Movie Review. WEAPONS [21-09-2026]

🎬 2025 Movie #29 | Weapons (2025) 🎥

It turned out to be worth the sleepless night. I thought Sinners was the best horror of 2025, but Weapons made me actually check my window at 2:17am.

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

The film is set in a small town called Maybrook. 17 kids from Mrs. Gandy's class wake up at 2:17am, open their front doors, and run into the dark with their arms stretched out like weapons. In the morning, only one boy, Alex, is left sitting in class. The whole town starts to break - parents blame the teacher, the teacher blames the parents, and everyone is scared.

From New Line Cinema and Zach Cregger, the wholly original mind behind Barbarian, comes this new horror/thriller. The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, with Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan.

The Chapter Style, Cregger doesn't tell the story straight. He gives you chapters Justine the teacher, Archer the father played by Josh Brolin, Paul the cop, James the drug addict, and Alex the last child. Each chapter shows you what happened at 2:17am from a different eye. It feels like Magnolia meets true crime. I loved it because you have to connect the dots yourself.

I watched it in Lagos and it reminded me of how fast rumour spreads in our own estates. One day everyone is greeting, next day everyone is suspecting each other.

Julia Garner as Mrs. Gandy is not acting like a victim. She is tired, drinking, trying to prove she didn't take the kids. You feel sorry for her but you also suspect her. And Josh Brolin as Archer is pure pain. He is a father who just wants his son back and will burn the town to find him. His scene in the forest shouting his son's name gave me chills.

The Horror is not jump scare. Barbarian director Zach Cregger said comedy and horror have the same timing, and you can feel it here. The horror is not the monster - it's the idea. 17 children leaving willingly. No force, no noise. Just walking away. The shot of the doorbell camera showing them running like that. I will not forget it.

![Image of Mrs Gandy in empty classroom]
Image Source

What I Didn't Like. The middle is slow. Chapter 3 and 4 drag a bit and you start to ask "where are the kids?" The final 15 minutes is also very weird and bloody. Some people in my Telegram group hated the ending because it doesn't explain everything like a Nollywood film. If you like everything explained, you will be angry.

Also, it is Rated R for strong bloody violence and grisly images, so not for small kids.

I fully understand why Warner Bros. is pushing this as the next big horror after Barbarian. I enjoyed it more than I expected, even though the story took a strange turn at the end. A great third act lifted my score.

If you loved Sinners for its deeper meaning, you will love Weapons for its mystery. Watch it at night, alone, with headphones.