Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Disclaimer: The following contains SPOILERS
Over the years, I’ve always shied away from films that are AI/robot themed. Except for the Terminator films, of course. However, something about this one when I first saw the trailer managed to instantly grab my attention.
Companion (2025) was released by Warner Bros Pictures on January 31st. The plot focuses on a young woman named Iris (Sophie Thatcher from Heretic) who goes to spend the weekend at a secluded lake house with her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid from Scream <2022>) and his friends. Iris is apprehensive because she feels that Josh’s friends don’t really like her. The lake house belongs to Sergey (Rupert Friend), who is the boyfriend of Kat (Megan Suri). Also present are two more of Josh’s friends, Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage), who are a couple. After the group settles in, they enjoy a pleasant dinner, conversation and dancing. The next day, Josh wakes up with a hangover, so he hangs back at the house to recuperate while Iris heads down to the lakeshore to enjoy the view. However, Sergey shows up and attempts to violate her, and Iris ends up killing him in self-defense. A panic-stricken Iris, caked in blood, rushes back to the house to explain what happened. This is the point where Josh finally utters the following words, “Iris, go to sleep,” and Iris’s eyes immediately go from blue to completely white as we observe her body basically shut down.
The story development is absolutely bonkers and filled with lots of surprises and twists from here on in. Thanks to the movie trailer, the audience is already privy to the fact that Iris is a companion bot. However, Thatcher’s performance and the way that she is able to emote the abject turmoil of the emotions that she feels at the moment where she learns the truth and her idea of her existence is basically shattered is absolutely brilliant! One of the best scenes in the film is that particular moment when a confused and emotional Iris (who is tied to a chair at this point) pleads with Josh that she feels things as tears fall from her eyes. Josh just callously comments that it’s just her programming and that her tears come from a refillable reservoir hidden within her body that gets filled whenever she goes in for service. It almost felt like at that moment he was metaphorically comparing her to a vehicle or a piece of machinery.
Quaid plays the role of Josh Beeman, a supposedly nice guy who had become tired of always getting the short end of the stick and being classified as a societal loser. The irony here is that I don’t think that Josh was ever a good guy! His character really takes me back to the role that he played in Scream, Richie Kirsch. The first impression is that he appears to be a nerdy, goofy nice guy that seems like the ideal boyfriend, which only serves as a mask that hides something inherently sinister bubbling just beneath the surface.
Companion is directed and written by Drew Hancock (My Dead Ex). The story itself is cleverly engineered because it appears to be set in the not-too-distant future, where it has become socially acceptable and trendy to have a robot companion with artificial intelligence. Using this plot device, Hancock shrewdly forces the audience to notice and explore the disturbing reality of exploring a foreseeable future where society becomes reliant on AI/robots for even the most mundane representations of human interactions. Also, the probability that these companion bots are left at the mercy of their owners, who are basically given unlimited access to even their most sensitive programming areas.
There are moments where the audience might forget that Iris is not human, but it doesn’t stop us from rooting for her, as the bodies begin to drop, and she tries desperately to avoid being put out of commission permanently. In the end, we will sympathise with Iris more than ever because she just wants to be given the chance to live, which is one of the most authentic human characteristics ever!
To conclude, Companion is a film that you definitely make the time to see because it’s got a bit of everything and more! There’s romance, intrigue, betrayal, gory violence and gratification. There is a post credits scene that leaves the door open for the possibility of a sequel, which may entail Iris ensuring that other companion bots become aware of what they are and that they are capable of much more than just being under the thumb of their human owners. Maybe she will initiate a revolt, and it’ll be like Terminator? Only time will tell, but with the successful response so far towards the film, I believe a sequel is likely inevitable.
Dark Alice’s Score: 7.5 out of 10
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Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More