Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Drop tells the story of Violet, a widowed mother who has worked up the courage to go on her first date in years with a charming photographer named Henry, whom she has never met in person and only known through social media. The couple's instant chemistry is rudely interrupted by a series of anonymous drops to Violet's phone, giving her instructions that she must follow to the letter. The messages make it clear that if Violet fails to do as instructed, her loved ones will die. Her unseen tormentor's final directive? Kill Henry.

I am always interested in seeing a good psychological thriller. Conceptually speaking, this film is right up my alley, so I was eager to sit down with it. There isn't anything here that hasn't been done before, which is fine. I liked the idea of using the Drop app to anonymously contact Violet, which was a clever way to send her seemingly perfect evening spiraling out of control.

The air of mystery surrounding the whys and wherefores—and, most importantly, the who—is executed quite well over the film's first two acts. Of course, there are some convenient shenanigans that don't necessarily hold water up to that point, but it does keep you wondering. As the evening unfolds, you come to see who is behind things and why. For me, this is where things went awry. The explanation is rather lame and doesn't live up to what preceded it.

During the finale, things quickly descend into the type of silly, typical genre tropes seen in fast‑food thrillers. While that sounds rather harsh, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy Drop on an elementary level. It had excellent potential, but it caves, trying to have broader appeal rather than coming up with something that doesn't play down to the audience.

Shot digitally, this is an excellent Ultra HD rendering that features crisp detail and a noticeably sharp image. The film has a multitude of sequences containing mixed light–dark elements. Its interior and tightly shot sequences have excellent depth.

Colors are reproduced with aplomb, showcasing primaries like blue and red. Whites are emboldened and detailed, especially during transitions from light to dark. The shots of the city skyline at night, with its twinkling lights against the deep‑black background, looked terrific.

Resolution receives a boost with the differences between the UHD and 1080p renderings being appreciable. Close‑ups tend to look amazing, with resolvable texture visible in interior/exterior locations, physical features, and backgrounds being quite noticeable.

The application of HDR is appropriate, providing emphasis to specular highlights when called upon. I am pleased to report that this appears to be a faithful rendering that complements the source quite nicely.

I was satisfied with how active the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is. The use of environmental sounds emanating from the height channels, when blended with the track's bed channels, provides an appreciable sense of proportional space within the confines of the restaurant. The film contains a host of atmospherics and discrete sound effects that drive its thematic tone. Dialog is firmly planted in the center channel and renders voices and effects with appropriate distinction. I also felt that the Atmos track had excellent low‑frequency presence that underscored certain aspects of the story. Overall, this is a gratifying Dolby Atmos mix that features high‑level detail and rich, room‑filling surround sound.

Bonus features consist of an audio commentary track with director Christopher Landon and three production featurettes that go behind the scenes with the cast as they discuss the making of the film, its shooting location, and character design. A digital code and Blu‑ray complete the package.

Drop is a serviceable thriller that fell just shy of being the kind to make for good coffee‑table discussion. It looks and sounds great on 4K, which qualifies it for purchase consideration for its fans.

Ralph Potts