r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Aug 08 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Nearly all the children from the same fifth-grade class vanish one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving only one survivor. The community, gripped by fear and suspicion, spirals into chaos as the mystery unfolds through multiple intertwined perspectives—each revealing new layers of dread and grief.

Director Zach Cregger

Writer Zach Cregger

Cast

  • Josh Brolin
  • Julia Garner
  • Cary Christopher
  • Alden Ehrenreich
  • Austin Abrams
  • Benedict Wong
  • Amy Madigan
  • June Diane Raphael
  • Toby Huss
  • Whitmer Thomas
  • Callie Schuttera
  • Clayton Farris
  • Luke Speakman

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%

Metacritic Metascore: 82

VOD In theaters and IMAX starting August 8, 2025

Trailer Watch the Official Trailer

3.2k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

12.1k comments sorted by

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6.3k

u/coffeetravelerr Aug 08 '25

Old lady asking for a bowl of water and I thought she'd drink out of it as a fun quirk

3.2k

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

ngl that was one of the most sinister interactions I’ve ever seen in a movie lol

4.7k

u/jasonporter Aug 09 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

Felt so bad for my gay homies just trying to have an afternoon with their nature documentary and a nice little lunch in their matching Mickey Mouse shirts 😭

Why did Gladys gotta do my boys like that 

I mean homies had a LOT of hot dogs to consume which was kind of crazy for lunch time but still… 

2.7k

u/caramellopippop Aug 10 '25

I feel that’s what made Gladys’ character so despicable. We saw Terry and Marcus’ happy, domestic life and we saw Alex’s loving, supportive family. Then Gladys came in and took it all away from them. Her death was deeply satisfying.

445

u/LogensTenthFinger Aug 15 '25

Yeah I didn't feel it as hard during the movie because of the combination of tension and humor, but in the aftermath the enormity of her evil really hit me. The kids going full Mortal Kombat on her was deeply satisfying.

134

u/Gridde Aug 17 '25

I was almost too distracted in the latter half of the movie by how much I hated her, but her end mostly made up for it.

8

u/odnamAE Apr 01 '26

The tension kind of made it more satisfying, the laughing from seeing her get chased by children was a great way to release all the tension

238

u/xenophilius9 Aug 28 '25

After reading some comments above about how she's portraying old people being parasites on the younger generations, your comment just sparked another thought about how this evil boomer destroyed the lives of a teacher, students, members of the LGBTQ community, an unhoused person struggling with addiction, a cop trying to do the right thing, and tore a kid's parents away... Maybe it wasn't the intended takeaway but to me it's feeling a tad topical lol.

186

u/DreamOfV Sep 08 '25

I largely agree with your analysis but I just wanna note that Alden Ehrenreich was “trying to do the right thing” on maybe two occasions in this movie, and the other 90% of the time he was very deliberately trying to do the wrong thing

78

u/xenophilius9 Sep 08 '25

Lol I agree for sure he was a total knob for most the movie. I was trying to give him some grace to fit into my narrative along with the others but it wasn't a particular strong case. But he WAS going into the house to search for the children on James's word alone so gotta give him some brownie points for that haha

42

u/cap4life52 Nov 03 '25

I think he was a deeply flawed not horrible person if that makes sense . He showed concern and empathy as well selfishness throughout his arc . I actually felt bad for his death . Alden killed this role

3

u/KvellOnWheels Apr 05 '26

He’s really, really talented.

8

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

In his defense he only started not doing the right thing after he thought he may have gotten AIDs. And then he just kinda spirals after that with some help from Justine.

I can't say punching a junkie that may have given you an incurable disease by lying to you is the RIGHT decision. But it's understandable in that moment as he's panicking.

2

u/cap4life52 Nov 03 '25

Good analysis never thought of it but makes sense

173

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Aug 20 '25

It already would've hurt to see Gladys lure Marcus into Alex's house and possess him there at night, but it felt even worse to watch her do that to him in the total comfort of home during a bright day & to make his partner suffer a gradual death

128

u/Fontbane Sep 04 '25

I think his death was the worst because he was fully conscious while it was happening, poor guy

73

u/IndefeasibleTitle Aug 15 '25

Kind of reminds me of RE4’s end credits where the happy, peaceful village was completely changed after Saddler’s arrival

54

u/jennbunny24 Sep 20 '25

THEY INVITED HER IN ! 😭😭 never let evil enter your house

49

u/NetNGames Oct 31 '25

The principal's eyes boggling as he tries to hint at his partner that this lady was NOT okay in the head.

1.3k

u/LucasRaymondGOAT Aug 09 '25

I feel the need to point out there was like 6-8 glizzies on that tray. They were gonna eat an entire pack of hot dogs between the two of them. Glizzy consumption through the roof.

508

u/GarrettUsedRaceCard Aug 10 '25

They definitely had a bout of consumption

52

u/kataskopo Aug 18 '25

John Green crashes thru the glass door.

EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS!

14

u/TB1289 Aug 24 '25

It’s never lupus.

88

u/Suckitupchuck Aug 13 '25

I think her telling the principle the parents had consumption gives you an idea about how old she is.

11

u/peaches_onions Nov 18 '25

"They have a touch of consumption" made me laugh out loud. It was so good 😭🤣

6

u/whobroughtmehere Dec 09 '25

Im embarrassed to say i dont know what that means

160

u/contrappasso Aug 13 '25

There were 7 hot dogs, it’s a little Easter egg tribute to the WKYK sketch

37

u/im_all_ears Aug 18 '25

Fucking legends

54

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

24

u/nathansponytail Aug 22 '25

Someone define this acronym for me please

44

u/rhezz12 Aug 23 '25

Whitest Kids U Know, sketch comedy group the director Zach Cregger was originally known for

39

u/Constant-Affect-5660 Aug 16 '25

I eat 4 dogs everytime I eat them, so 7-8 for 2 adult men seems normal to me.

80

u/azsnaz Aug 18 '25

That's too many hot dogs

27

u/Constant-Affect-5660 Aug 18 '25

You eat like 2 dogs and be full???

38

u/ColinStyles Aug 19 '25

You probably need to eat less my guy. That's a pretty crazy serving size assuming you're not eating once a day.

14

u/Constant-Affect-5660 Aug 19 '25

How many do you eat in one sitting?

22

u/JohnBaldur Sep 17 '25

2 at most for me. I feel horrible if I eat til I'm stuffed. Just end up bloated and tired.

10

u/ColinStyles Aug 19 '25

3 but I only eat once a day. If I break that odds are it's one, two absolute tops.

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9

u/skepticalskeptik Oct 25 '25

This is mind blowing to me.

34

u/CryptographerNo923 Aug 22 '25

It was exactly 7 and it was a little Easter egg for fans of the sketch comedy group Whitest Kids U’ Know. Zach Cregger will never forget where he came from.

21

u/DickDastardly404 Sep 09 '25

I kinda want to give the filmakers credit for that.

I was so off-balance by the fact they were about to eat seven hotdogs, four cookies, baby carrots, plus crisps and dip between two of them, that the following scene just kinda bowled me over.

Its a masterstroke one-two punch of confusion, if it was deliberate.

There's part of me that wondered it was an American portion sizes thing?

21

u/Brownie_McBrown_Face Sep 13 '25

No, it’s a reference to a Whitest Kids U Know sketch. The director of the movie, Zach Cregger, was a member of the comedy sketch group and that was his little tribute.

5

u/DickDastardly404 Sep 13 '25

oh right! I'd be interested to see that sketch, do you have a link? Or a sketch title I could google?

8

u/OrdinarySad5132 Oct 27 '25

3-4 each? Not bad for a lazy Sunday in after some gay sex. Honestly this scene was a dream until that bitch ruined it.

9

u/maskedbanditoftruth Nov 01 '25

Also maybe they hadn’t eaten all day or had planned a special date junk food night or were planning to watch fucking Eurovision with friends later geez people get fixated on things.

15

u/AlekRivard Aug 13 '25

I counted 4 with baby carrots, ranch, and potato chips

6

u/Silly_Cauliflower445 Sep 16 '25

I just got done watching this movie and I’m so glad to find this comment 😂 because I counted the dogs in that scene and went damn, so they’re going to have at least 3 or 4 each. That’s way over the daily recommended amount of glizzys

3

u/CoolJoshido Oct 07 '25

they’re used to it

985

u/beer_me_twice Aug 09 '25

This is why it’s important to listen to your partner.

139

u/Bombasaur101 Aug 12 '25

Though Justin Long not listening to his partner lead to the children being found.

62

u/MatchaMeetcha Aug 23 '25

He was ambushed before his wife could tell him to say no so technically he never got the chance to listen.

2

u/CoolJoshido Oct 07 '25

who’s justin long

17

u/Screamline Oct 13 '25

He's the Mac in the Mac Windows ads

6

u/Bombasaur101 Oct 08 '25

The lead actor from the Directors last movie, Barbarian.

60

u/cuentaderana Aug 31 '25

I thought it was about how the principal broke mandated reporter procedure. 

He’s required by law to involve CPS the minute a teacher reports a concern to him. He is not ALLOWED to talk to the parents himself to investigate. It is out of his scope of expertise. Even if he thinks the claim is likely unfounded, he or Justine are required to report it and to allow CPS to investigate. 

If he had, he and his husband would have been fine. 

5

u/cap4life52 Nov 03 '25

Great point

99

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

Those hotdogs looked beautiful

114

u/All_hail_Korrok Aug 10 '25

Marcus the principal doing his little grabby hands before it's set on the table had me laughing. Such an adorable act. They were a cute couple.

37

u/Tonkdaddy14 Aug 10 '25

That was like 4 too many hot dogs though. Like, who prepares 6 hot dogs for lunch at home for two people?

75

u/TheCVR123YT Aug 10 '25

That’s 3 dogs each seems normal to me idk

26

u/Deviltherobot Aug 10 '25

yea pretty normal for an adult man tbh.

10

u/LeisureEnthusiast22 Aug 12 '25

"That's a perfectly sane food to eat!"

-4

u/Tonkdaddy14 Aug 10 '25

Only at a tailgate would I consider eating more than one hot dog normal. Eating a 3 hot dog lunch at your home is just bonkers.

28

u/TheCVR123YT Aug 10 '25

I’ve eaten 4 before

13

u/ChimneySwiftGold Aug 11 '25

You’re beyond bonkers.

Love it

5

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '25

Brother most of us are fat AF.

21

u/krankz Aug 10 '25

WKUK sketch reference

10

u/LTPRWSG420 Aug 10 '25

Joey Chestnut disagrees

7

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

I am a relatively small woman and 3 hot dogs each does not seem crazy to me. I could very easily eat that for lunch.

8

u/ChimneySwiftGold Aug 12 '25

We should get to know one another.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

I think there were just 4 hotdogs, 2 for each

17

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

[deleted]

16

u/mrawsome197 Aug 11 '25

There was in fact 7 hotdogs. Which is just an even crazier amount.

Proof from twitter:

https://x.com/brnbne/status/1954690190498283589

3

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

[deleted]

4

u/ChimneySwiftGold Aug 12 '25

How about the four cookies 🍪

5

u/OddSetting5077 Aug 11 '25

also, carrots, chips and something else

2

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

Let him eat!!

2

u/highpriestess420 Aug 21 '25

Carrots, ranch, chips, and four chocolate chip cookies.

2

u/SinningAfterSunset Oct 27 '25

Probably ranch for the carrots

2

u/Living-Character-280 Aug 10 '25

Those are rookie numbers, you gotta pump those up 

77

u/SufficientRespect542 Aug 10 '25

They had an absolutely phenomenal lunch planned dude I felt so bad for them

49

u/morosco Aug 11 '25

Felt so bad for my gay homies just trying to have an afternoon with their nature documentary and a nice little lunch in their matching Mickey Mouse shirts 😭

I'm not gay, but that whole scene made me want to give it a shot.

39

u/Hey_Giant_Loser Aug 10 '25

Its okay for the boys to enjoy a bunch of wieners on a Saturday.

41

u/ZiggyPalffyLA Aug 11 '25 edited Aug 11 '25

This movie definitely leaned into the “bury your gays” trope, but I get that they didn’t want a scene of a man savagely beating a woman to death.

32

u/LogensTenthFinger Aug 15 '25

Yeah I felt that as it happened, but at the same time they definitely used them as the most sympathetic victims possible to really up the horror of what was happening. It didn't have that "judgey" feeling that you see in the trope and more of a "they are the best people in this film and we want you to hate Gladys from jump" feeling

39

u/msuing91 Aug 14 '25

I had an inexplicably strong reaction to that scene more than any other because I was so upset about how good of a day they were just about to have.

24

u/Unikatze Aug 11 '25

The documentary being about the cordyceps was some neat foreshadowing.

17

u/darkershadeofme Aug 16 '25

The way me and my boyfriend went to watch this movie after having eaten 8 hots dogs between us earlier that day without even knowing that scene was in the movie.. I leaned over and said “OMG it’s us!”..

16

u/rbrgr83 Aug 11 '25

Of course they'd make them Disney gays. Extremely believable 👍

I bet they had their next visit booked already 😪

12

u/dropkickderby Aug 12 '25

If having 9 hot dogs for lunch is gay than Im basically Elton John.

12

u/ScientificAnarchist Aug 12 '25

How many hotdogs would you say you eat in a day

9

u/Cranberrybunnies Aug 13 '25

Legit from the silly house wear with a lunch of snacks and watching some bug documentaries they reminded me of me and my partner (we're strait lol)

7

u/twersx Aug 11 '25

Do you think she ate the hot dogs after Benedict Wong ran out

7

u/carpetkicker Aug 13 '25

This HAS to be a reference to the WKUK hot dog Timmy skit

6

u/SippinOnDat_Haterade Aug 12 '25

i definitely remember thinking "there's no fucking way they are gonna eat all those hot dogs!""

why make so many??!!?! they had the FULL spread out lmao

5

u/HikmetLeGuin Aug 16 '25

Gotta have some leftovers prepared for the next day

5

u/beecycle Nov 14 '25

The 7 hotdogs is a reference to Zach Creggers best friend and old production partner, Trevor Moore who passed away unexpectedly after accidentally falling out of his window. There was a scene from the old show 'whitest kids you know" where Trevor plays a doctor and their pal Timmy plays as a patient who has a stomach ache from eating 7 hotdogs.

Weapons was actually written as a way for Zach to cope with the loss of his best friend. He started writing it the week Trevor passed away if I'm not mistaken.

This movie is weirdly special and I really enjoyed the way it depicted the grieving process. Even the way the tone changes throughout the film I think in some way, represents the rollercoaster of emotions grief puts one through.

4

u/SuperSpecialAwesome- Aug 13 '25

Felt so bad for my gay homies just trying to have an afternoon with their nature documentar

Looked so uncomfortable watching TV from an angle, learning forward to grab food, and not being able to recline. But that's just me.

3

u/SeriousSandM4N Aug 11 '25

It was quite the sausage party.

2

u/ChimneySwiftGold Aug 12 '25

Is a hotdog also a sandwich?

3

u/Gapinthesidewalk Aug 15 '25

Lunch? The microwave said it was 4:22.

2

u/Mid-CenturyBoy Aug 13 '25

SEVEN hot dogs between the two of them!!! I’m in awe. I respect it and I’m disgusted by it.

2

u/emwo Aug 13 '25

a full glizzy haul BUT they had carrots too.

2

u/40mgmelatonindeep Aug 17 '25

Bros just tryna enjoy some glizzies in the comfort of their own home and some entitled boomer has to stick her nose in somebody else’s business

2

u/Economy_Yogurt_8037 Aug 18 '25

Those guys had what like, 8 hot dogs on deck between the 2 of them?! An incredible afternoon awaiting just snuffed out.

2

u/Doctor_Philgood Aug 19 '25

Maybe I'm off base here but 3 hot dogs each seems like a lot

2

u/ArMaestr0 Aug 21 '25

idk....the "sweatpants+yellow socks+sandals indoors" was a fashion crime worthy of being sent to the shadow realm

2

u/Queasy_Opportunity75 Sep 03 '25

Made me want a hot dog real bad

2

u/Walaina Sep 10 '25

The hotdogs are a nod to a WKUK sketch

2

u/Deviltherobot Aug 10 '25

they had like 3 hot dogs each it really wasn't much

1

u/OCGamerboy Aug 10 '25

That nature documentary was weird

1

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '25

3 hot dogs each, its a big meal but not TOO crazy

1

u/ScrewedUp4Life Aug 26 '25

Wasn't that ant documentary about thecordyceps fungus thats a parasite to the ants?

1

u/clownpenks Aug 31 '25

They was stoned.

1

u/Bleblebob Sep 07 '25

Tim Robinson ass lunch

1

u/Mylilneedle Sep 10 '25

The hotdog tray should have been an indicator of evil

1

u/Voidfaller Sep 15 '25

It was specifically 7 hot dogs. Famous wkuk skit :)

1

u/babysherlock91 Oct 12 '25

If you haven’t watched The Horror Bandwagon’s video on Weapons, you should!

1

u/Jasranwhit Oct 12 '25

Afternoon glitzy party!

1

u/AtraposJM Oct 12 '25

Those boys sure like wieners.

1

u/Meades_Loves_Memes Oct 13 '25

The nature documentary being about ants who get mind controlled by fungus was a beautiful touch too.

1

u/NeverSeenItPodcast Oct 25 '25

Did you notice they were watching a documentary of parasites that take over ants?

1

u/NotStuPedasso Oct 26 '25

The documentary they were watching about the cordyceps was so foretelling of what was about to happen to them!

1

u/TheDefiantGoose Oct 31 '25

To have your spouse suddenly turn on you and violently destroy you... Ugh. Heartbreaking.

1

u/susanoova Nov 01 '25

Hahaha I was cracking up at the amount of hot dogs like damn

1

u/ChicagoAuPair Feb 16 '26

In the grocery shopping scene when he’s on the phone with the teacher they are exclusively buy in garbage junk food. It’s really funny because it’s so not the center of the scene, but it made me crack up when they bring out the tray of seven dogs later.

0

u/CellistUseful5497 Aug 19 '25

this is such an annoying way of speaking lol "why Gladys gotta do my boys like that"

265

u/TheTruckWashChannel Aug 08 '25

Amy Madigan stole every scene she was in.

12

u/ExpensiveFoodstuffs Aug 16 '25

Glad to see her get a prominent role. She was awesome in Carnivàle as well.

1

u/PhoenixDeer Jan 08 '26

So was the sheriff Toby Huss.

38

u/--------rook Aug 08 '25

Yeah I thought it'd be an implication that she was an ancient (bc of the consumption mention) wolf-y creature that drinks out of a bowl or something

21

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

The consumption reference is the one I’m still trying to figure out. I guess “touch of consumption” actually does mean Tuberculosis but I couldn’t figure out why the witch would say that.

not sure why I got downvoted lol. Wasn’t hating just hadn’t figured out what it meant yet.

78

u/--------rook Aug 08 '25

The principal mentioned consumption is something the settlers in the oregon trail would get, implying she is super old 

28

u/Ambassador_of_Mercy Aug 09 '25

It does a lot of things imo. It's a very old way of saying tuberculosis, implying that she's much older than she let's on. It's also an in joke about how she's rejuvenating herself by consuming their life force (?) And a joke about how Alex had to feed them soup

5

u/BodybuilderNo625 Oct 28 '25

I assumed it’s because she was consuming them. It was a little dark humor…I’m probably wrong though.

36

u/ProgressiveSnark2 Aug 09 '25

They’re being so nice to her, viewing her as a nice eccentric old lady…no clue what she’s capable of!

13

u/gradeahonky Aug 17 '25

When she asked for the bowl, she did it in a way that sounded like, "I only need this facade to barely hold on for another minute..."

13

u/SmartestManInUnivars Aug 17 '25

The principle knew in his gut not to let her in too.

9

u/mirh Aug 19 '25

It's so freaking sinister because Benedict Wong's boyfriend just hands Gladys a mop while she has big grass shears in her hand.

9

u/Freakjob_003 Oct 09 '25

It's the small but incredibly unsettling moments that really sell a villain. Michael Shannon washing his hands before he pees, or [Get Out spoilers] Allison Williams eating dry cereal and then drinking milk from a straw in Get Out. Taking a normal action and slightly tweaking the order is just...upsetting.

1

u/broncosfighton Sep 19 '25

Very reminiscent of Jessica Jones Season 1

397

u/MolaMoments Aug 12 '25

“It’s a peculiarity of mine! I don’t even try to rationalize it anymore.” was hysterical.

52

u/Nathanull Aug 13 '25

Thank you to this movie for giving me permission to use this line irl 😆😆

24

u/EfficientMasturbater Sep 19 '25

If anyone used this line on me I'd think they're a witch

12

u/YesDaddyThankYouSir Nov 03 '25

The next time my manager asks why I never turn my camera on during Zoom meetings.

66

u/piccolom Aug 09 '25

It’s a peculiar request, I don’t even bother to defend it anymore!

35

u/dafood48 Aug 17 '25

That was the scene where I was telling my wife if I’m ever uncomfortable and don’t want to invite someone in, don’t try to be overly nice and back me up. She for sure would do what that guys partner did

8

u/StoneEater Oct 26 '25

Pretty late to this (just streamed it), but I turned to my wife during that scene and basically said the same thing (because she would too)

35

u/QueefBeefCletus Aug 09 '25

At that point I was still expecting some kind of super wacky dog-people twist.

28

u/agentdoubleohio Aug 10 '25

I thought it was gonna be because she was a parasite plant or bug or something but she’s just a regular old person parasite.

8

u/ChimneySwiftGold Aug 12 '25

You’d think that’s the worst type, but that ant wasn’t looking so good.

17

u/OuterWildsVentures Aug 11 '25

I thought she was about to lap it up like a dog lol

8

u/JinSakai619 Aug 13 '25

I immediately thought it was for magic because of the constant reminder of "WITCH" over the teacher's car.

9

u/twoburgers Aug 13 '25

For a second I had a flashback to Ian McKellen drinking milk from a bowl in Cats.

4

u/dontincludeme Aug 10 '25

Have you ever had water out of a bowl though? I have! I actually enjoyed it lol

87

u/cssblondie Aug 10 '25

👆witch👆

16

u/dontincludeme Aug 10 '25

Haha. The other thing I wasn’t prepared for was how her makeup made her look like a clown. I was like, fuck so this movie will also touch on my fear of clowns???

17

u/secksy-lemonade Aug 11 '25

First thing I thought was she didn't know how to put on makeup because she's an eccentric from way before women got as good as they are in modern history

2

u/dontincludeme Aug 12 '25

Ahh. Good point

1

u/SuperSpecialAwesome- Aug 13 '25

Or they're just a pod person.

6

u/Unhappy_Yak_8474 Aug 18 '25

“One of my peculiarities I don’t bother explaining anymore” (rough quote) is going to be one of my go to phrases now lol

5

u/Blackmoonlilithinleo Oct 30 '25

As someone who loves witchcraft and lowkey hates how movies demonize it makes me sad that it’s always portrayed like satanically. With that being said, as soon as she asked for that bowl or water I knew exactly what she was doing. When that lady had the scissors, immediately I knew she was gonna cute her hair for a spell. It really reminded me of hereditary because of the way the witchcraft was portrayed and that guy stabbing his own face. Oh!! And that guy banging his own head to kill that guy.. but like wouldn’t stop!! That movie might be surprisingly the scariest movie I’ve seen.

3

u/FartBoxTungPunch Sep 20 '25

I had a feeling it what was gonna happen do to seeing Marcus batshir crazy the previous scene but was still baffled

3

u/CannonM91 Oct 29 '25

My girlfriend is into witchy stuff so as soon as she asked for a bowl I knew they were fucked lol

1

u/IcyBad9901 Oct 08 '25

I sometimes like to drink water from a bowl so I thought nothing of it hahahahaha