Reel Review: Companion is a Sweet Surprise Among Recent Horror Duds
Companion is the newest horror movie from the creators of Barbarian and the studio behind The Notebook. Before we hop into the review, it has to be said that this movie is enjoyed to the fullest capacity by going in blindly. We recommend not even watching the trailer as it does contain one of the films plot twists. That being said, spoilers are ahead.
Companion follows Josh (Jack Quaid) who brings his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher) on a remote cabin retreat weekend with some friends. Sergey (Rupert Friend) is the sketchy host, Kat’s (Megan Suri) reluctant boyfriend. Patrick (Lukas Gage) and Eli (Harvey Guillen) round out the crew. As the three couples try to relax and enjoy their vacation time together, something goes wrong causing chaos to ensue.
One of the biggest misses for me with this movie is that the studio ruined one of the twists in their full length trailer. That twist being that Iris is a companion robot. Josh purchased and programmed her to be the perfect girlfriend, but after tampering with her settings, he pushes her to do something destructive. While this twist would have been better kept a secret until the movie came out, there are more twists along the way to delight viewers.
Josh changes Iris’ settings to make her more aggressive and jealous, leading her to attack Sergey on the lakefront one morning. After killing him, the rest of the group ties her up only to share that this was their weekend plan all along. Though Patrick and Eli were not in on it. This leads to Iris discovering that she is in fact a robot, not a human with feelings. Iris then seeks revenge against her former partner and anyone else who gets in her way.
Lukas Gage is an absolute standout in this film, which was a surprise given his minimal trailer screen time and relatively innocuous presence during the first act. Upon the group’s anti-robot sentiment after Sergey’s murder, it is revealed that Patrick is also a companion robot. Patrick’s arc of real heartbreak, self discovery, and overturn of power is a delightful surprise and secondary storyline. Gage brings a certain level of empathy and innocence to the character while also being robotic and obedient.
Jack Quaid has solidified himself as a serious actor despite the nepotism baby doubts. His work in horror is refreshing and embodies much of what Gen-Z is looking for in the new generation of the genre. While in real life he seems like a delightful man, he is able to jump headfirst into these controlling, overly dominant, and sexist characters.
While some may say that the robot and AI story is nothing new especially in horror, the best part of this film is the social commentary. In a time where women are constantly in fear of losing control over their bodies, reflecting that in a power dynamic such as this is incredibly smart. Iris’ evolution toward freedom is reflective of a lot of women currently trying to take back control over their lives whether that is from the government or a single man. This dynamic is also exposed in the treatment of Patrick, a gay man/robot. The way in which straight men view him in this film is as if he is someone to obtain power over to then exploit.
Companion explores power dynamics in today’s modern culture through a lens of revolutionary technology. Much of the movie’s themes of power, dominance, and freedom are largely reflective of the current social and political climate and are explored in such a clever way.
Companion is playing in theaters now.
