Movie Monday - Weapons

Taking a hard left turn from our previous "Movie Monday's" discussing Fantastic Four and Happy Gilmore 2 with the summer's hottest new Horror Movie, Weapons. I am a big ol' pussy when it comes to horror movies -- I hate jump scares, I hate body horror, it really just isn't my cup of tea. But I love thrillers, which is a huge component of good horror -- I'm not seeking out The Conjuring or Longlegs, but movies like The Silence of the Lambs, Us, Sinners, Get Out are all ones I really loved -- even if they scare the shit out of me.

And when I saw the first trailer for Weapons, I knew this was one I absolutely had to see. Incredible premise (which I'll show below), great cast, proven director. The script for this movie was pitched around Hollywood, and Jordan Peele was extremely frustrated with his company that they didn't purchase it, which was everything I needed to know this movie was going to be a smash hit.

This movie's still playing in theaters, and I'm sure most of my readers haven't gone to see it yet. So rather than a typical spoiler review, I'm going to write about why this movie -- that is objectively a true horror thriller -- works so well, even for someone like me who HATES this genre. I'll give you the premise, the cast, then 5 non-spoiler reasons this Horror movie is so successful.

Premise

When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

That's straight from Google -- and is the most bare bones description for this film. It's also fully explained in the 1st minute of the movie exactly as above with a couple more details -- but no one's seeing this movie without knowing at least this much.

Cast

Character name -- Actor Name -- (movies they've been in / character's they've played)

Justine Gandy -- Julia Garner -- (Ruth in Ozark, Inventing Anna, Wolf Man, Shalla-Bal in F4)

Archer Graff -- Josh Brolin -- (No Country for Old Men, Sicario, Thanos in Avengers, Dune)

Marcus Miller -- Benedict Wong -- (Wong in Doctor Strange/Avengers, 3 Body Problem)

Paul Morgan -- Alden Ehrenreich -- (Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hail, Caesar!, Fair Play)

James Anthony -- Austin Abrams -- (Do Revenge, Wolfs, Chemical Hearts)

Alex Lilly -- Cary Christopher -- (Child Actor unknown to me before this film)

Directed by -- Zach Cregger -- (Barbarian)

There are a few other actors that are side characters in the scope of the story, and one very recognizable face that pops up that I loved in a small role -- but these 6 are the core characters.

Why It Works

Structure

The first thing that jumps out to me on why this film is successful is the structure of how they tell the story. The premise is right there -- any trailer you watch, Googling the movie, and the first 5 minutes tell you that much. What I love about the structure is it tells the story through different character's POV's. There's overlap -- you see the same events through different characters' eyes, but it adds layers each time there's a POV change. You see exactly how the chaos unfolds for each person, and allows Zach Cregger to genre-bend through different lenses -- a different theme of the same events through different character's that builds and builds and builds.

Cast and Performances

Apologies in advance for nerd-ing out, but the cast of this film is incredible. Garner is a household name that is perfect for this genre. Josh Brolin is probably a Top 5 Actor for me personally, I think he's incredible and is a necessary presence in this movie. Benedict Wong is a perfect side player, Austin Abrams has a funny and unique role, Alden Ehrenreich is a Bean's Favorite that does great. The Child Actor Cary Christopher plays a pivotal role and is astonishingly good (in a wildly difficult role). There's another performance hidden within that drives everything and is sensational.

***Easter Egg note -- Pedro Pascal was originally supposed to play Brolin's role in this movie. So let's all thank Marvel for making Pascal too busy, because Brolin runs circles around that guy***

***(I'll always love you for Oberyn Martell, but get back to badass roles and stop playing Wet Blankets, Pedro)***

Film-Making

The cinematography aspect -- again, I'm a nerd, sorry -- is a massive component to the film's success. Thrillers need a manic camera, and certain thrillers do it better than others. I don't personally love the shaky cam-style that manufactures tension, it feels cheaper to me. The filming here is steady but fast -- the camera will lock in on a character, add to the background while doing so, seamlessly building into a climactic moment. Hand-in-hand with the structural piece, the way it's shot while changing character POV adds in details you don't see the first time around. Really adds to the richness of the story in a way that doesn't feel manufactured, but rather organic.

Shockingly Comedic

A big part in why I don't like Horror movies is the one-dimensional tone they often have. Everything's dark and brooding and tense -- they put you as a viewer in a box emotionally, and there's no break from that feeling. Whether intentional or not, there are a lot of very funny quips and moments throughout the film. Multiple occasions our theater was laughing out loud -- and not because character's were cracking jokes, but it was almost the absurdity of the chaos unfolding. They build the tension and adrenaline of scenes to such a degree, then something happens that catches you so off-guard, you really can't help but laugh. This would happen in the most climactic scenes of the movie -- and I think it's such a positive aspect. Calling it "emotional diversity" because I don't know what the proper term is -- allowing viewers to feel a variety of emotions throughout.

"Grounded Absurdity"

Another term I'm inventing because I can't think of a better way to describe the film is "Grounded Absurdity." Something I don't like about movies in the genre of horror is that the events are often so absurd/unrealistic that there is no proper way for a character to react to it. If that doesn't make sense, what I mean is often times in these films, the terror and fear from character's is rooted in something so outlandish or unrelatable, I can't fully buy in. I think of The Conjuring films with this -- the events in those movies are solely terrifying and supernatural, so the only emotions you see from character's is terror, fear, panic, etc.

In Weapons, the premise sets up a mystery, and there's an over-arching supernatural vibe to the events, but why it works so well to me is that it's grounded in a deeply relatable and human theme: losing someone you love. I can buy in to why these characters feel the way they do, why they do the things they do, the decisions they make -- because I've lost people I love as well. It makes you panic, it makes you look for unfindable answers, it makes you do or say things you wish you hadn't, or make bad decisions. These are things that happen throughout the movie and are deeply relatable -- and it makes those bad character decisions that are staples of horror movies more understandable to me.

In Closing

The last thing I would say about this movie that isn't plot-specific for why I loved it so much is: This film continuously escalates and builds the entire 2-hour runtime. It builds and builds and builds incrementally -- getting crazier and scarier and more intense with every scene. And it all builds up to an ending that is the culmination of all the craziness, chaos, absurdity, emotion that was developed through the first 100 minutes. Can't recommend this movie enough, whether you're a Horror Junkie or Horror Pussy like myself -- I think it's a worthwhile watch for all.

Toss-up between Weapons and Sinners for my favorite movie of 2025 -- another pseudo-horror movie the old me would have never seen, but absolutely loved. Already excited to revisit these rankings at the end of the year in a blog, hopefully once I've seen some more 2025 heavy-hitters.

Bean's Score:

89/100

Updated 2025 Bean's Movie Rankings:

(that I've done review blogs on)

Weapons — 89/100

Sinners — 89/100

Friendship — 87/100

Warfare — 85/100

Superman — 74/100

Fantastic Four: First Steps — 73/100

Novocaine — 67/100

Mountainhead — 64/100

Mickey 17 — 61/100

Happy Gilmore 2 — 38/100

Kinda Pregnant — 1/100

Lastly, PLEASE let me know what movies you'd like my thoughts on for a future Movie Monday! These don't have to be brand new movies -- I'd love to go back and rewatch movies that people love, ones that I missed earlier in the year, or even start a new series rewatching my favorites of All-Time if there's interest for that.