Sci-fi Thriller Songbird Sets Tense Action In A Covid Future
The first movie filmed in a nearly empty Los Angeles during the height of the pandemic lockdown is a very near future science fiction thriller about — a Los Angeles under much more severe lockdown because of a new covid virus. Songbird is the story of one of the very few people immune to this new virus, bike courier Nico, (Riverdale‘s KJ Apa), and his girlfriend Sara (Sofia Carson from the Descendants franchise) who is, like almost the entire world, stuck in her apartment under mandatory lockdown. Below is my spoiler-free review of this tense thriller, available for on-demand rental from Amazon Prime, iTunes and other platforms.
Set in 2024, one year after the highly contagious and almost universally deadly covid-23 strain first hits the world, Songbird interweaves the world of Nico and Sara with wealthy power couple William and Piper Griffin (Bradley Whitford and Demi Moore), social media singer May (Alexandria Daddario), and the head of the city’s Sanitation Department Emmet Harland (Peter Stormare). Other notable actors include Craig Robinson as Nico’s boss in the courier business, a mostly non-comedic role that Robinson performs admirably, and Paul Walter Hauser as disabled veteran Dozer. Hauser brings as much depth to a pretty stereotyped character as he can.
Whitford continues to nail the entitled rich, white, asshole character he perfected in Get Out, and Stormare does his usual excellent work chewing up scenery as a villain. Apa and Carson have the most screen time — it is their romance that is the core of the film after all — and they both do a credible job. Carson has more emotional plot to work with and hits the needed beats solidly. But the surprise here is Demi Moore. As Piper she has the most developed motivation and back story, and Moore leans into the role of “rich bitch” with gusto, but also with some restraint. She isn’t Glenn Close, but she sure is doing a good job channeling Close in this role. I hope to see more of Moore (sorry) in roles like this in the future.
Ultimately the thriller aspect of the movie is a bit paint-by-numbers, but it still uses the techniques available to it by placing it in lockdown — faceless government thugs in hazmat suits or body armor, people trying to make emotional connections through video and cell phones — in logical and even occasionally innovative ways. At a very tight 84 minutes long, it never dragged or felt slow. Since it as Michael Bay production, it does stand out for its lack of gratuitous explosions, which is a relief.
Songbird is not a particularly ambitious movie, and at times it feels like an extended episode of Black Mirror. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you may not feel you got all of your $19.99 rental money’s worth when you’re done. Still, I give Songbird (STX Films et. al., PG-13, 1hr 24mins) a 3 out of 5.
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