The Reel Review
A schoolteacher falls under suspicion in her local community when all but one of the 18 third graders in her class mysteriously flee their homes at 2:17 am on the same night and go missing. Three-time Emmy winner Julia Garner (Ozark) and Josh Brolin star in this supernatural mystery/horror.
Writer/director Zach Cregger (Barbarian) uses dark imagery, a chilling score and clever camerawork to build a tense mood in his intricately woven story, gradually revealing the pieces of his supernatural jigsaw puzzle with a series of chapters told from the perspectives of each of the main characters. The visuals of the children running with their arms stiffly outstretched like lawn darts is unsettling but only the beginning of the eerieness. The insight into the personal dangers of police work (those needles!) are illuminating with an excellent Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Fair Play, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as the cop trying to solve the case despite some lazy detectives and Austin Abrams (Euphoria, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) providing comic relief as the homeless, drug-addicted, criminal opportunist.
The big reveal in the second half is quite the shocker, but from there it is all downhill as the story falls into place, culminating in a gory, predictable finale that is more off-the-chain bonkers than truly scary. That reveal is going to be a career-defining moment for Amy Madigan (Gone Baby Gone, Field of Dreams). While not perfect, Weapons is can’t-look-away entertaining.
REEL FACTS
• Julia Garner landed the starring role after Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. Rooney Mara and Elizabeth Olsen both turned down the starring role.
• Josh Brolin replaced Pedro Pascal, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with 2025’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, which Julia Garner also appeared in.
• Weapons was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.
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