Directed by Drew Hancock and produced by Zach Cregger (director of 2022’s Barbarian), Companion is a story of sentient artificial intelligence, similar to 2014’s Ex Machina, but it replaces the deep philosophical introspection with a more outrageous comedic tone. Companion succeeds in providing an entertaining and thrilling viewing experience. It strikes a strong balance between comedy and thriller, with many memorable sequences that will make it a fun film to revisit. While not perfect, it’s a strong start for horror in 2025.
The film begins with narration from our main character, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), who explains her story, filmed in a style that feels straight out of a rom-com, about meeting her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid). Her narration ends on an ominous note, suggesting that their perfect relationship might not be what it seems.
The plot shifts to Iris and Josh embarking on a trip to see Josh’s friends at a remote mountain location owned by the billionaire Russian Sergei (Rupert Friend). Soon after arriving, it is revealed (and annoyingly spoiled in the marketing materials) that Iris is an advanced artificial intelligence, more specifically, a sex bot owned by Josh, capable of acting like a regular person. Josh has complete control over her, both in how she looks and how she presents herself to the world. She is also programmed to love Josh unconditionally. In his arrogance, Josh mods Iris, bypassing restrictions in her programming, including the one preventing her from causing harm. He loses control, sparking the rest of the story, where Iris gains sentience and seeks to break free.
Hancock impressively maintains a consistent tone throughout. Companion never becomes too serious to stop being entertaining but Hancock and his team never let the campiness overwhelm the story, ensuring the film remains grounded. The film includes clever, though sometimes obvious, metaphors about modern abusive relationships. Using contemporary issues like artificial intelligence as a foundation helps the themes and messages of the film feel fresh.
Companion makes several smart choices that help elevate its message, especially in its casting. First, casting a charismatic star like Jack Quaid to play Josh, the boyfriend and main antagonist, is a strong decision. Quaid has showcased a dorky likability in his career (most notably in The Boys), and Companion cleverly subverts this quality. The standout, however, is Sophie Thatcher in the lead role as Iris. Thatcher has already proven she can play the strong, stoic type (in projects like Heretic and Yellowjackets), and she effectively portrays Iris’s self-reliant and hard-nosed qualities. Most impressively she portrays a striking sense of vulnerability in a way we haven’t seen before from her. Iris is a well-written protagonist, and Thatcher perfectly conveys her transformation as she gains sentience and realizes the person she “loved” was not who she thought they were.
As I mentioned earlier, even though Companion centers on AI, the film isn’t concerned with ethics or potential issues stemming from a world where technology is so advanced that robots are nearly indistinguishable from humans yet are treated like everyday electronics. This choice is both a blessing and a curse. It works because by simplifying the science fiction elements, the filmmakers avoid getting bogged down in explaining the technology, which frees them to focus on the themes they’re more interested in.
However, this also detracts from the film because the ethics are so ignored it leaves large aspects of the story feeling hollow. The AI is presented unabashedly as a good and something the audience is meant to root for. Artificial intelligence is a nuanced discussion point in today’s world, especially in Hollywood and to portray it so simplistically leaves you wanting more to chew on after the fact. This does not ruin the movie as it is consistently entertaining and artificial intelligence is not the main focus but this lack of exploration leads to the biggest issue with the film:
The film struggles to keep the story fresh, especially in the final third. The characterization around Iris and Josh is so black and white the final confrontation is underwhelming and predictable. It doesn’t help that the metaphor feels overplayed by the third act, and there isn’t enough left in the story to keep the ending surprising.
Final Thoughts:
While it doesn’t quite stick the landing Drew Hancocks Companion is a horror-comedy with strong performances and a fun atmosphere that will satisfy the desire for both laughs and thrills.
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