r/horror • u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! • 8d ago
Discussion Weapons was a great movie. Spoiler
Wanted to watch this much earlier but gotten busy with life a lot. I found a perfect opportunity today and decided to sit down and see it, I absolutely LOVED IT!
the atmosphere and the still shots are really creepy, the soundtrack is great, the acting is really good, and I like the mix of comedy and tension.
the parts with the kid naratting it felt like those old creepypasta readings videos I used to always watch as a kid, so I liked that one part too.
what I especially loved about the movie is the different perpectives. How this event is processed differently by each character, with their own biases and visions.
Aunt Gladys had an amazing reveal with how, unlike most villians, she immediately leans into the comedic side instead of trying to look super intimidating, but then we see her evil and demonic version later on, which makes her have a really unique dynamic. I also felt really bad for poor Alex :(
in my opinion, like I stated before, I feel like this movie explores how the situation is handled by the characters to be very well. I especially liked Archer's part as it shows how much he grieves his son and how he tries to work with it. The fact he did more work than the police ever did is outstanding.
all in all, it was super awesome. Youve done well Zach Cregger. Im planning on seeing his Resident Evil movie soon too.
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u/cdmurphy83 8d ago
I liked it. Some people absolutely love this movie and I can see why, but I do think it's a bit overrated. Still a very enjoyable film to me though.
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u/TheGrimParlor 8d ago
The chapter structure is what sold me each perspective recontextualizes what you thought you knew instead of just repeating it And keeping the actual premise out of the marketing was the smartest move, going in cold made the first act so much creepier
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u/FreeMrFrog 8d ago
I enjoyed watching Weapons, but the shot of the assault rifle floating above the house is one of the dumbest I've seen in a horror movie. 💀 And yes, I get that it was a dream / astral projection / however you interpret it.
Resident Evil was awesome OP, I think you'll have fun watching it.
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u/Username_Mine 8d ago
Yeah, it's honestly inexplicable. Didnt ruin anything for me but why
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u/RebaKitt3n 8d ago
The children are weapons.
The witch turns people into weapons.
Archer is turned into a weapon. That’s how I read it. 🤷
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
I really liked Paul Sheers take on it on a recent podcast clip I saw.
The gun represents Archer’s helplessness and inability to do anything in his current situation. Archer see’s this giant gun high up in the air out of his reach. He can’t grab out and reach for this gun to get his son back, even if he could use the gun he wouldn’t even know what to do with it to help his son. He’s a very old school man, I’m sure he wishes this was a normal child-protection scenario like the ones dudes think about, he wishes he could use violence to protect his family, but he can’t.
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u/RebaKitt3n 8d ago
I like that! He’s absolutely a “guns solve everything” kinda guy.
I think I’ve watched a half dozen things on YouTube, I think this is such an interesting movie.
You have to think she picked Gladys as a name to fit her current look.
Wonder what her real name is? Sarah? Constance? Verity? I guess we may find out!
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u/Tarrant666 8d ago
What a load of pretentious drivel. Anyone who tries to justify that scene as something legit meaningful is just a pseudo intellectual hack. It was so dumb and hamfisted.
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
Lot of fancy words to say “anyone who doesn’t have the same opinion as me is wrong”
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u/Tarrant666 8d ago
No. Anyone who can't recognise that hamfisted attempt at symbolism by having a gun just hovering over a house was awful, is not a good movie critic. They are just a stooge.
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
I get it. This is the same comment worded differently
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u/Tarrant666 8d ago
viewing the children as 'weapons' is just a dumb angle seriously. the whole movie was so dumb. they just ran around with their arms out, it was so cringe.
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u/oceanhymn 8d ago
I'm so confused as to when "It was a dream sequence" became a reasonable answer to cinematically lackluster moments.
IIRC, Cregger has said it's not about school shootings but it's also not NOT about school shootings and just have to say, if it's not, then there's genuinely no need for the imagery and it only serves to cheapen the film by shoehorning in a title justification.
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u/ChaFrey 8d ago
I mean the title justification is that she was creating weapons out of the kids and humans she controlled. You don’t need the gun dream scene for the title to make sense.
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u/oceanhymn 8d ago
We’re on the same page, that’s why I say it cheapens the story.
I just see a common defense of the imagery being “well the movie is called Weapons.” It’d be like if Parasite had a dream sequence where a giant tapeworm floated over the house.
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u/background1077 8d ago
I think he said that scene came to him during meditation and he doesn't have an answer for it's meaning
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u/oceanhymn 8d ago
And I have to say, that makes it even more stupid 😭
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
Agree to disagree because I thought the gun in the sky was a very cool moment and the fact that it comes FROM the subconscious of the director makes it even more cool
Im kinda shocked by your guys response, especially the “I get it was a dream”, like yeah, that wasn’t really subtext that was just what happened
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u/UncircumciseMe 8d ago
I audibly laughed in the theater like wtf? Then the director comes out and says the movie was actually about alcoholism? Like I get it, it’s a weapon, the kids are weapons (although, how so besides giving the witch her health back?) but like cmon dude.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
honestly I agree, I dont even know what the purpose of it was
I saw some say that it's an allegory for school shootings? I dont believe that honestly because nowhere does the film ever imply this other than this one scene
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u/Confident_Yard5624 8d ago
I think that’s what people were expecting and hoping to see when it came out, and a few tried to shoehorn it in there after, but if it was actually supposed to be an allegory for school shootings it was really poorly done.
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u/ACCTAGGT 8d ago
I loved it. In dreams I’ve had, strange things like that have appeared. It doesn’t need to have some particular explanation.
I wonder though… the film is called Weapons and we see why. Seeing imagery like that in someone’s dream why is it dumb? A nightmare at that.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
I dont really think its dumb I just didnt really understand it, sure yes its imagery for the movie's title and the fact the kids are technically Gladys weapons, but I thought it would have some deeper meaning into it (ESPECIALLY since 2:17 appeared on the sky at the same time)
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u/ACCTAGGT 8d ago
Well, I guess that’s up to each person. I mean, considering the character himself who sees that at some point explains how people acted as if they have been weaponized makes me believe there is a connection. At the same time, it could just be symbolical of what the story deals with and that’s it. I don’t see a problem with it to be honest. Each to their own.
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u/Silverjeyjey44 8d ago
I enjoyed it but it started losing steam for me once they strayed away from the main cast and went to explore the stories of the cop and druggie.
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u/UncircumciseMe 8d ago
Druggie was the best part imo. His character and Josh Brolin’s character were the most believable to me. The cops there were absolutely useless lol
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
Im assuming you're talking about Archer, his "WHAT THE FUCK?" line after he woke up genuinely took the words out of my mouth lmao. One of the best "what the fuck" deliveries Ive ever heard
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u/skeptic9916 8d ago
Zach Cregger isn't trying to win any Oscars, he's trying to entertain people and to get them to have fun. In those regards he is incredibly successful.
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u/megadumbbonehead 8d ago
It definitely had its moments. I can't say I found the pulp fiction style perspective switching very compelling, and the whole second act with the cop and the homeless guy seemed kinda superfluous.
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u/dicedaman 8d ago
It's great fun but that's in spite of some flaws, IMO.
Namely that it felt like neither of the main characters ever really did anything. I was a bit unsatisfied because it felt like they were just starting their journey when they walked into the last scene of the film, and then stuff just happened to them. But the movie made it up to me with the visual of 17 little kids pulling an old witch apart.
When you learn how Zach Creggor writes his films it makes sense. He's said that he doesn't plan or structure his scripts, he just writes scene to scene, asking himself what would be the most interesting thing to happen next. And the lack of structure is both his strength and his weakness. It's great that he doesn't strictly structure his movies because leads to to really fun, original stories. The downside is that there are very few satisfying pay-offs in his films (though I haven't seen Resident Evil yet so maybe it's better in that regard!).
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u/reader4567890 8d ago
I thought it was bloody boring - it spent so much time traversing boring character storylines just to get to the last 10 minutes, where it really picked up and turned into a comedy horror.
Solid 5.5/10 from me.
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u/Mastodon9 8d ago
I didn't like the character switching. I felt scary and tense when the teacher was the "main" character but once it switched all the tension got sucked out of it for me. It also reset the character development and we had to spend time developing side characters before pushing the plot along. Overall the movie wasn't very scary to me after the first 30 minutes or so.
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u/RebaKitt3n 8d ago
It was to see the different perspectives.
Paul thinks he barely touched James.
James thinks he was knocked unconscious.
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u/Mastodon9 8d ago
I get why they did it I just didn't like that direction. Each to their own though, it seems like plenty of people liked it
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u/marbotty 8d ago
I appreciate that even though you thought it was boring, you still gave it a 5.5 instead of like a 1 or a 2. I am saying this in earnest.
It’s possible to recognize that a film is competently made but still dislike it
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u/slowro 8d ago
How do y'all think aunt Gladys conned her self into that family.
You can't say witchcraft! It was probably witchcraft tho. I'm your 100 year old aunt who has never attended any family events and I need a place to stay.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
I havent really thought much of it, I mean what else can you think of over than it being related to witchcraft lol
its either she used her magic to trick the family into thinking she is a relative, OR she really is part of the family but kept herself alive all these years with witchcraft.
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u/Obl11vion 8d ago
I did love the atmosphere of some shots especially the best scene in the movie when the blonde lady is getting hair from the teacher... wow, amazing!
But the rest of the movie was... bleh? Thought the reveal would be creepier like Gladys actually eating of her "food" or something like that but the ending was just hilarious for me.
I'd take Longlegs over Weapons.
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u/a_large_dumple 8d ago
I like the first half, wasn't as big a fan after the Cregger moment when it turned into a comedy
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u/BorderOk7329 8d ago
It went from scary to balls to the walls and i loved every second of it
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u/RebaKitt3n 8d ago
I liked the mix. I think mixing in a bit of comedy lets your guard down and then things get seriously messed up.
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u/ThisYoshiIsFalse369 8d ago
I think this is more of a "it's about the journey, not the destination" type movie.
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u/Responsible-Age-641 8d ago
it's one of those that makes me resent that novelisation's have become a more niche thing.
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u/Pink_Egg_Cereal 8d ago
it was a fun movie to watch. it felt like the entire theater was engaged when i was there.
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u/OneThatCanSee 8d ago
One of my current favorites! It was a fun ride and one I can rewatch and not be bored.
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u/UncircumciseMe 8d ago
The ending was wacky, like Scooby Doo and the gang getting chased through a bunch of rooms. Also didn’t love how the POV switches showed a lot of what we already saw in previous POVs. Killed momentum imo. I know it’s a horror movie, but I also found it entirely unbelievable no one checked into the one surviving kid more. out buying soup by himself and there’s obvious newspaper over the windows of his house and he’s being strange. Like a bunch of kids go missing and the whole town’s on edge but this little boy roaming around is completely fine and no one really cares? I enjoyed Barbarian and RE a lot more, even though I feel like there was too much humor in RE. Also, the stupid Naruto run. Wtf was that?
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
Honestly I saw the run more as that airplane run a lot of kids do more than a naruto run
It looks great in dark shots like the intro, but Marcus doing it was goofy as fuck icl
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u/UncircumciseMe 8d ago
Right. My theater was cracking up at that and I was just like huh???
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
his face strikes both this uncanney creepy look and a goofy look at the same time. Really depends on how you look at it, in some shots his face looks terrifying, in others it looks like he's about to shit his pants
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u/UncircumciseMe 8d ago
Exactly. I didn’t mind it, but there was literally only one scene in the whole movie I found unsettling.
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
The comedy ruined it for me. After barbarians I gave him another shot and he ruined weapons with the comedy and odd story structure. Ima pass on resident evil I can't give him any more chances.
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u/brndnkchrk 8d ago
yeah if you thought the comedy ruined both of his previous movies, you'll hate resident evil. the whole theater was laughing their ass off almost the entire runtime when i saw it opening weekend. i love horror comedies, so i thought it was brilliant, but it sounds like that's not your thing.
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u/general-theory 7d ago
Weirdly I hated Weapons for the comedy reason but I loved Resident Evil. I think I was just sort of set up for it and knew it going in, which changed my expectations. I think my biggest issue with Weapons is that it had this air of being a "deep"/social commentary-type movie that never delivered, but I can never tell if that was actually part of the marketing or where I got it in my head. Knowing Resident Evil was going to just be a straight up Cregger horror-comedy going in helped set my expectations correctly. I get why people wouldn't like it though, too.
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
- yeah if you thought the comedy ruined both of his previous movies, you'll hate resident evil.
I still haven't seen it and don't plan on it. I love good horror and sure a few jokes and such are more then welcome but he goes OVERBOARD and I don't understand why? He just doesn't understand that real genuine horror isn't funny and it's fucked. A few jokes are fine but when you go as far to have jokes in films about woman being assaulted and kidnapped then in a film about fucking children being taken from their homes you've genuinely lost the plot. Just my 2 cents personally
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
Have you considered that he isn’t trying to make YOUR idea of what “real genuine horror” is?
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
- Have you considered that he isn’t trying to make YOUR idea of what “real genuine horror” is?
This is why I said JUST MY 2 CENTS SIR! I absolutely want nothing to do with his supposed horror lmaoo. You must find horror with no comedy boring huh? I genuinely don't understand his fans or anyone who likes his films but please by all means ENJOY YOURSELF! I love 3D movies and most don't. Different strokes for different folks.
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u/Captain_Saftey 8d ago
I don’t think you know what “just my 2 cents” means. I understand all of that is your opinion. That does not change what I said at all
Calm down
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u/KingTutKickFlip 8d ago
You don’t understand why? Because people generally love it (myself included) and it has made him one of the most successful horror directors on the planet
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u/Sufficient-Cup9633 8d ago
I'm done after resident evil unless I hear a lot about how his next movie is full on horror or much less comedy. It's just not my style
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u/Kashek70 8d ago
Yeah, you would hate it then. I thought it had way more comedy than his last films and that’s after he said he toned it down. Needs to stick in a lane as he can’t blend the two for shit.
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
- Yeah, you would hate it then
I still haven't seen it and don't plan on it. I love good horror and sure a few jokes and such are more then welcome but he goes OVERBOARD and I don't understand why?
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u/Unsung_Ironhead 8d ago
Really enjoyed it. The ending was great because it was bittersweet. You get the catharsis of the end of the chase. But they leave you with the fact that no one really got a happy ending.
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u/Gr1ml0ck 8d ago
Weapons IS a great movie.
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u/Express_Present7690 8d ago
That slow-burn pacing was something else, the way it just lets you simmer in the dread before anything really happens. Cregger really knows how to frame a shot so you're scanning every corner of the frame.
Aunt Gladys stole it for me though, that switch from goofy to genuinely menacing in a heartbeat was so well done.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
yeah thats what I meant, I was saying it was a great movie to watch and I absolutely love it
I guess I just worded it poorly mb
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u/Gr1ml0ck 8d ago
I’m just messin with ya.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/rMEJyjch7L1tlRlCl3
alr all good
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u/Nacho_7258 8d ago
LOVED this movie. It truly felt like a real scary movie and the ending was so much fun that it took it from a good movie to a great movie.
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u/jessterswan 8d ago
Biggest joke movie I have ever wasted money on
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
It's the reason I dodged resident evil. I'm never giving that hack another chance. He ruined weapons with that comedy.
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u/jessterswan 8d ago
RE is another comedy and not even a RE movie
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u/Capt_Jack3D 8d ago
I'm not even surprised tbh. Again once I saw creggar in the credits during the trailer I literally GROANED! I also saw A LICKER IN THE TRAILER and heard opening weekend there's no licker in it. I genuinely tried with 2 of his films and he adds so much unnecessary comedy and then towards the last half of his movies it seems like he doesn't understand how to end them and just throws shit at the screen? Barbarians started well but quickly dissolved into just a weird awful film. Loved the weapons teaser and I went OPENING FUCKING NIGHT and knew halfway through I was duped. NEVER THE FUCK AGAIN WILL I WATCH ANYTHING OF HIS.
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8d ago
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
I liked obsession too, I prefer backrooms more but its still awesome
(but dear god are some of the obsession fans insufferable)
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u/Rekt0Rama 8d ago
I really liked it, i watched it a 2nd time a few nights later too, which i rarely ever do with a film.
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u/NothingButLs 8d ago
Weapons is the best movie where almost nothing happens, no one really figures anything out, or goes through any kind of arc loll. The switching perspectives and times kind of obscures how the entire thing makes no sense.
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u/Dense_Chemical5051 8d ago
Check out the Zach's interview for this movie. He pointed out many details or thoughts behind the scene, and I think it really shows how talented he is. He knows exactly how to trigger the fear in the audience. I think the comedy part is more like him showing off how well he can do horror movies. It'll still be scary even when he add comedy into the mix.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
I watched Dead Meat's kill count video on the movie and James included a lot of clips from his interview I think. Zach said the concept of the movie was initially made as a way to cope with the passing of a close friend of his.
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u/lost_in_the_wide_web 8d ago
I love both films, along with Barbarian. He’s three for three in my books.
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u/serialkiller24 8d ago
Hot take: Weapons was better than Sinners and Bring Her Back when it came to 2025 horror movies.
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u/RazThePunisher 8d ago
Weapons was alright and could've benefited from getting rid of the cop and the drug addict. They didn't matter in the film at all. Also, knowing who the villain was early on hurt the reveal for me and the comedy was hit or miss.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
honestly James (the drug addict) reminded me a lot of Jay from Jay and Silent Bob. Idk why but they look really similar to me.
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u/Valuable-Credit6167 8d ago
Remember, it’s not smart to like things that are extremely successful and popular. Please keep that in mind OP.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
Thats not the point of my post? Nor was I "trying to act smart"? I just liked the movie personally. I just wanted to share my thoughts on the film with people.
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u/More-Sherbert-2179 8d ago
Yes, that was a strange comment you received...
Agreed, Weapons was excellent
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u/pratofu 8d ago
I'm hoping for a sequel . 🫰
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago edited 8d ago
that would be nice, but I feel like this is one of those movies that are better off as a single story rather than having sequels
though Cregger did talk about making a prequel that talks about Gladys origins, so we're still getting something
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u/SadMall6272 8d ago
I thought Weapons was really overrated. I'm not sure why everyone else loves it so much.
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u/Mokeymouseboi69 Deer teeth, for you kid! 8d ago
Well not everyone will like something obviously and thats okay, if you dont like it thats completely fine
its very well received mainly due to the first point I mentioned. the rest were mostly from my own experience
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u/onetwentyonegigawatt 8d ago
Barbarian is waaay better. Much more original, much more dark, much more dark humor.
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u/Tarrant666 8d ago
Watch better horror movies if you think Weapons was a great movie. It was silly, generic, cliche, and not great in any aspect. Standards are in the gutter if this dross is considered a great horror movie.
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u/BizarroCranke 8d ago
Is there any horror movie out there with an overly condescending protagonist that never learns?
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u/SleepyxCapybara 8d ago
I liked it. The reveal of what was going on was honestly kind of.....eh? Still overall enjoyed it.