Évanouis

I'm surprised by all the "fantastic" reviews on this movie. It's definitely an ok film but in no way is this a 10/10 movie. It's a slow burn and then it goes into character POV, which is really unnecessary. It's too long and there are unanswered questions. I wasn't rooting for any of the characters except the ending scene (and you'll know what I'm talking about). So it's really just average. It could have been so much more. I'll never watch it again but I'm not upset that I saw it.

I liked Creggers' Barbarian a lot, but he didn't entirely stick the landing for me. Weapons is his sophomore effort, and you can see the confidence in direction and story telling is more refined. I had a blast watching this, as much as i love serious horror, Weapons wasn't afraid to inject some huge laughs to release the tension. Its gonna be hard to choose between this and 'Bring her Back', as my fave horror of the year thus far...

1) I love horror movies.

2) I avoided all trailers, marketing and reviews, so I am not a victim of overhyping.

3) I felt like this would be another example of a movie that will be unanimously praised and lauded as the best/scariest horror movie of the year. That seems to be the case.

4) Six stars is a positive score, but this review will be mostly negative as I try to explain why I didn't like this more.

5) The mystery is built masterfully. But once we find out who or what is behind the horror, all I could think is, "That's it?" I hoped there was more to the story or somewhere interesting the plot could go from there. But there really isn't.

6) They keep telling us more about the flawed characters, and have them involved in drama, which I enjoyed as it happened. But it doesn't come into play even a tiny bit, not with the story or any character arcs.

7) There are some really good horror elements and jaw-dropping moments. But I ask myself if I would watch this again, and the answer is... probably not.

8) It's a good movie, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday EMX 8/7/2025)

Not groundbreaking in any way, but it does strike a nice balance. Never taking itself too seriously while still keeping the stakes high enough to keep you invested in what happens next. That said, it feels underdeveloped in both story and characters, there's something missing that would make you truly care about what happens to them.

The choice to revisit the past days of each character comes across less like a meaningful narrative device and more like a patch for an undercooked plot. It doesn't add much and only delays the story's momentum.

While the premise is fun and initially intriguing, it ultimately lacks the complexity and character depth needed to leave a lasting impact.

There's a steady hand at work building tension as the movie progresses but unfortunately it all leads to a rather dull climax. You get hints of an explanation, and I'm not the type of person who needs everything spelled out, but it feels as though the film simply ends things "because it's time." I appreciate the different storylines overlapping and converging but it all felt pointless by the time the credits rolled. I'm also not sure what tone the director is going for here. There's certainly a horror element, but I've seen it classified as a dark comedy and I don't know that I would remotely consider it in that category. The acting is fine and the photography is decent but there's nothing here that you haven't seen before in better packaging.