Notes
My quick rating - 6.4/10. Drop is the latest high-concept thriller from director Christopher Landon, best known for genre-bending hits like Happy Death Day and Freaky. This time, he ditches the supernatural body-swap angle and locks us into a digital-age nightmare that takes place almost entirely during one nerve-fraying dinner. The result is a slick, tech-fueled psychological thriller that flirts with absurdity but keeps you watching thanks to convincing performances and a mounting sense of claustrophobic dread.
The story follows Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother dipping her toes back into the dating pool. Her date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) starts off better than expected—he’s suave, charming, and easy on the eyes. But the evening takes a dark turn when Violet begins receiving a barrage of anonymous AirDrops to her phone—each one more disturbing than the last. From cringy memes to invasive photos to outright threats, the texts escalate into a full-blown game of digital manipulation. And the worst part? The sender is likely sitting somewhere nearby.
Landon makes excellent use of the film’s single-location setup—a high-rise restaurant with a dazzling view (Chicago, or maybe Ireland, doubling for it—it’s confusing and oddly amusing). The upscale atmosphere creates a false sense of safety, even as the walls close in on Violet. Every fellow diner becomes a suspect, and her date starts to feel less like a potential partner and more like another potential predator. The paranoia is palpable.
Technologically speaking, Drop taps into a very real, very annoying issue: AirDrop abuse. While some might scoff at the idea that meme drops could ruin your night (or your life), the film spins that kernel of digital irritation into a full-blown siege scenario. It’s a reminder of how much control we've ceded to our devices, and how easily that control can be weaponized.
Fahy holds the film together with a grounded, sympathetic performance. Her increasing discomfort and desperation are convincingly portrayed, even when the plot starts to teeter into 90s-action-movie logic. Sklenar gives Henry a layered charm that may or may not be masking something sinister. The chemistry between the two leads works, but it’s always undercut by the creeping tension that something is very, very wrong.
While Drop doesn’t always make sense, it doesn’t have to. This is a movie more interested in vibes than logic—an anxiety spiral dressed up as a date night thriller. The pacing dips here and there, and the final reveal might be too over-the-top for some, but Landon’s signature chaotic energy keeps it engaging. A particular highlight is how the film ties in the text messages with on-screen visuals. It blends the digital with the cinematic in a way that feels stylish without being gimmicky.
Ultimately, Drop is a wild ride through one of the worst first dates imaginable. It’s not revolutionary, and it won’t make you swear off AirDrop forever (though maybe it should), but it delivers just enough suspense, tech-driven terror, and beautiful cityscape views to justify the trip.
My verdict? A tense, stylish thriller that rides high on digital dread and dating anxiety, Drop lands more hits than misses, just don’t expect a fully grounded reality. Would recommend pairing with airplane mode.
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