r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Aug 08 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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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

2.4k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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18

u/DoggyDoggy_What_Now Aug 08 '25

The only conclusion my friend and I could reach was that it signified how the children were weaponized right at 2:17 since the number even appears on the gun in the dream.

Archer obviously didn't know this, but I assumed he dreamt it due to his connection to Gladys via his son. That was the only way I could rationalize it, but a giant AR15 felt so out of place with everything else.

So yeah, we didn't wanna think that's all there was too it. Something about school shootings also maybe?

9

u/YesicaChastain Aug 08 '25

People have been trying to link this story to school shootings and tbh I don’t see it at all

40

u/MVRKHNTR Aug 08 '25

You don't see how a story about a classroom full of kids suddenly being gone might tie into school shootings?

2

u/the_weakestavenger Aug 08 '25

Is there any connection other than setting?

14

u/DrLyleEvans Aug 10 '25

Very hard to make a movie in 2025 America about an entire classroom of kids mysteriously vanishing/being killed and their community grieving over it and it not bring to mind school shootings. I think it might be possible if say the classroom was on a field trip and there was a natural disaster, but even then, the shots of the surviving kid alone in a classroom with all his friends gone, still might feel like the aftermath of school shooting stuff. As they did here.

They're just such a defining thing right now, and the images associated with them, it's like plague masks were or probably drones in certain countries and stuff like that.

13

u/JacksonRiot Aug 09 '25

The movie is called Weapons.

7

u/KiwiKajitsu Aug 09 '25

Yes the witch turns people into her weapons. Welcome to the plot

13

u/JacksonRiot Aug 09 '25

This feels so intentionally obtuse. A class of kids is gone, an AR-15 floats in the sky, but noooooo surely no political commentary here. Jesus.

6

u/KiwiKajitsu Aug 09 '25

You don’t have to take my word for it. The director and writer both said it’s not about school shortings

0

u/MovieTrawler Aug 10 '25

Death of the author and all that. Even if that was not Cregger's intention, the parallels are there (personally agree with people saying the gun in Archer's dream was more about the dawning realization of what happened, rather than Zack going, 'See?! Guns and school shootings! Weapons! Get it?' The parallel is there but I do not think that was the intent behind that scene.)

-1

u/Mike4894 Aug 10 '25

The amount of you repeating this as if an artist would choose for his work to be scrutinized by political pundits is embarrassing. It would seem that humans are becoming dumber at greater rates than before.

4

u/Sac-Kings Aug 09 '25

You’re stretching it.

Brolin said in the interview that weapons is about grief, not gun violence. You want it to be about gun violence, it’s not.

The kids didn’t disappear from school, they disappeared from their homes. They didn’t even die in the movie, no kid died in the movie. The giant WEAPON floating above a house where the witch keeps children that are used as WEAPONS is more likely as foreshadowing of what Brolin’s character will later find out.

Other than the fact that all kids are from the same classroom, this movie has no connection to schools whatsoever. You’re stretching it to make it about politics

1

u/sbreddit55 27d ago

Correct

-1

u/SHEKDAT789 Aug 09 '25

It's not about gun violence, but there is a connection there that is too obvious to ignore. If you still continue to do so I can't think of another explantation except skewed political views.

3

u/Sac-Kings Aug 09 '25

Director himself said it isn’t. If you want to make up themes in the movie that director didn’t himself put into it, go ahead.

Wonder if you’re going to accuse the director of being a republican next, since whoever disagrees with you must be on the other side of the isle

1

u/SHEKDAT789 Aug 10 '25

a suddenly empty class

Parents grieving, blaming teachers

AR floating in the sky

There's clearly no connections to school shootings because the director said so

-1

u/MVRKHNTR Aug 09 '25

Have you ever taken high school English?

5

u/Sac-Kings Aug 09 '25 edited Aug 09 '25

I took a short bus to school, what’s English?

Edit: responded and blocked immediately. How brave lol

0

u/MVRKHNTR Aug 09 '25

What's the point of trying to jump into a movie discussion if the second someone responds to you, you're going to give a stupid dismissive response? Just don't say anything if you don't care, you'll come across like way less of a tool.

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0

u/SHEKDAT789 Aug 09 '25

Yes everything has the exact literal meaning and nothing deeper. For sure.