Nico Price (K.J. Apa, Riverdale), was a paralegal putting himself through law school before the pandemic happened. Now he’s a Los Angeles bike courier. Nico is one of the lucky 0.1% of the population that’s immune to the virus. These “munies” are free to roam around as they please, while everyone else lives in a state of martial law. With COViD-23 being airborne, people are forced to stay indoors, and submit to daily virus checks. Those who do become ill are dragged off by the Department of Sanitation to infamous quarantine zones, called Q-zones, where they are pretty much never seen again.

Nico and his girlfriend Sara Garcia (Sofia Carson, Descendants) have never actually seen each other in person. They first met when Nico accidentally made a delivery to the wrong address. Ever since, they have been talking daily over the phone and through video chat. Sara has been in lockdown with her grandmother Lita (Elpidia Carrillo, Mayans M.C.) since the virus broke, and Nico is saving up money to take Sara away with him one day to some place free from the virus.

Nico’s boss Lester (Craig Robinson, The Office) is constantly keeping tabs on his employees, and tracking Nico’s deliveries thanks to GPS and the help of tech guy Dozer (Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell). Michael Dozer is a wheelchair-bound Afghanistan veteran who uses his drone to keep track of what’s happening in the outside world. One of Nico’s regular delivery stops is the Griffin household. Piper (Demi Moore) and William Griffin (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing) are an upper-class couple who have turned to selling fake credentials and immunity bracelets and helping people circumvent the military checkpoints in order to keep a roof over their heads. While Piper stays locked down in the home with their immunocompromised 12-year-old daughter, William is constantly breaking curfew and sneaking out for trysts with his mistress, struggling singer/songwriter May (Alexandra Daddario, Why Women Kill)—a situation that concerns Piper as it constantly puts their daughter at risk.

When there is a virus outbreak in the Garcias’ apartment building, ruthless Department of Sanitation head Emmett Harland (Peter Stormare, American Gods) comes to investigate. Harland is a despicable man who loves flaunt his power and status as a munie. It’s only a matter of time before the virus will spread to the other apartments, and he warns Sara that he’ll be back soon to get her. Now Nico must move up his timeline and rescue Sara before she either catches the virus or is carted off to the Q-zone. This will send the lives of all of these characters on a collision course.

Songbird explores how people and the world might have adapted and changed 4 years from now had there never been a vaccine and things just kept getting worse. It blends a Romeo and Juliette-style love story, with an action-packed thriller. Nico and Sara love each other, but they are from two different worlds, and can’t be with one another. It’s not just the virus that is keeping them apart, but there are corrupt humans who are also out to get them. Nico will do whatever it takes to make sure that he and Sara can be together some day. Relationships are a central theme of the film, whether it’s people just finding love, or relationships that are falling apart, like the Griffins. Everyone has been affected by this virus. Some have been corrupted like Harland and let their power go to their head, or resorted to illegal means like the Griffins, while others have managed to hold onto their integrity and hope, even finding new connections despite the social distancing of this new world.

Songbird was the first film to be produced during the pandemic, while everyone was on lockdown and no one had yet figured out how filmmaking would work in these new conditions. It is a film about a pandemic, filmed during the pandemic…you can’t get much more meta than that! While a lot of scenes take place with characters in separate locations, communicating via chat or video chat, I never really got the feeling that I was watching some limited production. There have been TV shows that have resorted to Zoom or other measures to keep actors distanced, and this always feels so obvious. It takes you out of the film when you start thinking about the technical things like that. However, I didn’t get that sense here, and despite these limitations and challenges, the way the film is edited, and the faster pace of the action makes the movie still feels like a big blockbuster, and not some small independent found footage type film shot on iPhones. Michael Bay is one of the producers, and while Songbird may not have the same level of explosions as one of his typical films, there is still quite a lot of action and excitement mixed in with the character drama.

In the deleted scenes commentary, the director talks about the original cut of the film came in at 2.5 hours. I am so glad that they decided to edit things down as this much tighter version works very well, without the story or action ever slowing down too much. If I had one complaint about the film, it’s that some of the villains come off a little too cartoony. This is especially the case with Harland, who is so ridiculously over-the-top, he might as well have a mustache to twirl. Also, William looks like something out of Mad Max with his oxygen mask and bandanna as he braves the outside world. The rest of the characters feel much more grounded and real. KJ Apa is quite good in this role, both as the romantic lead and action star. He has great chemistry with Sofia Carson, even though they barely have any scenes where they are physically together. The producers also seem to have taken a page right out of the Riverdale playbook, finding reasons for him to be shirtless (of course he needs a shower to wash off that COVID!). The rest of the cast is also filled out with lots of talented and recognizable actors.

While this film did not receive a 4K disc release, the Blu-ray release does come with an Apple TV-only 4K digital copy, so fans can still catch the film in 4K via digital. That said, Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds excellent. This does not look like a movie that had any filming limitations. Much of the film was shot on brand new handheld 4K cameras, which provide a really pristine, clean picture and bring the viewer right into the action. Though some of the video chat footage isn’t quite as clean looking as the rest of the movie. The audio track is also quite impressive, providing clear dialogue, and making excellent use of the surround channel to provide an immersive viewing experience. This is especially noticeable in the news reports that open the film, and when things like helicopters or drones fly overhead. The Blu-ray comes packed in a standard HD keepcase with a slipcover and a digital copy of the film, plus a bonus Universal All-Access Rewards points code that can be used for a free digital movie or towards other rewards. The disc is also loaded with bonus material, including 45 minutes of deleted scenes, nearly 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, an audio commentary, and a music video.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:25:23)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/16/2026):

• 4K digital copy redeemable via Apple TV (not Movies Anywhere compatible)
• Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
  Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the new Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of free digital titles changes every month or so, and as of March 1, 2021, include Nanny McPhee, Moonrise Kingdom, Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack, The Purge (4K), and Leap Year. (This selection will likely change on April 1, 2021.)

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

• Deleted Scenes (44:59)
  Collection of 18 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director/co-writer Adam Mason. Play All, or select from:
  • The Old Life (2:02)
    Original opening of the film giving Nico’s backstory as he visits his old office.
  • Sandwiches (:43)
    Nico visits an empty diner,
  • Nails #1 (1:31)
    Nico listens to conspiracy theory podcaster Nails as he drives to his next pickup.
  • Westside Bestside (3:19)
    Original introduction to Dozer from the eyes of his drone. Nico goes to see Lester at the office.
  • What’s the Matter, Alice? (3:12)
    Original introduction to May. She sings a cappella as Dozer listens. Lita leaves her apartment to smoke with the next door neighbor.
  • May Sings the Blues (2:49)
    Original scene in which May meets Dozer.
  • Nails #2 (2:27)
    More of the Nails podcast over a montage of character clips.
  • You Ain’t Clean! (2:11)
    Extended version of the scene where Harland kills a homeless man.
  • Nails #3 (1:41)
    More of the Nails podcast over clips of a shirtless Nico.
  • William Sucks (5:58)
    Piper finds out about her husband’s infidelity from her daughter. William goes to see May.
  • Narcoleptic Nico (:43)
    Dream sequence where Nico and Sara kiss.
  • Crack With Your CocoPops (2:00)
    Longer cut of the scene where Nico calls Lester for help to save Lita and Sara.
  • Peeping Tom? (5:51)
    Dozer and May get to know each other over chat.
  • Call Harland (1:23)
    The Griffins call Harland to warn him about Nico.
  • Grandma’s Cookies (4:08)
    Extended cut of Nico’s first confrontation with Harland.
  • Giffords (1:03)
    Scene with office dolt Giffords, who appears regularly in the writers’ scripts.
  • You Let Her Tape You??? (1:58)
    Extended version of Piper confronting William.
  • A House Up In The Hills (2:05)
    Extended version of the final confrontation between Nico and Harland.
• The Story of Songbird (43:59)
  The filmmakers and cast talk about how the idea for the movie came about, how the story evolved, casting the film, the technology used, and the challenging process of creating this film during a pandemic. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer Adam Mason, producers Adam Goodman, Jason Clark, Michael Kase, Eben Davidson, Michael Bay, Jeanette Volturno & Marcei Brown, director of photography Jacques Jouffret, production designer Jennifer Spence, the CEO of RED Jarred Land, co-producer Max Votolato, and stars KJ Apa (“Nico”), Sofia Carson (“Sara”), Alexandra Daddario (“May”), Craig Robinson (“Lester”), Paul Walter Hauser (“Dozer”) & Peter Stormare (“Emmett D. Harland”).
• “Kingdom” Promo Video (3:17)
  Music video for the end credits song “Kingdom” by Røyale.
  
• The Making of “Kingdom” (4:07)
  A look at how the music video was recorded remotely. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Adam Mason and the band.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Adam Mason and Co-Writer Simon Boyes(1:25:23)
  The film’s writers provide an interesting and informative commentary, discussing the evolution of the story and film, and the many challenges of creating and shooting a film during the pandemic. Some of this is a bit repetitive to the previous behind-the-featurette.

Final Thoughts:

Songbird is an entertaining and exciting love story/thriller set during a pandemic. Despite being filmed during lockdown, the film does not feel like the result of a production that was limited in any way. For the most part the acting and characters are strong, though there are a couple of weak, cartoony villains. The technical presentation of the disc is fantastic, and includes a large assortment of bonus material that will surely please fans. The release also includes a 4K iTunes-only digital copy for those who still want to own physical but be able to check out the movie in 4K. This Blu-ray release is definitely worth a look.