The fundamental requirement for any horror movie is that it should be frightening, and unfortunately, the newest film from writer-director Zach Cregger doesn't meet that basic standard, which is just one symptom of several other issues. The story follows the baffling overnight disappearance of all but a single student from the third grade class taught by newly hired Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). Although there’s no proof connecting her to what happened, she quickly finds herself under suspicion and facing ridicule, especially since no other classes in the school reported any missing children. Authorities are baffled, and Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the only one of Ms. Gandy's students who remained, can’t explain why he wasn't taken along with his classmates. As an investigation gets underway, Justine’s history – particularly her struggles with alcohol and her habit of getting too involved in her students’ lives – comes under scrutiny from the police, the school principal (Benedict Wong), and the father of a missing child (Josh Brolin). The narrative unfolds out of order, divided into chapters that focus on the experiences of the main characters. Each section slowly reveals different pieces of an odd puzzle through their individual viewpoints. It's certainly an inventive and noteworthy approach for a horror film, but this structure also contributes to the problems, as it’s slow-moving and doesn't generate much suspense. There’s also a significant lack of explanatory background information, which leaves viewers wondering why things are happening the way they do (and, consequently, questioning whether they should even care). As the movie progresses, its direction becomes unclear; it seems unsure if it wants to be a dark thriller or a silly and over-the-top comedy. I think the latter works better, particularly when Alex’s mysterious Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) appears—she has an odd resemblance to Bozo the Clown. Overall, these elements don't quite mesh well together, and as the film drags on, it’s easy to lose interest, especially since the reasons behind everything remain largely obscure. Furthermore, some plot points feel stereotyped, raising questions about why they were included at all. “Weapons” is another example of a horror movie that misses the mark, failing in its primary goal and falling short in many other ways. Perhaps it’s time for Hollywood to take a break from this genre so it can address its growing problems before producing more disappointing and over-promoted movies like this one.

Source on TMDB