While it seemed likely that Zach Cregger, post-Barbarians, would have a hit on his hands with Weapons, the numbers it’s currently putting up are just stunning.
With a full 42 reviews in right now, Weapons has a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. That’s so rare, it is one of only two horror movies this decade to achieve that, the other being His House, the Netflix original horror movie about immigrants haunted by past horrors they brought with them.
Weapons has made headlines for weeks now with its chilling trailers that have suggested that this film was going to be one to watch. Now, it appears to be living up to those predictions, and then some.
Here’s the synopsis of Weapons, which is a unique one:
“When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”
The film stars Julia Garner as the teacher of the class in question. Garner is having quite a summer between this movie and starring in Fantastic Four as Silver Surfer. It also features No Country for Old Men’s Josh Brolin, Oppenheimer’s Alden Ehrenreich and Euphoria’s Austin Abrams.
While it’s unknown if Weapons will stay at 100% as dozens more reviews come in, it stands to reason it will still settle high if not. Cregger’s last film, Barbarian, had a 92% critic score, and is already considered something of a new-era classic.
What are critics saying about why Weapons is this good? Here’s a sampling:
- Screen International: “Weapons takes its time laying out an elaborate story, repeatedly shifting perspectives and main characters until the myriad strands come together in immensely satisfying fashion.”
- Slant Magazine: “For every moment of electrifying horror, Whitest Kids U’ Know alum Zach Cregger cleanses the palette with equivalent comic relief.”
- Perri Nemiroff: “Zach Cregger’s direction is staggeringly assured, and that’s a big reason why this storytelling structure plays so fluidly, and why he’s able to land such an ambitious concept. Undoubtedly a favorite ending of 2025 – if not of all time.”
I’d post a sampling of negative reviews too for balance, but…there aren’t any at the time I’m writing this.
I’ve made Weapons a must-see in theaters for myself, given all this praise and how much I liked Barbarian. It feels like the horror is probably best realized in a dark theater, even if heading out can feel like a tough sell these days. We’ll see how it tracks at the box office over the weekend, but it seems certain to be a success at this rate.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.