Weapons could use some sharpening

By Staff Writer Felicity He

One night at the exact same time., every single student in Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) third-grade class runs off into the dark for seemingly no reason and completely vanishes  — except one. Horror movie Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger, tells the story of a suburban community in distress as the events surrounding the disappearance grow increasingly supernatural.

The concept of a horror movie about a classroom of missing children, featuring themes of isolation, grief, and addiction feels like it shouldn’t hash well, but Weapons makes it work, grossing $235.2 million as of September 1. Its strongest point is its ominous atmosphere: from the structure of the narrative to the cinematography to the music, all the elements contribute to the film’s foreboding feeling.

The antagonist Gladys (Amy Madigan) contributes heavily to the atmosphere. Madigan’s off-putting acting, coupled with her evil Chappell Roan killer clown aesthetic, makes her an interesting watch and adds both humor and horror to the film. Although her backstory is never explained, recurring motifs and dialogue drop little hints to the audience. However, the rest of the characters, with the notable exception of Alex (Cary Christopher), the student who didn’t go missing, fall extremely flat. They are either stupid, boring, unlikeable, or all of the above. For instance, during the film, Justine, the teacher, makes several decisions that leave audiences scratching their heads, such as following students home and conducting stakeouts without ensuring her safety beforehand. Her impulsive actions and lack of foresight, while they are very stereotypical horror movie character attributes, make her annoying and hard to watch. 

Similarly, Archer (Tom Brolin), the parent of a missing child, has an abrasive personality and evident emotional immaturity that shines as he harasses the police and Justine about the whereabouts of his son.  Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), the cop, and Marcus (Benedict Wong), the principal, are useless to the investigation, and at times, their perspectives don’t benefit the overall story. The adult characters end up being so hopeless that Alex, the third grader, ultimately ends up being the person who saves the day. 

The story is divided into chapters following six main characters, and interweaves their narratives seamlessly.  Each chapter of the film foreshadows future chapters and calls back to previous ones, helping audiences piece together the puzzle while simultaneously keeping them on their toes. The characters offer unique tidbits of information in their perspectives of the events, from Justine facing a witchhunt by the community, to Archer perpetrating the witchhunt, to Paul putting in little effort to locate the missing children, to the sympathetic inaction taken by Marcus to Alex’s suffering. Each of the characters’ roles within the community plays a part in the overall message about the isolation of American suburbia, as seen in how the abuse and neglect that Alex undergoes is undetected by the adults in the film.

However, this narrative also makes Weapons feel structured as a comedy instead of a horror movie. Given director Zach Cregger’s background as a comedian, this makes sense. While the humor balances out with the jumpscares and lightens the atmosphere fairly well, the comedic structure doesn’t translate well to horror. The movie spends a huge amount of time on the build up, just for it to end abruptly after the climax, much like a comedy sketch or a stand-up set might end with a blackout joke. The sudden ending is unsatisfying and leaves many loose ends. The other horror elements, such as jump scares, averaged at passable, with some absolutely hair-raising scenes and some genuinely laughable, a statement that applies to the film’s many ups and downs as a whole. Although Weapons has its fair share of problems and isn’t a traditional horror, its intricate story and ambiance make up for it.