Review: ‘Songbird’
Extremely dull, underwritten and heavy-handed, and completely devoid of any tension or atmosphere, pandemic-themed thriller Songbird is one of the worst films of the year.
Back in May, when the world was still in the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that Michael Bay was set to produce a film inspired by the pandemic that would be directed by Adam Mason and written by Simon Boyes and Mason himself. Unsurprisingly, the news was met with a less than favorable response, with the general public lambasting the decision to “capitalize on” and “take advantage of” a global tragedy. That did little to deter the filmmakers, who went on to write a script, cast several well-known actors, shoot the film and then ready it for its December 11 release.
The film’s first trailer, which debuted in October when the virus was gearing up for a more severe second wave, was met with a similar response to the film’s initial announcement, with critics slamming it as an attempt to “cash in on human suffering” and “romanticize the pandemic”. For what it’s worth, in an interview with EW, Mason described the film as “a romantic movie about two people who want to be together, but they can’t” and even went so far as to compare it to Romeo & Juliet, drawing further criticism from potential audiences. Suffice to say, the film has caused quite a stir and understandably so. No matter how you look at it, there is no denying that it is at best in poor taste to not only conceive but also make a film that attempts to capitalize on a situation that the entire world is still facing to this day.
Optics aside, however, the golden question here is whether or not the film stands on its own. Set four years into the future, where COVID-19 has mutated and is still a threat to the world’s population, people who find themselves infected with the virus are taken from their homes against their will and subsequently forced into quarantine camps, also known as “Q-Zones” (an obvious and distasteful attempt at evoking concentration camps), where some of the infected attempt to fight back against the brutal restrictions set upon them. In these camps, the infected are left to die or forcibly get better. Nico (KJ Apa), a motorbike courier who is immune to the virus due to the fact he was infected with it earlier, attempts to embark on a relationship with young artist Sara (Sofia Carson), who finds herself in a perpetual lockdown that prohibits her from making any physical contact with anyone outside of her household. When Sara suddenly finds herself exposed to a possible infection, Nico races across the empty streets of Los Angeles in an attempt to save her.
Setting aside the context of the film and the inspiration behind it, is Songbird a good enough film that can be enjoyed by audiences years from now, when things are relatively back to normal and the pandemic is hopefully in the world’s collective rear view mirror? The simple answer is no. Extremely heavy-handed and completely devoid of any tension or atmosphere, Songbird is simply not a good movie. Transitioning from scene to scene, storyline to storyline, with no fluidity, no correlation and no craftsmanship whatsoever, it’s hard to imagine what Bay and his team saw in this script that made them want to back the project. With no nuance or complexity to anchor its dull proceedings, Songbird plays out like the very first draft of a script conceived after one too many drinks – which may have been the case here, considering the film’s fast turnaround. The lack of sensitivity in which it handles its subject matter is just absolutely astounding.
Case in point: Songbird opens with a montage that, with Alex Jones-esque radio jockeys shouting about “fake news” and ominous claims of garbage men apparently being given a license to kill spread on a TikTok-like app, plays out like a conspiracy theorist’s wildest wet dream. In a page straight out of JK Rowling’s handbook, those who have managed to build up an immunity to the virus are now actively being discriminated against, and are constantly referred to by the rest of the population as “munies”. “You just hate me cause I’m immune and you’re not,” mutters the lead character at one point, which is just one example of the many painful, cringe-worthy lines of dialogue scattered throughout the film.
Poor KJ Apa and Sofia Carson, the leads of the film, are saddled with the tough task of making their one-dimensional characters likeable enough for audiences to root for. Apa, known for his performance as Archie in Riverdale, does what he can with the material he is given but not even the most talented of actors could have managed to save such an underwritten role. Carson is the film’s only MVP, her scenes with her ill grandmother giving her an opportunity to flex her acting chops and add some layers to her character. Bradley Whitford and Peter Stormare deliver shockingly bad performances in the film, with Stormare, in usual form, furiously chewing up the scenery around him in a role that wouldn’t be out of place in a B movie, which Songbird, for all intents and purposes, pretty much is. One has to wonder if the creatives involved with the film contracted COVID-19 themselves because a movie done in such poor taste can only be done by someone with no sense of taste at all.
Rating: 1/5
Songbird will be released on VOD on December 11.