Contains spoilers.
The movie Weapons was…different.
How so?
Not really sure. The vibes, I guess. Like it’s saying something, but you’re not quite sure what. You find out that Alex is bullied yet the reason for the missing kids has nothing to do with it.
The parents and community turn against the children’s teacher.
There are scenes that indicate the school sort of looks the other way, like when Justine, the teacher, tells the principal that something is happening at Alex’s house and he tells her to leave the kid alone.
They also hint at the police not doing their job or are in some way corrupt.
Then there is the way the children run off into the night. They look like normal kids pretending to be airplanes, with their arms out and bending over a little.
It made it feel like there was something and yet nothing.
Uh-huh.
I did like how the story was broken into separate tales. It made it feel like you’re investigating, like you’re interviewing those involved.
Also, the movie is “told” by some unknown girl. It makes it feel like you’re listening to a campfire story or an urban legend.
Maybe that’s why the movie feels odd. It’s like being told an urban legend. You shiver, but you don’t know why. It creeps you out, but you laugh because you think, “That can’t happen,” but then you think, “Could it?”
So it was scary?
Yeah. There were some minor jumpscares. A lot of scares came from the unease the movie gave off. That kind of unease you feel if you read about a missing person in the news.
Then there is the violence. The person acting “monstrous” or strange right before they attack someone.
It was more shock horror than sweaty palms horror. You weren’t really going, “No! Don’t go into the woods! Don’t split up!”
The acting sold the movie’s vibe. The way they moved before an attack or scare was creepy, maybe a little too realistic. The players always seemed to be tense, like when you hear something in the woods while walking home. You know something is out there, but you can’t see it.
Sounds pretty good.
It was, but one thing did bother me.
What?
That’s a big spoiler, so I’ll save that for after my review. If you’re interested, scroll to the bottom of this post. For now, the conclusion and rating.
Weapons is a good horror movie with an uneasy vibe. The whole movie makes you wonder who’s the culprit. Even when you think you know, you wonder why they did it. It sure shows how quickly people can turn on each other.
It makes you feel like there’s a group of you sitting around a campfire waiting for the animal in the woods to attack. You’re constantly thinking, “Who’s going to be eaten next?”
4.2\5
Now for the spoiler.
My major concern with Weapons is after the villain is defeated, Archer, one of the children’s father, is released from the spell, but the kids and Alex’s parents are not.
I figure that Archer was released because the villain was beaten, but why not the others. Alex does take control of the children, so maybe they aren’t released because “ownership” transferred. But then why didn’t Alex’s parents. return to normal?
It made the ending unsatisfying.
Joe Rover 
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