Is "Weapons" the scariest film of the year?

      Before I continue the review, I'll briefly outline the narrative concept — for those who haven't yet seen it or are just gearing up by reading reviews by obscure amateurs like me.

      The story in the film "Weapons" (18+, 2025) is constructed on the principle of "polyphony": the overall story is shown from the viewpoints of different characters. That's probably why some viewers spotted a hint of Kurosawa, although it's nothing like what's meant by the "Rashomon effect" — but anyway.

      Plot: In a quiet American town, among pickups, pine woods and identical cottages, something strange happens — at 2:17 a.m. seventeen children from one elementary school class get out of their beds and disappear into the night. The town is in shock: fear, horror and distrust fill the parking lots and supermarket aisles. The main suspect is the new teacher, who breached boundaries with her charges: sometimes she drove them home, sometimes she hugged them (!) during episodes of children's distress.

      Nothing super-exceptional — essentially it's a modern interpretation of the ancient legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

      Main characters: teacher Justine (Julia Garner); the father of one of the missing children, Archer (Josh Brolin); police officer Paul (Alden Ehrenreich); and the only remaining boy, Alex (Kerry Christopher).

      The plot, as already mentioned, is fairly banal: by the middle you've figured everything out and watch out of pure enthusiasm. But it's all pretty good — the characters are alive and gripping, the actors perform very well, even the main "little" character is likable, although I usually don't take children seriously in films.

      Besides the actors, the film's pacing is pleasing. You don't want to pull out your phone at the fifteenth minute — there's always something happening. The visuals are pleasant, the plot worn-out, but not as much as demons, dead women, cursed land, and so on. The narrative format is unusual for horror, though it's often used in other genres.

      A major drawback that cannot be ignored is the absence of terror as such. It's more like an interesting detective story with a light touch of classic suspense, but by no means the "horror of the year"! And no, I'm not a fan of endless jump scares and loud music (though they appear in places). Pardon, but because of a couple of "meaty" scenes with lots of raspberry jam (don't shout, Roskomnadzor) and badly made-up women on the ceiling, I can't bring myself to call the film a horror. A thriller — yes, certainly, but horror — that's laughable. The final scene even feels more like a comedy, if you're a seasoned viewer.

      However, for every downside there are definite upsides. Simply put — everything is fine, but something is missing: either they didn't fully commit to the fear, or the denouement turned out muddled, or perhaps a chunk of the film was cut between the characters' "moment of revelation" and the finale.

      Rating: 4/5