Zach Cregor’s “Weapons” is the perfect movie to get into the Halloween spirit — but not for the reason you might think.
“Weapons” released Aug. 8 to great success. Going into the movie, I expected something that would chill me to my core, but that is not what I got. Instead, I got a funny, gross, gory movie that somehow all came together in the end. Much of the film feels like looking at animatronics at Spirit Halloween. It is fun, and what you are looking at is gross, but it is not something that sends tingles up your spine or makes it hard to sleep at night.
In select scenes, “Weapons” builds dread and mystery wonderfully, making you wonder what could be behind the disappearances. In others, it proves its comedic prowess, as the main characters awkwardly stumble through conversations with exes. In others still, it makes you feel deeply for the characters’ struggles. My friend and Monroe local Paige Watson gave me her take on the movie.
“I really liked the different points of view and how they showed the same situation building up,” Watson said. “It was some of the best horror movie storytelling and pacing I’ve seen in a while.”
I also spoke with risk management major Seth Charrier to get a campus perspective.
“’Weapons’ is a very well-constructed movie, and a fantastic allegory for a school shooting and the effects it has on everyone surrounding the event,” Charrier said.
However, “Weapons” is not a perfect movie. At times, it feels like it dances around its social commentary — on teachers, gun violence and police negligence — without fully committing. The mystery the movie builds sometimes loses track of itself, going into things that do not matter to the characters or the grand reveal, and the film’s structure can feel repetitive, showing the same days from multiple perspectives.
Overall, despite its flaws, “Weapons” is absurd, wild and very fun. Very similar to my own thoughts, Letterboxd user SweelFor described it as “the most bizarre, perplexing, confusing cinema experience of my life.” It is the perfect movie to watch while eating popcorn and hiding under a blanket with friends.
