Drop: You May Have Seen This Plot Before...... But Not The Ending

Drop, Blumhouse's second major release of 2025, is leagues better than The Woman in the Yard—but still doesn't quite live up to the expectations set by powerhouse predecessors like The Black Phone or M3GAN (both of which, by the way, are getting sequels this year—praise be).

My opinion (that you didn’t ask for): Stream it.

But before I go any further...

Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers. If you’re spoiler-averse, hit up the two-minute spoiler-free version on my TikTok (@uninvited.reviewer) or Instagram (@uninvited_reviewer). You've been warned.

Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy, breakout star of The White Lotus and The Perfect Couple, plays Violet—a widowed mom venturing out on her first date in years. She arrives at a swanky restaurant and is pleasantly surprised that her date, Henry (played by It Ends with Us’ Brandon Sklenar), is actually charming and handsome—two things dating apps rarely deliver.

But the date takes a dark turn when Violet starts receiving anonymous, increasingly menacing drops to her phone. She’s told to say nothing and follow instructions—or the hooded figure on her home security camera will kill her young son and the sister babysitting him. Violet must obey every command… or everyone she loves dies. The final instruction? Kill Henry.

Little bit of a mood killer.

Here’s the thing that bugged me most: this is a good movie. It moves fast—100 minutes, not a second wasted. The characters are relatable, charming, and appropriately evil when called for. But watching it felt oddly familiar. Then it hit me: this is basically Red Eye (2005) with a modern tech twist. When I realized it, I almost threw my arms up Charlie Brown-style and yelled, “ARGH!” in the middle of the theater.

Look, I love a sequel. But I don’t love recycling. At least not in movie plots. (Please do recycle your junk and help save the planet.)

Fahy does a fantastic job as Violet, shifting convincingly between emotional vulnerability and sheer survival-mode rage as she’s forced to consider killing her date to save her family. The stakes are chilling, and the home surveillance angle is a terrifying reminder that even smart tech can’t outsmart a truly bad guy.

Sklenar, as Henry, plays possibly the nicest, most patient man in cinematic history. As Violet’s behavior slides from charming to “Should I call a psychiatrist?” he sticks around, confused but supportive. Bless him.

Honestly, Sklenar needs a hit to distract from the flaming rom-com wreckage that is It Ends With Us. (He and Jenny Slate were the only good parts of that movie, and I will die on that hill.) Unfortunately, while he gives another strong performance here, I’m not convinced this film will get the recognition he deserves.

But let’s get back to the movie.

The chemistry between Fahy and Sklenar carries this film far, and the casting overall is spot-on. One of the best production decisions? Setting most of the action in a restaurant 60-something floors above ground. The claustrophobic, high-stakes environment adds a ton of tension as Violet scrambles to figure out a way out of this nightmare.

She’s a woman backed into a corner—and comes out swinging. Literally. She will kill to protect her family and Henry.

In the third act, we finally meet the man behind the phone drops: Richard, played by Reed Diamond. It’s a refreshing twist, especially since so many thrillers opt to keep the antagonist in the shadows. Diamond’s brief but chilling performance is what ultimately bumps this movie from a “skip it” to a “stream it.”

The supporting cast is also a highlight:

• Gabrielle Ryan plays bartender Cara, who quickly picks up that something’s wrong and has a fabulous “If your date sucks, I’ll help you escape” energy. Love a woman who’s got another woman’s back.

• Jeffery Self plays Matt, an acrophobic waiter working in a restaurant hundreds of feet in the air. He’s awkward, oblivious, and absolutely not who you want serving your table—but in the movie? Total scene-stealer.

  
  

Final thoughts:

The plot is familiar, maybe too familiar—but the strong performances from both leads and a solid supporting cast elevate Drop enough to make it a worthwhile watch. If you’re into suspense and don’t mind a touch of déjà vu, go ahead and stream it. Just maybe not on your first date.