Drop, Ironically, Has Little to Fall Short Of
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
By Luis Zonenberg
Continuing our Halfway to Halloween horror-thon, it was time to move on from the killer unicorns and find something fresh. Sure the dwarfs from Snow White may have been terrifying to watch, but it hardly passes the bar. That’s why when I heard Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon released a new thriller, I knew Drop would be the perfect thing to watch to cap off the halfway point!
Drop focuses on single mother Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy) preparing for her first date after the death of her husband, Blake (Michael Shea). She meets her date, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), at the elegant Palate restaurant and it certainly seems like sparks begin flying between the two. Things soon start to go awry though when Violet gets some cryptic airdrops and finds out her son, Toby (Jacob Robinson), is being held hostage and will only be set free if Violet murders her hot date.
For what could have been an easy cookie-cutter script, the writers go above and beyond to make this story far more interesting and entertaining than it should have been. Violet is an instantly likeable protagonist, with her tragic background and grounded personality making it easy to root for her in the end. They also do a good job of building the mystery surrounding the cryptic aidrops, making it seem like anyone in the restaurant could be a valid suspect.
The cast overall were very entertaining to watch, with Meghann Fahy turning in one phenomenal performance. She elevates her character to another level, balancing a good level of drama and humor. Fahy also has great chemistry with her co-star Brandon Sklenar, with the two making such a great pair that you almost feel pulled into an awkward romance film. Even the supporting actors like Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan Spring, and Jeffrey Self help anchor the film with their tongue-in-cheek performances.
The most shocking component of this film though might have been the cinematography, which was next-level for a film like this. Christopher Landon has a great eye for the camera, tracking the characters and truly making you feel immersed in the environment around them. He even stages the lighting brilliantly and creates such memorable visuals that truly stick out and make it such a memorable experience.
The editing matches perfectly with the cinematography, creating very clever visuals for the audience to take in. Whenever Violett’s character gets a new airdrop from the hacker, you see what she sees without even looking at her phone. They cleverly borrow elements from Sherlock and the Social Network to make these messages look more intimidating while allowing the audience to visually see what’s happening on-screen.
The movie is not afraid to show its Hitchcockian roots, relishing in both the camp and terror our characters face. The cast and crew cleverly build on the script, going all in while clearly having a blast doing so. That fun is so infectious and really allows you to be enthralled by the story, which had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Christopher Landon’s sharp direction and a fantastic performance from Meghann Fahy allow audiences to Drop right into the action and have a blast doing so.
Drop is now playing in theaters.
Rating: ★★★★ ½
