Weapons is a new mystery film releasing in theaters this weekend. Written & directed by Zach Cregger, the film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

Three years ago, I remember stepping into a theater to see Barbarian. It feels like yesterday when it happened. That’s how strong of an impression Cregger made with his debut film. I personally loved it, but I still wanted to see more out of the filmmaker before determining if this would be one of the next voices of Hollywood going forward. After watching this, I have full confidence that he is. I saw it as soon as soon as I could, because I didn’t want to be spoiled. With that being said, I also should have risen my expectations a bit more. This movie rocks.

Going in, I heard some rumors on what kind of structure it had, which may have helped me enjoy it more since it does have a similar structure to my all-time favorite movie. It’s rare for a horror movie like this though to do it so well. By intertwining the different character perspective, we get a new angle on what the film is going for and to better understand what exactly is going on. While the film runs a little over two hours, each story feels like its own thing, and thus, making the film feel longer than it is. That’s far from a bad thing, because I loved exploring this world more.

The film proves that Cregger was no fluke. I don’t know how long he worked on this script, but I can imagine he worked on it for years. This isn’t just something you can come up with in a weekend. Cregger had his whole vision laid out here. I can honestly understand why Jordan Peele fired his managers when they couldn’t get this movie. I initially though that was crazy. After watching the movie, that doesn’t seem so crazy. Whatever Cregger does next, I am there, especially for his new take on Resident Evil.

There are emotional stakes and surprises throughout. Every single character is fully realized, which helps every single actor bring out their best performance. I love Garner is placed here as it gives her the opportunity to do something new. Brolin gives an emotional gut punch of a performance as someone dealing with loss. Alden Ehrenreich is making one of the best and unexpected comebacks of an actor that I have ever seen. Cary Christopher is also incredible as the main kid. Cregger makes every single one of these characters relatable and flawed, which makes it even easier to connect with the characters.

While Cregger provides a lot of characterization, he doesn’t fully reveal who they are. If anything, we get more of who they are with what they do. The film gives bits of information here and there that I personally think could make this a great rewatch. The main reveal may leave viewers wanting more, but I can also see where Cregger is tapping into something thematically important that he wants the audience to ponder on. It’s as entertaining as it thought-provoking.

There is a nice balance between horror and humor where Cregger is tapping into his prior comedic work. The humor isn’t even forced. It’s completely organic and it works well when things go off the deep end. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the ending. Viewers looking for something surprising like Barbarian will find it here as well. The conclusion is as wild as it is satisfying. It’s insanely bizarre, and unlike anything else I have seen with any other modern horror movie.

With that being said with the ending, the camera work in the end is unreal. The same really could be said about the rest of the movie where we get different angles that somehow still cut together nicely. Cutting something like this together can only be done when filmmakers like Cregger get a nice budget and full creative control. This is the type of originality we will continue to get. The sound design is also quite effective, bringing us jump scares and some truly haunting imagery.

Overall, Weapons is a full blown masterpiece that we don’t always get. I can easily see a lot of people enjoying it. They might not hold it in high regard like I do due to the reveal, but I think the reveal has a lot to say thematically that will continue to give us more to think about on rewatches. The structure offers different and unique perspective. The performances are rich with characterization and help drive the movie forward. The cinematography & sound design pull us into the dread & horror. The humor feels completely organic. I truly cannot wait to see this again.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)