WEAPONS

As the story progresses, the degree of mystery is high; most audience members will be delighted to be kept guessing for the vast majority of the movie. The film furthers Cregger's 'Barbarian' character-chaptered storytelling technique, sometimes quite creatively but frequently unnecessarily. It's best utilised when extending the story we've already experienced, rather than doubling up on it. Yet the overall journey we're taken on is both a twisted thriller with the capacity to stand the test of time, and an unexpected study in character complexity - the teacher with a secret, the tough dad with a soft side, the seemingly good cop.

While that's crafted in the screenplay, it's forged by the cast, who all do a phenomenal job, from Julia Garner ('The Fantastic Four: First Steps'), Josh Brolin ('Dune: Part Two') and Alden Ehrenreich ('Oppenheimer') down to the child actors. It's truly an ensemble cast, with some of the best work coming from the film's lesser-promoted actors. Benedict Wong brings much-needed compassion and nuance as the school's principal. Jerry Trainor's (TV's 'iCarly') appearance had murmurs of approval from the audience, and Austin Abrams ('Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark') is tremendous as the shifty homeless addict who both claims most of the film's laughs and inadvertently becomes the story's glue.

The narrative structure itself could have used some ironing out. The way the characters interact could have been tightened, as the 128-minute run time does feel like the setup drags on unnecessarily, and the way in which they interact could have been improved so the audience could have experienced more team-driven mystery-busting rather than one-on-one efforts. From a storytelling standpoint, the film is bookended by a child's narration before we jump into the chapters about each character; this felt lazy and unnecessary, breaking away from the format of the film. It would have worked with a more narratively linear film, but not here.

'Weapons' is a monumental step up from 'Barbarian'. The balance of horror, thriller and character comes together in a spectacular fashion to create one of the best blockbuster movies not just of this year, but for a really long time. Enjoy the strange, shocking experience and join those who know the secret of 'Weapons' - but ensure you keep it to yourself.