The horror film The Drone starts off with a good premise, but after the early give away there’s only one twist left. Getting to the surprise becomes more of a ho-hum drama that leads to nothing much more than a predictable ending. If you really need to see a horror flick about a drone in the vein of Child’s Play (Chucky) than check this out now on DVD.
Chris (John Brotherton) a professional photographer and Rachel (Alex Essoe) an architect move into their new home together having been married for over a year. He’s amazed at the living space and that it has a top notch security system. Both in love they get settled in their new home. While doing so, Chris finds a perfectly good drone in the garbage can. Taking into his home, he finds out it’s a very expensive one, but his wife thinks that it may belong to someone in the neighborhood. Chris agrees that if someone comes looking for it or they see a posting that a person lost the drone, they will give it back.
Soon after however, the drone starts to do some evil things putting the couple in real danger. Director Jordan Rubin opens his film with a big reveal that shows how the drone gets possessed and then moves on to the story. Unfortunately it’s really not a good thing as it takes away the mystery of why the drone is maniacal and takes out all they mystery. Although Child’s Play did the same thing, showing how a Chucky doll gets possessed, it really doesn’t work here to create any fear in the audience. He does come up with one good twist later on in the film, but by then the audience would be lost in a predictable ending and the surprise becomes meaningless.
In spite of it all, the cast does a pretty good job of carrying out their characters and making them at least a bit credible under the circumstances. While John Brotherton’s Chris seems to like the drone because it takes photos and he finds it fun to peak in on the neighborhood. However, he is concerned that his wife has been complaining about the drone turning on while he is at work. As his concerned wife Rachel, Alex Essoe goes from happy in love to a determined wife frightened that the drone is out to get her. The two actors have very good chemistry together and it’s somewhat of a saving grace.
The Drone has been rated R by the MPAA for bloody violence, language, sexual content and brief drug use. It is now available on DVD. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children to watch the film as it does have some very gory scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: An okay film but not up to grade. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Anita Briem, John Brotherton, Christopher Matthew Cook
Director and writer: Jordan Rubin
MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence, language, sexual content and brief drug use
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 22 min.
Video Release Date: October 15, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: January 28, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: 16×9 Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Released on: DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
