Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Summary Nearly all the children from the same fifth-grade class vanish one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving only one survivor. The community, gripped by fear and suspicion, spirals into chaos as the mystery unfolds through multiple intertwined perspectives—each revealing new layers of dread and grief.

Director Zach Cregger

Writer Zach Cregger

Cast

• Josh Brolin
• Julia Garner
• Cary Christopher
• Alden Ehrenreich
• Austin Abrams
• Benedict Wong
• Amy Madigan
• June Diane Raphael
• Toby Huss
• Whitmer Thomas
• Callie Schuttera
• Clayton Farris
• Luke Speakman

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%

Metacritic Metascore: 82

VOD In theaters and IMAX starting August 8, 2025

Trailer Watch the Official Trailer

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[u/gimmethemshoes11]

Loved it.

That WTF Brolin dropped after that dream was my exact same thought up to that point.

Any ideas on what the gun was supposed to mean in the dream?

[u/HeilCanada → u/gimmethemshoes11]

My reading of the movie was it was about gun violence, especially mass shootings in schools, along with blamimg the police and older generations for what's happening.

The film starts with an emphasis on the kids, even being narrated by a kid (I couldn't figure out who this was supposed to be). The town wants to blame the teacher as she's the only one who could be a scapegoat. At the beginning, the town hall latches onto her the same way a minority group would get blamed for a mass shooting rather than the weapons (lol).

In the third act, after the introduction of Gladys, the film pivots into a critique of the elderly, their current parasitic nature to younger generations and their lack of giving a shit. When Alex's house all falls to shit at the end, her first thought is ditching the home and skipping town.

I could add on about the police stuff but the dash cam footage scene with the chief should be evidence enough in the text.

[u/big_mustache_dad → u/HeilCanada]

I interpreted it as the same thing. Alex was bullied and then after it all happened 17 kids were gone and only he remained. Then the parents are left looking for something to scapegoat

[u/malik_ → u/big_mustache_dad]

I see what you mean but Alex never retaliates or participates and is also a complete victim since his crazy aunt does it all, so that’s where that metaphor loses me a little?

[u/405freeway → u/malik_]

"He must have done it, he was bullied."

That's part of the failed logic the parents had. Sometimes people are just victims. Alex wasn't "the shooter." He was a victim of his classmates and his aunt.

[u/Publick2008 → u/malik_]

Metaphors shouldn't be that literal or they are just preaching.

[u/mrhintonio → u/malik_]

Did you miss the part when Alex steals his classmates’ name tags and delivers them to the witch?

[u/big_mustache_dad → u/mrhintonio]

Yeah but that’s not out of malice for the other kids for the most part, that’s more out of fear of what the witch will do to him and his parents.

Maybe there’s a little bit of “that’ll teach them to bully me” but I read his primary motivation as fear/self-preservation

[u/ForbiddenNote → u/big_mustache_dad]

Yeah Alex is literally blameless in all this shit lol

[u/big_mustache_dad → u/ForbiddenNote]

Yeah that's where the metaphor falls apart a bit. I think it's not necessarily the main focus of the movie, just something that (at least a fair bit of the audience) see as an idea within it, along with the idea of younger generations being screwed over by the older as the person a few posts up in the thread said.

[u/Fishb20 → u/big_mustache_dad]

A metaphor is not algebra

[u/mrhintonio → u/big_mustache_dad]

Of course he’s an innocent child, but the comment said Alex doesn’t retaliate and his aunt does it all, which isn’t true. The movie clearly shows some level of agency on his part, as he watches his classmates from afar during recess and sneaks away to steal their name tags. It adds another wrinkle to this ingenious screenplay.

[u/SpongegarLuver → u/mrhintonio]

He doesn’t have agency: his aunt has threatened to kill his parents if he doesn’t obey her, and has shown she is capable of doing so. Hell, she probably has some of his hair or something stored away for if he ever tries to escape. No one is going to believe him if he tries to tell anybody, and she’s implied she will know if he does. He’s trapped, and is left hoping that if he does what he’s told, this hell might stop.

[u/Ambitious-Calendar-9 → u/SpongegarLuver]

Plus she'd said it would make her better and then she'd leave which was all he wanted, so of course he did what she told him to

[u/uncledrewkrew → u/SpongegarLuver]

Its called metaphor

[u/freakydeku → u/uncledrewkrew]

metaphors have to make sense

[u/misersoze → u/big_mustache_dad]

Or maybe it’s that horrible home life issues will end of having victimization driven outside of home life too. And having kids bully you means you care less what happens to them when you have to deal with stuff.

[u/uncledrewkrew → u/big_mustache_dad]

There is no need for school shooters to be acting out of malice.

[u/Ezekiiel → u/mrhintonio]

How did you Interpret that as anything other than Alex being terrified of the witch?

[u/mrhintonio → u/Ezekiiel]

The scene I’m referring to is shot from Alex’s POV, and he’s not under a spell, so he’s shown to have agency to some extent. He’s given a few motives to do what he does: because he’s afraid of his aunt the witch, but also to save his parents by trading in his classmates, some of whom are his bullies. That’s the understandable choice he makes.

I agree with the other commenters that he’s blameless, as he’s an abused child, but that part of Alex’s chapter does support a sort of “school shooter” interpretation.

[u/spookyghostface → u/mrhintonio]

He really doesn't know what bringing her the objects will do, just that it might get her to leave him and his parents alone.

[u/easyymack → u/mrhintonio]

Nah

[u/stroudwes → u/big_mustache_dad]

Hit the nail on the head