Writer-director Zach Cregger emerged as an exciting new horror-meister with the 2022 feature “Barbarian.”
Like that film, his latest effort, “Weapons” (R, 128 minutes), offers the kind of odd, unpredictable insanity that inspires a “WTF” response – in the best sense possible – again and again.
But Cregger is able to shift tones effectively to provide much more. There’s the film’s remarkable, haunting opening sequence, for instance, set in a suburban neighborhood, in which young children get up from their beds at the same time – 2:17 a.m. – and, zombielike, run with arms held stiffly outward as they disappear into the night. Adding to the mood: George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness” plays on the soundtrack. Watch out now, indeed.
The kids – 17 in all – are classmates, leaving just one, Alex (Cary Christopher), to return to the classroom of his teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), the next day. Justine and Alex provide no useful information to the baffled police investigating the disappearances. Frantic and furious parents accuse Justine of knowing more than she’s saying, and the school’s principal, Marcus (Benedict Wong), places Justine on leave for her own good.
Alex (Cary Christopher), just another kid in class, in “Weapons.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
From here, Cregger focuses on several townspeople people and their (sometimes comically) overlapping stories (think Quentin Tarantino), including Justine, Alex and Marcus; Archer (Josh Brolin), a parent of one of the missing; Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a cop and Justine’s ex-boyfriend; and James (Austin Abrams), a homeless burglar/drug addict.
Also in the mix – Alex’s newly arrived, truly creepy great-aunt, Gladys, played by Amy Madigan and looking like a crazed Bette Davis in heavy horror makeup.
Gladys is scary, mysterious and comically over the top, and the same can be said for the overall story. “Weapons is ultimately a wildly entertaining thrill ride with equal measures of jolts and laughs.
But it also slips in a disturbing underlying theme as it calls to mind the aftermath of school shootings. Though such a mass shooting isn’t involved, the disappearance of the 17 children has similarities to such cases – the (potentially, in this case) heartbreaking loss of innocent lives and the community’s frustrated finger-pointing in response.
What must it be like for teachers or students to return to their classrooms after a mass school-shooting? Imagine those empty chairs, formerly filled with children.
Cregger doesn’t dwell on this; “Weapons” isn’t that kind of movie. But he puts it out there, giving us something else to think about besides “WTF was that?” **** (out of four)
“Freakier Friday” (PG, 111 minutes). Hmmm. How to be honest and fair?
This silly “Freaky Friday” sequel stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as mother and daughter, respectively, who switch bodies with two teenagers (Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons). It’s geared, I’d say, for 13-year-old girls. I am not a 13-year-old girl.
It’s harmless. **½
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller, Movie Critic
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or follow him onTwitter @TimMillerCritic. Or you can ignore him completely.
