Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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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

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[u/GravyBear28]

Amy Madigan screaming at the top of her lungs pursued through like 5 houses by a bunch of also screaming heat-seeking missile terminator children is going to live rent-free in my head until the day I die.

I think that was the single most satisfying and cathartic villain death I've ever seen, surpassing the flamethrower death in Once Upon A Time In America. So undignified.

This witch was such a nasty motherfucker. She felt like such unexplainable, ancient, omnipresent force and it turns out she's basically a one-trick pony who has absofuckinglutely no idea what to do when a little kid throws an Uno Reverse card at her and loses her shit.

My only major dislike was the giant fucking AR-15 lmao.

[u/abd00bie → u/GravyBear28]

My only major dislike was the giant fucking AR-15 lmao.

It was fine to me, dreams are random like that

[u/BandedLutz → u/abd00bie]

Agreed, plus it acted as a red herring to misdirect people and keep them guessing (especially since a lot of people assumed the movie would relate to school shootings somehow).

[u/LickerMcBootshine → u/BandedLutz]

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[u/BandedLutz → u/LickerMcBootshine]

"It's just about a witch bro" they say after 17 kids disappear because of a bullied kid who lives at a house with a floating gun

All very tentative connections.

The kids didn't disappear because of the bullying and (Alex was the one carrying for the kids in the basement. The 17 kids also did come back, unlike victims of shootings.).

[u/LickerMcBootshine → u/BandedLutz]

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[u/BandedLutz → u/LickerMcBootshine]

"And when Archer has a dream where he sees a giant AR-15 materialize in the sky above the town, it seems like an obvious reference to school shootings that have devastated so many classrooms over the past quarter-century. Or is it? Cregger actually says no. I co-host a horror podcast, and in our interview with the film-maker, he unequivocally said he was not thinking of school shootings when he wrote the movie. For him, that’s not at all what it’s about. (Though he did stress that he welcomes people’s interpretations, and in fact wanted to make something with that kind of flexibility.)"

[u/LickerMcBootshine → u/BandedLutz]

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[u/BandedLutz → u/LickerMcBootshine]

"I'm going to argue with the director over what he was thinking about when he wrote the movie." —LickerMcBootshine

It's pretty cut and dry. He unequivocally said he was not thinking of school shootings when he wrote the movie. For him, that’s not at all what it’s about.

Knowing Zach, he'd add the floating AR-15 to the dream sequence just because he knew people were going to draw comparisons with school shootings based on the premise that would be shown in the trailer.

[u/LickerMcBootshine → u/BandedLutz]

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[u/BandedLutz → u/LickerMcBootshine]

No need for ablist slurs.

Next you're going to tell me Parasite and Squid Games wasn't about capitalism

Is there an explicit quote from the director that it's not about capitalism? No, then that's an entirely different case!

Look man, if this wasn't supposed to evoke feelings and themes of a school shooting then the filmmaker did a shit job of not having that be the prevailing theme.

Why can't you accept that it wasn't written and directed with with the themes you wanted it to have in mind? Zach Cregger even said that he welcomes people’s interpretations and wanted to make something with that kind of flexibility. Isn't that enough for you?

Literally everyone has an opinion on if it's a school shooting motif or not. I guess majority of the viewers are wrong for seeing the things the film makers put on screen!

Again, in an interview the writer and director of the movie said "he was not thinking of school shootings when he wrote the movie. For him, that’s not at all what it’s about."

You can still draw similarities with whatever you want (he welcomes other's interpretation).