“Drop,” directed by Christopher Landon and released on April 11, boasted earnings of $7.5 million on its opening weekend. The promise of a tech-infused thriller drew viewers in, but the result teeters on self-serious melodrama, leaving audiences disappointed. Admittedly, the cast delivers solid performances, despite the script, and there are stylish cinematographic moments. However, the movie ultimately suffers from a predictable plot, uneven tone and a script that fails to deliver the tension for which the premise had the potential.
“Drop” follows Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed single mother navigating a high-rise dinner date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar), a photographer she met on a dating app. The date devolves into a nightmare for Violet when she starts receiving anonymous AirDrops that threaten her son and sister, who are being held captive by a home intruder. She must comply with their orders, or she risks her family’s lives. The catch is that Violet can’t tell anyone about it, including her date, or her son will be killed.
Many have categorized the film as a Hitchcockian suspense thriller. However, the execution of the twist ending fails to invoke emotion: the perpetrator is predictable purely due to the containment aspect of the movie. The majority of the movie takes place on the top floor of a skyscraper in a fine-dining restaurant called Palate. For seasoned thriller viewers, the reveal of the perpetrator is an inevitability, and the motivation for all of it is rather tame, which is wildly out of proportion to the degree of torture that Violet is put through. However, some aspects of the showdown between Violet and the perpetrator manage to surprise, with Violet proving herself to be an intelligent character.
Tonally, the movie never quite settles — the script often reaches for humor, but with mixed results. Some side characters succeed at providing comedic relief, but most characters’ quips don’t land, coming off as painfully forced. Additionally, attempts at dramatic mic-drop dialogue towards the end of the movie come off as awkward and unconvincing.
Visually, the movie oscillates between striking and excessive. The intro is very reminiscent of the opening credits of Bond films, giving viewers a sneak peek into the opulence of restaurant settings.
However, other shots verge on absurd. A particularly heavy-handed moment features Violet in the bathroom, panicking and alone. The background then fades to black dramatically and shines a spotlight on Violet — a choice that feels far more theatrical than suspenseful. Nonetheless, especially towards the final fight scene, the direction exhibits flair, with a couple of interesting shots relaying the chaos of the showdown.
Many of the film’s non-narrative aspects, such as the music, performances and some of the camerawork, take on much of the load that the writing fails to bear. While they ultimately don’t bring the quality of the movie up enough to warrant a better rating, they certainly deserve recognition for the value they add.
The score contributes significantly to the film’s atmosphere through its classical orchestral sound. In many scenes, it does the heavy lifting when the writing fails to convey a sense of urgency and drama.
The performances were also among the movie’s redeeming qualities. Fahy and Sklenar have good chemistry together, but viewers unfortunately do not get to see much of it due to plot and writing flubs. Fahy plays the inner turmoil that Violet faces with the right amount of subtlety and elevates her role despite the script, with Sklenar doing similarly. He brings a sincerity to Henry, even though the plot sidelines him from any meaningful development.
It is difficult in this age to have technology play a large role in a movie without it being gimmicky, and, unfortunately, “Drop” is an example of when it fails. The idea of Violet being used as a puppet by an unseen manipulator had the potential to yield a chilling thriller, but the movie never reaches its full potential. Regrettably, despite excellent performances from Fahy and Sklenar, “Drop” does not offer much beyond surface-level intrigue.
Ananya Kashyap is an Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at ananyask@uci.edu.