Movie Review: Weapons
Weapons is a tightly crafted thriller that walks the line between eerie horror and psychological suspense, delivering moments of genuine fright while balancing itself with unexpected bursts of dark humour. Anchored by strong performances from its cast, the film keeps you engaged—until it doesn’t.
One of the standout strengths of Weapons is its acting. The cast delivers believable, nuanced performances that lend authenticity to what could have been an otherwise gimmicky premise. They sell both the terror and the levity, shifting smoothly between moments of fear and dry wit. This emotional versatility ensures the film’s scares hit harder and its humour lands with a welcome surprise.
The plot intrigued me from the outset. It unfolds with creeping dread, building a palpable tension that’s as gripping as it is unsettling. There’s real suspense in the unknown—the tension ramps up to a point where you feel on edge, bracing for the next twist or shadow lurking just out of sight. And then, unexpectedly, the film lands a darkly funny moment that cuts through the premonitory dread just enough to reset your nerves before plunging back into anxious anticipation.
Yet Weapons isn’t a horror film in the strictest sense—it’s more a thriller with horror-tinged sensibilities. That distinction is important, especially once the “big bad” steps into view. The tension, which had been so expertly hewn from fear of the unknown, evaporates somewhat when that antagonist is revealed. The film subscribes to the age-old convention typically expressed as “if it bleeds, you can kill it”, and once you know what you’re up against, the lingering dread partly disintegrates. At least for me it did. The major plot twist too was a bit predictable.
For some viewers, that shift might undercut the horror—once the mystery is dispelled, there’s less to fear, especially if the revealed entity lacks the visceral power to sustain the terror. In this case, once the big reveal occurs, I found that the shock value dropped off and the horror became far more pedestrian. What had been a moody, unsettling ride then turns into more of a conventional thriller: tense at times, but no longer truly frightening.
despite that, the actors continue to impress. Their performances hold the film together through that tonal shift, offering moments of authenticity and even bonding with the audience via humour. It’s the kind of cast that can make a scene memorable—even if the plot momentarily falters.
what this boils down to is a solid film that—while not a breakthrough in horror—works remarkably well as a thriller, sustained by tension, skilled acting, and laugh-out-loud dark comedic pulses. I’d give it a modest but wholehearted 7 out of 10. It doesn’t manage to maintain true horror after the reveal, but what it does do—acting, pace, and tone—is immaculate enough to make it memorable. If you’re after something that balances leaning into dread without fully committing to horror tropes, Weapons is worth your time.
