Drop is a solid movie that might’ve excelled in another medium. The setup requires the protagonist to think on her toes, monitor her surroundings, and make impossible choices. As compelling as Meghann Fahy’s lead performance is, there was always a question in the back of my head: what if this was a video game and the player had to make these decisions? There’s potential for an immersive experience here, although the premise isn’t quite as heart-pounding from another person’s perspective. Drop still has fun with its central idea, but this is a rare film that left me longing for a game tie-in.
Fahy plays Violet, a single mom who goes on her first date since her husband died. Her date Henry (Brandon Sklenar) is handsome and incredibly patient, as Violent spends most of the evening on her phone. Violet initially ignores the anonymous messages that keep popping up. When her son (Jacob Robinson) and sister (Violett Beane) are threatened at home, though, Violet is forced to play along with a stranger. If she calls the police or tries leaving the restaurant, her family is dead. It’s a bit like Phone Booth for the smartphone generation. It also isn’t surprising that one of the film’s writers previously worked on Non-Stop, which had a similar plot involving a mystery texter.
While one person has invaded Violet’s house, another is in the restaurant, tracking her every move. This makes every patron and employee a suspect, although the film could’ve done more with its supporting cast. There are a few colorful characters like a sleazy piano player, an awkward man on a blind date, and a waiter who’s so unfunny that he’s kind of hilarious. Yet, most of the characters fade into the background. It isn’t much of a guessing game since we don’t get to know a lot about these characters outside of Violet and Henry. Plus, it isn’t that hard to figure out who’s pulling the strings.
Director Christopher Landon has made some of the more entertaining horror films of the past decade. Drop isn’t as funny as the Happy Death Day movies or Freaky. The playfulness that Landon brought to those films is present in Drop, however. Despite primarily working in horror, suspense and terror aren’t exactly Landon’s areas of expertise. Nevertheless, he knows how to take an inventive premise and have a good time with it. Drop is just as much a date movie as it is a thriller, pairing well with Heart Eyes from earlier this year.
While some twists are predictable and downright ludicrous, Fahy’s performance keeps the film grounded. Even when we don’t buy everything happening on screen, we believe what she’s going through. Fahy is the main reason why Drop works as a movie. That said, with Hollywood questioning which video games IPs can score Minecraft numbers at the box office, the real question is what movies should be adapted into games. I’d like to nominate Drop, which works just well enough in this medium. Movies like this make me wish Telltale was still producing licensed games, however.