Released at probably the worst possible time (hello to everyone in lockdown), Quibi experienced a relatively soft launch into the crowded streaming market. Designed with the commuter or otherwise time poor/mosquito attention span person in mind, Quibi delivers up short episodic treats of drama, pop culture and news updates daily – that is, if you don’t binge them all at once.
Quibi is only able to be downloaded onto mobile devices, so your smart phone and tablet are about to see a lot more of you now if you like to duck out the back at work for a short breather. Don’t think dodgy YouTube videos– think instead bite sized chunks of Netflix or Prime quality TV series and movies. There are some huge names in Quibi’s first offerings – Anna Kendrick, Sophie Turner, Liam Hemsworth, Laurence Fishburne, to name but a few. The dramas series alone are a sufficient hook for anyone considering paying for yet another streaming subscription.
A few examples of what you can expect when you dive into the delight that is Quibi.
DUMMY
Cody’s screenwriter boyfriend Dan has a private companion, Barbara, who requires regular cleaning and has an endearing little habit of dropping sequins whenever she takes a turn out of the closet. Barbara is a straight talking sex doll who has both a yearning to heard, and a desire to get rid of Cody (Anna Kendrick) out of Dan’s life. Self aware enough to realize that she is degrading, Barbara animates but only to Cody.
#FREERAYSHAWN
Launching with a chase sequence worthy of any big screen action flick, this exciting drama series delivers the gold that is Laurence Fishburn in yet another cop uniform. A war veteran who served in Iraq, Rayshawn Morris (Stephen James) barricades himself into his high rise apartment after an altercation with the police. He will only talk to local cop, Lt Steven Poincy (Fishburn) however begins live streaming his plight on social media as he fears he and his young family will soon be forced out at gunpoint.
THE STRANGER
New to L.A, aspiring writer Clare (Maika Monroe) is excited to do her first rideshare pickup from a hills mansion. Wanting that five star rating, Clare dives into a friendly chat with her very first customer, Carl E (Dane DeHaan). Turns out though that Mr Passenger is Mr Murderer, having killed the owner of the mansion in the minutes before booking his ride.
Is Quibi worth downloading for the two weeks free trial? Absolutely – binge baby binge! The idea behind the daily drops is to spool the user out with a new episode every day but honestly, once you’re into something, you just want that next episode to roll on the next time you’re hiding out in the work toilets. And who can keep track of what’s up in so many shows all at once?
Quibi has launched, similar to Apple TV+, in that there’s not a lot of shows uploaded to the service as yet. We need a LOT of varied content, from the beginning, if we’re expected to part with our bucks on yet another streaming subscription. Your average streamer could nail most of Quibi’s worthy content (there is always going to be shows you will want to ignore) within the trial period. There haven’t actually been any new shows dropped to Quibi during my trial period that would make me think its vital I should pay once the trial period is up.
Quibi is also American centric, which you pick up on in particular with the entertainment review shows that reference American channels not accessible here. So that’s a bit annoying, but you can always make note of the (off Quibi) shows and plug them into justwatch.com afterwards to see where you might be able to watch them.
Overall is Quibi a great concept? Absolutely, even with the sucky timing of the pandemic taking the shine out of its launch. Let’s not to be too fussy though and accept without guilt that we deserve something to cheer us up that is going to be fun and not cost a heck of a lot whilst we’re enjoying it (monthly subscription to Quibi is $12.99).
Absolutely give Quibi a whirl, at least until you run out of things to watch on the go. Quibi is an extremely user friendly App to use and feels like such a lovely little guilty pleasure that it will be difficult to resist diving in and out of it during your busy day.
Andy Thompson
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Deadwater Fell (FOXTEL on Demand) – streaming review
- Flack S2 (FOXTEL on Demand) – streaming review
- Belgravia (FOXTEL on Demand) – streaming review
Andy is a Perth based reviewer who has been moderating online book clubs and working with not-for-profits roughly a bazillion years. Andy contributes to The Blurb on books, streaming TV, movies and various other shiny things she picks up. She is also a bit obsessed with podcasts.