.
