Dropa

In this brooding sci-fi police procedural, David Matranga plays Harrison (or "Harry," as he often called here), a melancholy cop in an alternate Earth where America has become a Russian outpost following a nuclear war, an apocalypse that also released previously unknown creatures, Dropa, from the ocean's depths that humankind subsequently almost completely wiped out. The "almost" is the hook on which DROPA hangs, as Harrison spends the movie seeking a renegade surviving Dropa (well played by Jason Douglas with an ironic Russian accent) that is hunting the killers of its species.

The movie's low-key atmosphere accentuates the noir-ish style of writer-director Wayne Slaten, who with each movie further demonstrates a fine command of the medium. His script's concentration on characterization over B-movie action adequately pulls off the ambitious alternate universe story, with its frequent flashbacks into the pasts of Harrison and the Dropa antagonist. These potent asides to the main action bring the somewhat muddy motivations of these characters into better focus. Visually, the Dropa's monstrous look is conveyed with welcome restraint, and the CGI views of a "futuristic" Houston (where the movie was shot) are also thankfully abbreviated and, therefore, more effective. Director Slaten accentuates the up close and personal treatment of the characters by relying upon tight closeups of his actors, further underlining the movie's intimacy. Those looking for a blown out BLADE RUNNER clone may be disappointed here, but the rest will appreciate the thoughtful plot-line, well written dialogue and decent performances.

Ok, here's the deal on low budget scifi/horror -- fans bend over backwards to praise them as they ignore factors they would not in any other genre which they weren't particular fans of.

This is a low budget scifi horror flick. That means mostly closeup shots, because all the other shots cost money. It means substandard actors. It means clunky dialogue and clumsy dialogue delivery and plot pacing. It usually means heavy amounts of ripping off better-known movies. Dropa has all the above.

Yes, this HEAVILY rips off Bladerunner. A fanboi would say it "pays homage." Ok, it does that. And not badly, either. But it does it, a lot. It's also a James Cameron homage, or ripoff, namely the Alien series. That's ok. It does it decently.

But the lead actor? Ugh. Acts like he came from porn. He substitutes intensity for a furrowed brow that almost never lets up. As if he has a 100-minute, uninterrupted headache. That's just not real. And worse-- it's just not necessary. And we have to watch him in almost every minute of this film. He's pretty and hardbodied, but since this is constant-close-up territory, we have to watch his face a lot, and that face isn't up to the task.

This movie's best feature? The plot writing. It does an above-average job of creating an alternate earth world (again, too much like Bladerunner), but it does it with thought. I can tell the best parts of this movie were left in the discarded script notes. It's nothing revelatory, but it's as good and occasionally better than many big-name tv series, especially standards like TWD franchise and similar.

Terribly acted, poorly directed and edited. This is MST3000 fodder.

Yes it was a great movie if you want background noise while you clean fish or cut up onions. I kept expecting better acting or maybe special effects.

This film has so much potential it could have been a major contribution to the sci- fi genre. The plot is intricate and layered, teasing you along the way and revealing just enough to take you to the next level. Photography is wonderful and some of the acting is equally impressive. The time sequencing is also a big plus. But the film is uneven and for that reason it may not resonate. It's definitely worth watching.