‘Drop’ Review: A Thriller Mixing Creativity and Absurdity

Who knew that memes could be deadly? Christopher Landon’s latest film, “Drop,” uses the absurd plot point of threatening memes to motivate its main character, Violet (Meghann Fahy), to comply with threatening text messages on a first date at a high-end restaurant. The weirdest part? The threat is actually vaguely frightening. “Drop” co-opts the classic conventions of the thriller genre — a hostage situation, a mysterious villain, and huge stakes — while also standing on its own two feet as a creative and absurd, yet genuinely exciting, movie. Although the first third of the film fails to make much of a mark, by the ending credits of “Drop,” viewers will surely be shocked and thoroughly amused by Landon’s quirky mystery.

“Drop” boasts some particularly well-done visual techniques that enhance the eerie aspects of Violet’s story. Since much of the plot revolves around text messages appearing on Violet’s phone screen, it’s important that the real-world action and the digital landscape are equally emphasized. Violet’s menacing texts are never stagnantly displayed in the corner of the screen — instead, they appear in different fonts across the restaurant and are creatively placed so that the viewer’s eye is always searching for where the threat will appear. The varied application of text in different parts of the shot emphasizes the sense that Violet is under attack from all angles due to the hostage situation.

Beyond this editing technique, “Drop” also uses long takes to its advantage to generate a feeling of unease at the film’s beginning, even when nothing overtly scary is occurring. As Violet walks the halls of her own home, the camera stays with her with minimal cuts, a technique that is often used in thrillers before a scare will appear. Although nothing startling occurs in the opening minutes of the movie, anxiety builds as long shots depict Violet preparing for her date and entering the restaurant. Once the premise of the hostage situation is established in the restaurant, the use of these no-cut shots diminishes, and more fast-paced shots are used to emphasize action and Violet’s fear. These small details help build the atmosphere, even when the script doesn’t do much to engage the audience.

Tonally, “Drop” is a rollercoaster ride. The above techniques give the first third of the film a classic thriller atmosphere full of anticipation, but once Violet’s hostage situation becomes clear, the tone takes a swerve toward absurdity. Part of this shift is simply the script (Jillian Jacobs, Chris Roach). Violet becomes aware of an overbearing stalker watching her every move not through a mysterious phone call or a menacing letter, but instead via AirDropped memes, including the swerving car and Elmo on fire meme formats. Immediately, this injects a sense of absurdity into the thriller — it’s hard to take someone speaking through memes seriously, even if they are threatening you. It’s clear that “Drop” embraces the strangeness of the situation intentionally, as the film oscillates between humor and intense drama. In one moment, Violet is asked to poison her date, and in the next, a funny waiter character (Jeffery Self) appears and cracks jokes while Violet is visibly distressed. Additionally, as Violet follows the stalker’s dangerous instructions, other characters give her humorous quizzical looks. In a film that takes itself too seriously, these tonal variations could be disastrous, but the use of humor in “Drop” actually serves to make the stakes feel more important. Humor makes the side characters more loveable, helping the audience feel invested in the drama.

The shame of “Drop” is the fact that the first third of the film completely undersells the creative tone that the film comes to revel in. The first 15 minutes of the dialogue are flat and boring, and too much time is wasted on irrelevant filler conversation that attempts to blandly introduce characters. In order to play by the thriller genre’s rules, the opening plainly outlines the main characters and doesn’t attempt any creative deviations. This may leave viewers more confused and unable to buy into the drama when the tone suddenly shifts into intense absurdity. “Drop” could be more successful if it let itself be silly throughout instead of feeling like it is adhering to classic thriller genre conventions at the start.

Landon infuses “Drop” with something that’s hard to find — originality. The mystery itself doesn’t feel new, but the delivery is funny and exciting. Ultimately, “Drop” cannot escape the fact that it is a genre piece defined by the mores of thrillers, but it does test the boundaries of the form’s willingness to accept absurdity and humor. Drop into theaters to see the film if you’re looking for a wild ride.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.