Weapons

Another contender for horror of the year, although, as is now fashionable, it mostly mimics something else, like a dark detective story told through chapters with changing main characters. Only the occasional cheap jump scares (yes, yes, there are those) remind you that this is, after all, a horror film.

Of course, all of this is revealed in the ending, and we get a creepy Benny Hill show. But some questions remain. One could conclude that, for example, any puppy can easily perform magic by wrapping a hair around a wand. In short, there are some conventions, but the overall impression is very good.

Zach Cregger delivers a horror story that relies less on sudden scares than on atmosphere and multi-layered storytelling. The story centers on the disappearance of seventeen children from an elementary school. The plot unfolds through several parallel lines: a teacher, a father, a police officer, and one of the children. These stories gradually intertwine, creating a complex pattern of fear, pain, and mystery.

The film’s main asset is its atmosphere. Everyday scenes familiar to everyone are shown in such a way that they become ominous: a house, a street, a school classroom – everything turns into a space of anxiety. The camera work focuses on details, as if something terrible is hidden behind them. The music with jazz motifs and unusual covers of famous songs enhances the impression.

The cast is well-chosen. Julia Garner and Josh Brolin give the drama emotional depth, and Amy Madigan creates a truly frightening performance that becomes one of the film’s calling cards.

That said, the film is not without its weak points. The nonlinear narrative and frequent changes in viewpoint make it fragmented. The abundance of secondary characters and plot branches sometimes distracts the attention. And the introduction of overt supernatural elements in the second half can seem controversial, since it breaks the fragile sense of uncertainty that supported the first part.

"Weapons" is an ambitious film that strives to combine horror, drama and social satire. It is not perfect, but it has power and originality: the film is frightening not only with otherworldly images, but also with the idea that familiar reality can turn into a hostile and incomprehensible world.

Well filmed. Interesting camera work. Interesting way of getting to know the characters from behind… Not new, but the storytelling style is appropriate, as the stories of individual characters are intertwined into a single plot… everything is good overall, but… there wasn’t enough empathy for any of the characters, it all ended somehow, and oh well.

Once again, the translation of the title caused confusion: why weapons? And why did the film, which began as a detective suspense story, suddenly change genre towards the end?

High scores created inflated expectations

And Amy Madigan is unrecognizable.

In fact, the PR campaign had skyrocketed expectations. But I didn’t see anything particularly remarkable. I much preferred the director’s previous film. He’s certainly honing his style. For me, the issue lies in the script, which isn’t particularly interesting or original. The story also failed to evoke any emotional response. I think the problem is the fragmented story, with too much focus on useless characters and not enough on the key ones.

And yet, the director’s passion is visible, and I think he will still be able to greatly please with his work in the future.

While watching the film, for some reason It came to mind. Maybe because children are involved in the plot? Although I thought otherwise, if they had removed the clown from It and made a similar concept, then a film of the Weapon kind could have come out back then. I have nothing against the actor playing Pennywise, but the plot of the film itself was terrible.

Here, an interesting presentation, that even to some extent it was possible to make a series, you don’t immediately understand who the antagonist is and why some characters in the film start to behave differently. In general – cool. But again, I can’t get it out of my head.. Yes, it also plays a role that the original film was from 1990 and they just made a modern version.

I had heard all the praise for the film, but I had no expectations. There have been so many of these "iPhone killers" and "best horrors of recent times." But damn, it looks like this is it. Literally everything is good: it was filmed superbly, the editing is powerful, the sound is top-notch, the narration is fire. And, despite the fact that the story was told through the eyes of different characters, each segment was interesting to watch. And, oh my god, Pennywise in a skirt is just sex. One of the best horror movie villains of recent times.

P.S. I urge you not to find fault with certain very fat conventions, I had to complain a lot, but the advantages outweighed them. It was worth it

A fresh horror hit that lived up to all the hype. Quite unexpectedly, since in "Barbara" the director really screwed up with the balance of horror and comedy, in the end it turned out neither scary nor funny, just cringe-worthy. Here he has already caught the right formula: gradually, after a quite serious introduction, he begins to add absurdity to the plot, showing a terrible situation in a typical (even caricatured) suburbia from the side of the most obvious participants in the events. When it comes to the local drug addict living in the forest, it becomes simply hilarious – you even forget that we have a horror film here and as if an entire class of schoolchildren Naruto ran missing. Closer to the end, as expected, there is a shift to slasher films, while neither the horror elements nor the humor disappear. Stylish. Without unnecessary allegory. No attempt at "smart horror" (does anyone still believe in this term when all these crafts are simply copied from classic horror films?). To have some proper fun.