Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Weapons’ movie has hit the theaters on August 8, 2025. The horror mystery thriller has been one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. With a decent amount of pre-release buzz surrounding it, the Zach Cregger-directed movie does carry a lot of expectations on its shoulders.
When the initial trailer of the movie garnered instant traction online on its release, it was evident that the genre audience might be in for a surprise treat. With multiple reports indicating that, due to positive screen tests, the movie’s release was pushed forward earlier than originally expected, it’s evident that even the filmmakers wanted to get it in front of viewers as soon as possible.
Enough talk, now let’s find out what the Weapons movie has to offer, and does it live up to the hype/expectations?
Weapons movie: Story – Positives and Flaws

Weapons has a story that looks, or at least promises, something never seen before, but this isn’t the case that comes out as the frontrunner or winner here. Having said that, Zach Cregger’s story does introduce or work upon small fragments that, to an extent, successfully execute all those horror-mystery elements in a unique/different manner to give the movie an edge-of-the-seat feel, and an engaging premise and plot.
The story pretty much revolves around the disappearance of 17 children from a single classroom, taught by ‘Justine Gandy‘ (as in the character played by Julia Garner). The whole remaining plot basically portrays different characters directly or indirectly involved in the fiasco, and how they each affect the circumstances leading to the chase of the final antagonist.
The story does introduce several plot or you can call them sub-plot elements, related to the mystery of the kids’ disappearance, but much to the disappointment of the viewers, these chilling elements, which deepen the mystery never really connect or contribute to the outcome in such a significant way, undermining their importance and requirement in the first place.
Screenplay and Direction
Coming to the screenplay by Zach Cregger, it does stand out as one of the most refreshing things about the Weapons movie. The screenplay never allows the intensity of the story to drop and manages to keep the viewers glued to the screen. The screenplay could have been better on a few occasions in the film, but overall, it contributes to the pace of the movie quite well.
Zach Cregger’s direction speaks volumes and cements that he is quite largely involved in this project. From screenplay, story, direction, and being one of the producers also helps settle the fact that he had a broader picture of what he wanted to establish, and that shows on the big screen as well.
Cregger’s direction in the Weapons movie is flawless. His direction shines in low-pitch scenes and is equally powerful in high-tension moments and any brewing horror-mystery sequence. The direction, story, and screenplay seem to be in perfect sync throughout the run time of the movie.
Weapons movie: Cast and the top two performances

The ‘Weapons’ cast includes notable names like Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Austin Abrams, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Cary Cristopher, Toby Huss, and Amy Madigan. The entire cast plays their part in the best possible way, and they all contribute to enhancing the overall feel of the plot and story. However, a couple of performances do stand out.
Julia Garner as ‘Justine Gandy’, the teacher of the class from which the 17 students have disappeared, captures the soul of her character and delivers a top-notch performance. If her performances in the movie ‘Apartment 7A’, ‘Wolf Man’, and Netflix’s drama miniseries ‘Inventing Anna’ were praiseworthy, her performance in Weapons really establishes her as one of the most talented actresses currently.
The other strong performance comes from Josh Brolin. The veteran actor plays the character of ‘Archer Graff’, father of one of the disappeared children. Brolin has delivered an impactful performance. The intensity at which he played the character strikes a brilliant balance between the emotional quotient and the anger part, wanting to know more and doing everything possible to find his kid. Additionally, the movie also benefited from substantial performances by Austin Abrams, Cary Cristopher, and Amy Madigan.
Final Word
Keeping aside its flaws and brilliance, the Weapons movie is in itself an engrossing experience for any horror/mystery or psychological thriller fans. The movie has its moments and contains strong performances from its star cast.
The vivid, crunchy screenplay, roller-coaster of editing, and sharp direction add to a story that has the potential to be a game-changing factor for any future movies in the same genre to follow. However, if you don’t get your hopes up too high, you might find the movie a decent and enthralling watch. Fans of the genre shouldn’t miss this.
Our rating: 3.9/5
‘Weapons’ movie runtime: 2 hr 08 min
Weapons is currently playing in theaters. The movie has managed to cross the enthralling sum of $100 million collectively on the domestic and international box office on its sixth day of release (as per Box Office Mojo).
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