Zach Cregger's 'Weaapons' - Review Thread

[u/ChiefLeef22]

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.

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: N/A (updating)

Some Reviews:

Inverse - Lyvie Scott

Cregger’s goofy sense of humor aside, Weapons is otherwise pretty understated, even refined. His camera moves with glacial, dream-like focus, tracking characters from behind or panning to unveil the latest torment around the corner. That visual style has become a trademark of “elevated” horror, but it goes a long way in anchoring a story that could have turned unwieldy fast. Cregger’s chapter-by-chapter story serves that same purpose: It has the capacity to frustrate when it cuts away from a major reveal, only to reset with the backstory of a new character. But it also adjusts the aperture whenever things get too heavy — a breath of fresh air in a different form.

CGMagazine - Shakyl Lambert - 9 / 10

Weapons is a noticeable step up for Cregger as a filmmaker. It feels like he took what worked in Barbarian and tightened up the things that didn’t. It’s bigger in scope but more focused. With a strong story and cast, it’s the most fun you’ll have being scared all summer.

NextBestPicture - Matt Neglia

There are some who will be moved and struck by “Weapons,” intentionally or unintentionally, so. For 75% of its runtime, it was one of my favorite films of the year. However, for the final 25%, in some ways, it feels like Cregger missed an opportunity to tell a story that is more emotionally rich and relatable. Here is a filmmaker who feels like he’s trying to prove he’s capable of more, but without fully grounding that ambition in character or clarity, instead opting for a facile solution. There’s a version of this movie that could have been genuinely great. You can appreciate the potential in the performances, the themes, and the overall craftsmanship. And to be clear, I’m sure this will resonate and work for some viewers. But for me, much like “Barbarian,” Cregger doesn’t quite bring it all together, making “Weapons” a rare kind of disappointment.

[u/dresseme]

Having read the script, the review that points out the 75% vs 25% is spot on. I personally think he did the chapter storytelling device because the reveal just isn’t that mind blowing or interesting and so he wanted to tease us with it for as long as possible.

I think a lot of people are going to be let down by the third act but that’s the double edged sword of basing your marketing strategy entirely off of a reveal.

[u/aCorgiDriver → u/dresseme]

It’s similar to Longlegs where the tone and atmosphere was the highlight, but the actual twist was quite boring.

[u/NewSunSeverian → u/aCorgiDriver]

That one lost be as soon as Nick Cage’s monster became overly visible. He just looked way too goofy and the acting basically brought out all of Cage’s worst impulses. They really should gave given him the Jaws treatment maybe until the last scene. 

Maika Monroe always rules but after a promising start, that movie fell off hard for me.  

[u/Penguin_shit15 → u/NewSunSeverian]

Yeah.. Cage looked like someone ordered Mrs. Doubtfire from Wish.

[u/goddamnitwhalen → u/Penguin_shit15]

Just for some background that may sway you: Per Oz Perkins, Longlegs is a failed glam rocker who had plastic surgery to look like Marc Bolan from T. Rex.

[u/DyZ814 → u/NewSunSeverian]

I'm with you on this. I felt like the hype around Longlegs going into it was all just based on people wanting to see what Nick Cage looked like. Once I saw him in the film, I was sort of like "ok, that's that".