Phénix

When this was announced it had Michael Bay's name attached as producer and was supposedly going to be a pandemic thriller. Now I know many people have a disdain for Michael Bay, but I actually think that he brings some visual prowess to his projects however it's clear that his name was only attached for recognition purposes. This is neither anything visually bombastic or anything close to being a pulse pounding thriller. It's a very amateur romantic drama that focuses more on the interpersonal communication between characters as they struggle through the changing times. It becomes increasingly dragging and you just keep asking yourself what the real intent of the overall film really is. Some of the actors are seasoned veterans but are truly underutilized for new or younger actors that are frankly not on par. The production value is that of a cancelled TV series on the big networks as well. Overall this is just a very big failure and definitely not what I was expecting.

2 out of 5 stars.

Songbird is a sci fi thriller based on the real world covid epidemic. Taking place in 2023 with covid 23 mutated into a lethal virus that is more airborne than ever. And the cities are on a strict lockdown with military authorized to shoot if caught outside your home. Nico (K.J. Apa) is a bike courier. Who delivers packages. When his girlfriend Sara (Sofia Carson) who is quarantined in there apartment may be infected. A sanitization crew is called in to sweep and take her to an infected zone. Nice who is immune. He is willing to do whatever it takes to save her.

The plot does leave a lot of holes open. It has characters who are selling immunity bracelets. A young woman who invites man to her hotel room for sex while trying to keep there face masks on. A veteran who uses his drone to check the city. All these characters are uninteresting. The script is terrible in executing in making these characters stand out.

The direction is terrible. The cinematography is all over the place with weird camera angles and quick and shaky cuts. The story goes completely nowhere in the end.

The cast is great. K.J. Apa. Sofia Carson. Demi Moore. Alexandria Daddario. And Peter Stormare were all completely wasted playing characters that are forgettable. The script did not give them anything to work with besides giving them tedious characters.

The movie lacked thrills when it tries to be. But showing Nico riding his motorcycle all over Los Angeles from one warehouse to another. Which lacks the excitement.

Songbird is definitely one of those films that is best to skip to a streaming service or skip it all together. It was just terrible.

This movie was not bad. It's not Oscar material, but it's watchable. It's like one critic ripped it, then others followed suit trying to one-up each other to see who could rip it harder. It's on Hulu for free so just watch it. After I watched it I read an LA Times article about how it was made which makes me appreciate it a little more.

The trailer was interesting. I postponed watching this for two days thinking it will be depressing to watch but finally I watched it and I really liked it. There was attention to detail. Actors did a good job. Production and cinematography is as good as any A movie. There are somethings that were shown in the movie that are actually unfolding as reality now. I liked it so much that I am recommending my family and friends to watch it too.

It's a love story in times of quarantine, with little to no action, a couple that in all their three conversations on camera was about "the safety of their daughter", an don Juan trying to make more money but his actions does the opposite of doing the job, an annoying Demi Moore in a character with a weird sense of morality and, again, a good performance of Peter Stormare. If the movie tried to send a message, it just went past me.