Movie Review - Universal's Drop

Everyone's a suspect.

Drop is a 2025 thriller film directed by Christopher Landon, written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, produced by Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes, and Wild Atlantic Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures. It stars Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar.

"A shot never killed anybody." - Henry

Plot

Widow and single mother Violet Gates is nervous: she is about to go on her first date ever since the death of her husband. While she leaves her six-year-old in the care of her sister, Violet meets her date at a restaurant...only to receive a series of threatening digital drops that make her first date a nightmare.

The Sweet

It's very rare that I go into a movie knowing basically nothing about it, but I knew basically nothing about Drop. There was a free early screening being held on my campus, so I went in with my only knowledge being that it was a thriller about a first date. I hadn't seen a trailer. I hadn't seen any buzz or anything like that. I went in essentially blind.

And I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I really enjoy contained, edge-of-your-seat thrillers. This film feels very much like Carry-On, the Netflix original from last year that stars Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman. That film put this premise in an airport and gave it a bit of a Christmas twist, while this movie sets it in a restaurant and gives it a romantic twist. I really liked Carry-On, but I think Drop is better. The characters feel more authentic and the emotions are more real. It combines this horrifying situation with the nerves and awkwardness that can be associated with a first date, and that blend worked incredibly well.

I also really like movies that are set in one location. I refer to them as "snapshot" movies, and I think this is a really well done version of that. It uses the restaurant location for basically everything: thrills, comedy, character moments, mystery building...it's an interesting and unique isolated location that I think really lends itself well ot the type of story that this is.

Director Christopher Landon also does a great job of making this location and situation really suspenseful and creative. Snapshot movies usually require a really creative vision from a director, because you have to keep the entire movie interesting despite the singular location. Landon visualizes these text messages and digital drops that the main character is receiving in a very unique and creative way, and I really enjoyed that. I also think he does a good job of telling us what the main character is thinking through visual language. There will be no dialogue, just suspicious looks and smart camera tricks and angles to help you understand exactly what is going through her head.

I also loved the production design here. I feel like I compare everything to The Shining, but the restaurant in this movie really feels like the Gold Room in The Shining. It has the same uncomfortable warm lighting and beautiful architecture that feels incredibly foreboding. There's just something about the way it's designed that throws you off and gives you a sense of impending doom.

The movie also does a great job of building suspense. Now, given the premise, it's pretty easy to build up a tense situation, but the movie doesn't really let off the gas throughout. Every single time I felt like the story was dwindling and they were failing to find new ways to keep the story intense and suspenseful, there would be some twist or turn that really threw a wrench into things.

Our two main leads here are also really good. I haven't seen The White Lotus, but Meghann Fahy of White Lotus fame is our main star, and she absolutely nails it. Her performance makes you uncomfortable and frustrated because she's doing such a good job of encapsulating the discomfort, frustration, and fear that she is facing in this scenario. Her date, who is played by Brandon Sklenar of It Ends with Us, was also really good. This guy is so charming and likable, and I would really like to see him in more movies. He just chews up the scenery with insane amounts of charisma that make him so much fun to watch on screen.

The Sour

I feel like there's a certain ceiling for a movie like Drop, and it basically reached it. That said, it's not anything incredibly special. This is a really solid, tight-knit thriller with a fun style and great lead performances, but I don't think it will blow anyone away. Like I said, it's very much like Carry-On and some other techno-thrillers, so if you enjoy those types of movies, you'll probably have a good time with this one.

I also think the third act gets a bit ridiculous. This happens often with these smaller thriller and horror movies. There's an intriguing premise or mystery that is actually more interesting than the answers we are given. That is the case with Drop. The tension and thrills are more exciting than the actual scheme being executed. When you find out who is doing this and why they are doing it, it's not very surprising or interesting. I also think they tack on this extra action-sequence type thing at the end that just feels out of place. The movie isn't necessarily overstaying it's welcome: it's more just overdoing the premise a bit.

I also feel like the entire premise requires you to suspend some disbelief. The story hinges on the idea that this is the only way the perpetrator can accomplish the thing he is trying to accomplish. And, logically, that's simply untrue. If you can forgive that aspect of the story, you will be able to have a good time. If you cannot get past that, you will just be sitting there rolling your eyes at the entire thing.

Finally, avoid the trailers for this movie like the black plague (if you plan on seeing it). I don't know why this is a thing with some modern movie trailers, especially Blumhouse ones, but they spoil, like, half the movie. A bunch of cool twists and reveals are just blatantly shown in the trailer. If you want the best movie-watching experience possible, do not watch the trailer. I only watched it after the movie and saw how much it really revealed.

Final Thoughts and Score

Drop is a very solid, edge-of-your-seat thriller. It isn't anything special, but these are the types of movies I wish we'd get instead of Snow White.

I am going Savory here. Age range is 12+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)

"Drop"

Fun Factor: 8.5/10

Acting: 8/10

Story: 7/10

Characters: 7.5/10

Quality: 8/10

Directed by Christopher Landon

Rated PG-13 for moderate violence and action, disturbing themes and images, language, suggestive material, thematic elements

Released on April 11, 2025

1 hour and 35 minutes

Meghann Fahy as Violet Gates

Brandon Sklenar as Henry

Violett Beane as Jen

Jacob Robinson as Toby

Reed Diamond as Richard

Gabrielle Ryan Spring as Cara

Jeffery Self as Matt

Ed Weeks as Phil

Travis Nelson as Connor