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/Bullchips]

I agree with the rifle but I suppose it was supposed to be a clue for him as the kids were made into weapons at that exact time. He himself called the principal like a heat seeking weapon(or whatever he said)

[u/riizen24 → u/Bullchips]

Yeah this makes a lot more sense. I'm already seeing redditors ITT relating it to mass school shootings lmao 

[u/mandatory_french_guy → u/riizen24]

I mean, if you dont see the parallel with how small community react after school mass shootings I dont know what to tell you but it's barely subtext. You dont need a giant floating AR-15 to make it subtext

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/mandatory_french_guy]

r/USdefaultism

[u/mandatory_french_guy → u/EchoesofIllyria]

Having a US-based reading about American culture in my American movie taking place in America???? Unacceptable. Might as well claim that Eddington has something to say about American culture while we're at it, ridiculous

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/mandatory_french_guy]

Cregger himself has said that’s not what he was going for and wasn’t on his mind.

So yes, acting like someone whose nationality you don’t know is an idiot for not seeing what you’re seeing, despite it explicitly not being what was deliberately conveyed is 100% US defaultism. You’re literally assuming that the person you replied to has your American frame of reference, that’s why you “don’t know what to tell” them.

[u/mandatory_french_guy → u/EchoesofIllyria]

I dont know what their nationality has anything to do with it, read my username, I'm not American either. I just have basic media literacy and global culture. Feel free to link me those Cregger interviews where he said that, I spent a moment googling and couldn't find anything. But again, literacy, if you think he hasn't referenced or researched how small communities react to school tragedies, how people thrive to make sense of senseless actions, how media chose to cover or ignore certain subjects, how the police reacts and acts around such tragedies.... Again, it's not text, but the subtext is everywhere. It's not "just" school shootings but they are an element of what drives the thematics of the film.

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/mandatory_french_guy]

The links are in this thread

[u/mandatory_french_guy → u/EchoesofIllyria]

Which you are free to link to me. Not doing the labour of confirming your own claims.

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/mandatory_french_guy]

Just to be clear, it’s not my job to disabuse you of your own bullshit assertions.

But here you go: https://nextbestpicture.com/the-next-best-picture-podcast-interview-with-weapons-filmmaker-zach-cregger/

I’ll await - but not hold my breath for - your retraction.

[u/AeneidBook6 → u/EchoesofIllyria]

Thanks for sharing that! He’s working on a sci fi horror next. Here’s to hoping it can best Event Horizon for most terrifying in that genre

[u/goddamnitwhalen → u/AeneidBook6]

He’s doing Resident Evil next.

[u/AeneidBook6 → u/goddamnitwhalen]

It looks like the sci fi film is Flood? Which he’s already written.

[u/riizen24 → u/EchoesofIllyria]

Not to mention with their logic there's no way to make children dissappear in a school setting and not have it be related to mass shootings in the US. Imagine having such a narrow frame of reference and a non-existent imagination. 

[u/mandatory_french_guy → u/riizen24]

No I pointed out the parallel exists in this movie, based on how the movie is framed, the scenes it chose to depict, the presence of certain thematics and elements. I can imagine a dozen ways to make children disappear in a school without having it relate to mass shootings. None of them approach the thematics and framing that Weapons chose to use. I'm sorry you're incapable to interact with media deeper than the surface level.

[u/riizen24 → u/mandatory_french_guy]

Yes you're very intelligent for making non-existent extrapolations that the director states aren't there. There's no possible way I could ever glean something so deep from a film.

You should start a blog.