One of my favorite films of the year is now available to watch at home. Drop, Christopher Landon’s suspense thriller can now be yours via digital platforms, as well as on Blu-ray and 4K UHD. The film comes with exclusive bonus features when you buy either edition of the disc, or the digital copy from participating retailers (Apple TV, Fandango at Home {formerly Vudu}, Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Microsoft Movies & TV, and Movies Anywhere).
The Film:
Anyone who’s been on a first date knows that even in the best of circumstances it can be a highly stressful experience. One wants to put their best foot forward, but it’s hard when you’re not just tasked with keeping up appearances, but with assessing the stranger across the table who you could, with time, end up spending a considerable amount of time with (and much of it naked!). And if you’re returning to the dating game after a long time away, the stressors are compounded, especially if you have kids or, in the case of Violet (Meghann Fahy), an abusive ex who lives in your head rent free.
At first, Violet had her work cut out for her. Henry (Brandon Sklenar) is a dream date. He’s polite, patient, and just as cautiously optimistic as Violet about putting himself out there. But soon after dinner starts, things go haywire when Violet starts receiving messages from someone in the restaurant. Messages with specific instructions to kill her date, lest her son, currently home with a babysitter, be killed by a mysterious attacker.
It’s clear the screenwriters (Jillian Jacobs & Chris Roach) have at some point sat across a table from someone who can’t seem to put down their phone, and found inspiration in what has become a common social frustration. Yet here’s a situation where our heroine really can’t put down her phone (nor is she permitted to tell her date what’s really going on). It’s not social media addiction that has her tapping into the grid with rabid frequency, but a life or death scenario.
Drop plays out like classic Hitchcock by way of ‘90s thrillers, maximizing the use of a single location to tap into universally relatable fears. It’s an expertly paced affair that showcases Landon’s unique directorial eye, as well as a roster of superb performances. The twists and turns come quickly and regularly, and like the best thrillers, it’ll keep you guessing until the very end. Similarly to Landon’s previous work, there’s also a humorous streak to lighten things up (without undercutting the terror, of course).
I’ll put it this way: I’m glad I was sent a review copy of this movie because I was planning on buying it anyway. It’s highly rewatchable AND it’s a great movie to watch other people watch. The look on their faces when…
The package:
Drop comes with a handful of special features, which is more than many releases can say these days. I, for one, am glad that stacked physical media releases (and their digital counterparts) are making a comeback. It’s always a reason to celebrate when a film comes with director’s commentary…
Drop comes with a director’s commentary!!!
It’s a damn good one too. Christopher Landon provides an active and engaging play-by-play complete with behind the scenes anecdotes and a ton of information about the filmmaking process. He’s open about where certain seams should be, and how he and his team (he always shouts out the team) managed to employ movie magic to hide them. This commentary track is similar to another I listened to recently (Leigh Whannell’s for Wolf Man), in that it’s evidence of a filmmaker who remains endlessly enthused about making movies. One gets the sense that a Christopher Landon set is a fun, collaborative one, and the proof is in the pudding: he makes great films.
A Recipe For Thrills: Making Drop
This is a short making-of featurette that mostly doubles down on the veritable film school that Landon provides in his commentary. It’s pretty standard, but in conjunction with the commentary track it’s nice to see certain bits of movie magic after having only heard about them. It’s always fascinating to see what a film looks like during the shoot, long before the sheen of post-production.
A Palate for Panic
Besides the commentary, I found this to be the most fascinating of the special features. In this featurette we get to see the great pains that the production went through in order to create a realistic, dynamic setting for Drop. From the interior design to the actual chef who designed the on-screen cuisine, no stone was left unturned in creating Palate, the hilariously named restaurant the serves as Violet’s prison of sorts. It’s this attention to detail that elevates Drop above many films of its ilk. Those little touches add up, and it’s great to see the craftspeople behind it getting their flowers.
Killer Chemistry
This third and final featurette covers an intangible aspect of making a film that could be described as “romantic comedy, but terrifying” — namely, the relationship between the lead characters. Films like this are not shot chronologically, so it was up to the actors to maintain a believable push-pull of their first date while circumstances around them escalated to extremes. This again highlights how much fun it must’ve been to work on this particular set. For a film that goes to some superbly dark places, the actors really have to do the work, and comfort is paramount in order to sell it. While this particular featurette is the least in-depth of the three, it proved to be the most adept at showing the human element of filmmaking (artificial intelligence, BE GONE!)
Overall, this home video release is a great value with a high rewatchability factor. Home video enthusiasts would do right to pick it up. And if you haven’t seen the movie, you can feel comfortable buying blind.
For this review I watched the 4K UHD version of the film, and I am pleased to report that it’s a stunning transfer with no visible instances of clipping. Specs below:
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: Dolby Atmos
Subtitles
English, English SDH
Disc
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Digital
Digital 4K
Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing
Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A
