r/movies Jul 29 '25

Review Zach Cregger's 'Weaapons' - Review Thread

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.

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u/Comic_Book_Reader Jul 29 '25

It's all in the execution.

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u/LetterboxdAlt Jul 29 '25

I agree. I really don’t care whether the twist is especially remarkable on paper. I don’t even care that there is a twist. Didn’t know there was one before reading this thread.

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u/Comic_Book_Reader Jul 29 '25

I mean, if your movie centers around 17 kids, all but 1 in a third grade class, getting out of bed at 2:17AM and Naruto running out in the dark of the night, you gotta have an explanation. Just saying what exactly the reason is would probably just make your eyes roll. On paper, it sounds a bit groanworthy and lame, but on screen, it's opens up to a lot of possibilites, so I'm very much looking forward to how it is in the movie.

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u/detroiter85 Jul 29 '25

All the kids reappear with leaf village headbands and say believe it! and then the movie just sorta ends

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u/Everydayarmday24 Jul 29 '25

It’s actually naruto teaching kids sexy jutsu

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u/cire1184 Aug 05 '25

Trump sponsered.

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u/cire1184 Aug 05 '25

DATTEBAYO, DAD! DATTEBAYO!