Writer/Director: Zach Cregger
Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich
‘A Captivating Thriller’
Child abduction is a painful process that causes parents to face stress. Children that disappear are any parent’s worst nightmare. On a personal level, I find child abduction relatable. At an early age, I formed a strong bond with a mother that expressed outrage at children being held hostage. An outspoken woman, she would criticize Pakistan as a nation that mistreated children as weapons of mass destruction. She held strong views against child abuse in a country where it made headlines news. My mother’s fears of child abduction began when my brother was taken in a stressful situation. Years ago, my mother became anxious when she lost my brother in grocery stores that were humongous. My mother felt anguish wondering why in the world my brother had to suddenly vanish. Fearful he had been abducted, she couldn’t cope with situations that left her affected. She felt profound fear when she looked around the store only to discover my brother was nowhere to be found. Through a sheer miracle, my mother managed to locate my brother in a situation that was painful. My mother felt a palpable sense of terror when she found my brother in the arms of a stranger. Seeing my brother being fondled by strangers left my mother bewildered. She felt a load coming off her chest when the stranger handed over my brother without protest. After the abduction tragedy, my mother was sure to keep close watch over family. In a downtrodden country where children often disappeared without a trace, my mother sought to build my family quiet place. Years later, I treasure a mother that protected me from child abductions causing danger.
Few films I’ve ever seen have captured dangers of child abductions as powerfully as “Weapons”. Released in 2025, Zach Creggers’ horror movie captured child abductions. Packed with strong set-design, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s one of the best movies of the year. At the centre of it all is an incredible performance by Julia Garner, who embodies a troubled high school teacher. Although “Weapons” is a mesmerizing thriller, it isn’t a flawless film. It suffers from an uneven structure that tests viewers’ patient. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment that will satisfy fans of the horror movie genre.
Set in a small town, “Weapons” tells the story of a teacher that witnesses frightening child abductions. Julia Garner portrays Justine Gandy, an elementary school teacher with anxiety. Justine has always shown dedication to taking care of children. However, Justine’s life changes when her class of children is abducted in danger. Facing emotional disturbance, Justine questions whether she can resolve children’s mysterious disappearance.
Zach Cregger is fascinated with the horror genre. His award-winning horror movie “Barbarian” captured women trapped in doomed hotels facing destruction. With “Weapons”, however, Cregger created his first child abduction thriller. It’s the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture frightening child abductions causing families to face catastrophe but he succeeds tremendously. Evoking Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners”, Cregger uses low-key lighting to capture a small town affected by child abduction dangers. For instance, low-key lighting elevates the child disappearance scene. During this haunting scene, parents express outrage when they discover their children have gone missing during a terrifying school meeting. It brought reminded me of the frightening incident in which my brother was abducted leaving my mother emotionally affected. Low-key lighting is a tricky technique to use in movies. As Pierre Morel’s “Taken” suggested, low-key lighting elevates kidnapping movies. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through breathtaking visuals, Cregger captures frightening child abductions causing families to face tensions.
Another admirable aspect of “Weapons” that merits appreciation is the production. Inspired by Ari Aster’s “Hereditary”, Cregger uses the setting of a haunted house to capture child abductions that are terrifying. For instance, the setting of the haunted house elevates the child search scene. During this intense scene, Archer faces stress as he looks around the haunted home for his child in a painful process. Whether its the creaking floorboards or darkly lit corridors, the production of the house captures child abductions. It brought back harrowing memories of my mother’s feelings of anxiety when she couldn’t locate my brother in a store causing adversity. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. The Holladay Brothers’ music is key to the success of the movie. It gives the movie an intense atmosphere capturing the heavy burden that children which are abducted bear. Through gorgeous production, Cregger creates a realistic portrait of child abduction.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Weapons” is a mystery film that’s engaging. In Hollywood, most movies about child abduction rarely address negative impact it has on communities. For instance, Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones” depicted children being abducted by strangers with lovely bones. Thankfully, however, “Weapons” avoids these pitfalls. Evoking John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place”, Cregger uses scenes of silence to capture hardships that parents whose children are abducted face. For instance, silence elevates the reunion scene. During this heartfelt scene, Archer is relieved when he finally reunites with his abducted son following separation. It reminded me of my mother’s relief when she reunited with my brother after he had been abducted. Silence is a tricky technique to use in movies. As Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs” suggested, silence elevates serial killer movies. Nevertheless, it works immensely. Through a spectacular screenplay, Cregger captures child abductions with a price to pay.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Julia Garner delivers one of her best career performances as Justine. Garner first earned appreciation for playing rebellious teenagers in commemorated coming-of-age movies. With “Weapons”, however, she took on her most complex role. It isn’t easy to portray a school teacher that witnesses child abductions in her community but she succeeds tremendously. Evoking Cate Blanchett in Richard Eyre’s “Notes on a Scandal”, Garner embodies a teacher that witnesses a shocking scandal. With mesmerizing expressions, she captures the angst, fear and guilt of a high school teacher seeking to resolve mysterious child abductions. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the most promising young actresses working in Hollywood today.
While the movie is mainly a stunning showcase for Julia Garner, the supporting cast is also spectacular and worthy of recognition. Josh Brolin is brilliant, capturing the determination of a strong parent driven to resolve abductions locating his children. Benedict Wong is wonderful, capturing the authority of a school principal seeking to resolve a child abduction tragedy. Lastly, Amy Madigan merits appreciation. As a psychotic child abducting woman, she brings terror to the movie.
Despite its extraordinary performances, however, “Weapons” can’t quite capture dangers that are posed by frightening child abductions. Cregger’s decisions to switch perspectives of characters is bold but it hinders the pacing. Due to this faulty technique, scenes focusing on James’ perspective on the child abduction are less engaging than Justine’s experiences. Whereas this dramatic character switching technique elevated Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines”, it clashes with the realistic tone of this movie. As Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” suggested, switching character perspectives elevates movies about Los Angeles. Therefore, “Weapons” can’t capture the painful consequences that come with frightening child abductions.
Nevertheless, fans of the horror genre will definitely enjoy “Weapons” and so will movie-goers seeking exhilarating entertainment. A captivating horror thriller, it captures child abductions that cause danger.
A powerful portrait of children that are used as frightening weapons of mass destruction, it’s a remarkable reminder about the power of Cinema as a therapeutic art form giving parents tools to cope with child abduction.
As strong as Justine’s desires to resolve child abductions causing fear, it has motivated me to move on several years after my brother vanished out of thin air in grocery stores causing despair by cherishing memories of an inspiring mother which made me well aware of the heavy burden that parents whose children disappear have to bear.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 