Review: Songbird Is Too Much of a Pandemic Reminder
A few years in the future, COVID-23 is running rampant across the globe. Those who are lucky enough to be immune to the disease can roam the world freely, but those who are not, are isolated to their homes 24/7. Necessities, such as food and goods, need to be UV scanned before entering the home while those who are isolated at home are required to take a COVID test via their phones everyday. If the test comes back positive, it’s only a matter of time before the Department of Sanitation arrives at there door to ship them off to the Q-zone, an isolated part of the city where those affected go to essentially die.
This is where we find our leading man, Nico (KJ Apa). The young courier, who is immune to the disease, who spends his days running packages to the rich in Los Angeles and his nights hosting date nights with his girlfriend, Sara (Sofia Carson). Sara, unfortunately, must remain in her home, isolated with her grandmother due to the disease, but dreams of one day leaving the city with Nico. To do this, Nico must make enough money to buy immunity passes, better viewed as bracelets, which allow people to move freely throughout the city without the fear of being shot on sight for potentially caring the disease. However, things take a turn for the worse when Sara’s grandmother falls ill and the Department of Sanitation is moments of way from taking her and her grandmother to the Q-zone. Now, Nico must race against the clock to find these illusive immunity passes and risk his life to get them or lose the woman he loves forever.
At the end of the day, this film is suppose to feel like an action romance, but there is not enough romance or action to fill either genre. The romance is lacking between are leads, even with all their virtual dates, while the action doesn’t really get going anywhere until the last 15 minutes. The buildup to the climax takes to long and no one wants to be constantly reminded that it is not safe to go outside.
Apa and Carson do what they can with the roles that they are given. It’s a disappoint, specifically for Apa, because both stars are talented, but there is nothing of substance for them to work with. Demi Moore and Bradley Whitford take on the role of the ritzy Griffin family who are just as skeevy as they are rich. Craig Robinson, Alexandra Daddario, and Paul Walter Hauser round out the cast and are such minor characters that viewers forget they are even in it.
If this movie had been released prior to the pandemic, this film would have been somewhat decent. However, with COVID cases rising all across the world, it’s hard for people to watch something they are actively living. It is even harder to watch something where the potential of the virus getting worse is a real possibility. It’s a harsh reminder of the world we are living in and most people don’t want that reminder. They want to watch movies and TV shows that distract them from reality and not amplify the stress.
Grade: D