WEAPONS (2025) – Is One of the Year’s Most Talked-About Horror Films A Clever Mystery or Overhyped Experiment?

“Weapons” has been lauded as a standout horror entry, with some reviewers even touting it as one of the year’s best. With such praise in mind, I approached the film with high — perhaps too high — expectations. What unfolds is a narrative built around a tantalising premise: the unexplained disappearance of an entire class of children, save for one boy, on a single fateful evening. The film sustains its air of mystery for much of its duration, inviting viewers to piece together the puzzle from the shifting perspectives of various characters.

This multi-perspective storytelling, while intriguing at first, draws heavily from the “Rashomon effect” — a narrative technique immortalised by Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece “Rashomon” and employed in more recent works like Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel” (2021). When wielded deftly, this device can transform a straightforward plot into something far more compelling. Unfortunately, writer-director Zach Cregger may have overindulged here. The film cycles through accounts from at least six different characters, not to mention an enigmatic voice-over that bookends the story. Initially, this repetition builds intrigue, but as the retellings mount and the plot’s momentum stalls, frustration sets in. Only in the final acts does the tangled narrative begin to unravel, but the ultimate revelation feels underwhelming — a payoff that falls short of the film’s early promise.

Nevertheless, “Weapons” deserves credit for its originality. In an era saturated with reboots and franchise offshoots, the film’s unpredictability is refreshing. Yet, the excessive narrative layering eventually feels like filler, and one can’t help but wonder if a leaner approach or more gradual reveals would have served the story better. Instead, crucial details are withheld until the tail end, making the wait feel unnecessarily drawn out.

Julia Garner leads the cast as the embattled teacher, embracing her familiar territory of psychologically complex roles. Josh Brolin appears as a grieving parent, while Benedict Wong takes on the role of the school principal. The ensemble delivers competent performances, though none quite rise to the level of unforgettable. Even the film’s title, “Weapons,” feels oddly disconnected — an ambiguous metaphor that stretches to justify its relevance to the plot.

Ultimately, for all its ambition, “Weapons” feels somewhat overrated — a disappointment compounded by the hype surrounding its release. The film’s originality is commendable, but it raises a pertinent question: Are we so eager for novelty that we overlook the need for a satisfying story? In a landscape eager to escape the shadow of remakes and sequels, “Weapons” dares to be different, but sometimes, boldness alone isn’t enough to hit the mark.