If the past few years of AI horror (AfrAId, M3GAN et al.) were meant to evoke the same terror of Terminator, then Companion is most certainly ready to bring on Judgement Day. The first feature of writer/director Drew Hancock asks a group of people who’ve been shuddering at the implications of artificial intelligence to sympathize with the very monster these tech-Doctor-Frankensteins have created, and in doing, proves them to be the real enemy. That’s right, Companion isn’t just a cutie little love story painted with the red of heart-shaped candy and blood, but is also a hate-mail valentine to mediocre tech bro losers who have a difficult time checking their entitlement.
For those uninitiated by the marketing, Sophie Thatcher leads as Iris, a woman so in love with Josh (Jack Quaid, who balances being king of the loveable dork with emperor of the detestable nerd), her life seems dedicated to pleasing him. Her purpose is to dote on Josh, considering herself so fortunate to have the sort of love reserved for romantic movies. Nervous, Irish joins Josh on a weekend getaway to a remote house with his friends which turns sour when Josh and one of his icier comrades, Kat (Megan Suri) leave Iris alone with Kat’s sleazy and mysteriously wealthy boyfriend, Sergey (Rupert Friend). Uncomfortable, a suddenly knife-wielding Iris defends herself quite brutally, sending the gang into a Hitchcockian battle over innocence and Sergey’s piles of cash.
Of course, the film’s first large reveal isn’t just the blood-soaked Iris, but that Iris is, in fact, a love robot tuned to serve Josh. This gives the movie mystery, edge, and action as Iris learns to use her app-enabled brain to preserve herself and escape the douchebag boyfriend she can’t help but unconditionally love. Like Westworld’s Maeve (Thandie Newton) before her, a robot with built-in rules takes control of herself with a tablet that treats her abilities like a brightness slider. It’s fun to watch Iris slowly work out how to save herself while mediocre humans try to stop her, adding layers of action comedy to this horror feature.
Companion is such a welcome early entry in this year as we continue to see a resurgence of fun horror. While never meta, it tips its hat to predecessors in ways that aren’t shallow but function for plot and theme. The opening shot is reminiscent of The Stepford Wives, which is the audience’s first hint that Iris isn’t what she seems, and Patrick’s early forest sprint (gawd, his name is even PATRICK) suggests he might later become a certain kind of foe. In the land of self-referential horror, it’s refreshing and brilliant to see a movie use its hints and nods with such purpose without ever forgetting that it’s supposed to be fun. It’s on-the-surface hints sometimes overly forecast twists, but the nuances of the collection of characters marooned at the sprawling cabin property are what make the story unpredictable.
And like those predecessors, Companion isn’t simply a vapid story of AI versus humans, but of the sort of people who will be squashed by those willing to use technology to squash them. The Stepford Wives is a tale of men fearing the rise of their spouses looking to put them back into their place (as is Don’t Worry Darling), and Terminator 2 is about the whims of unchecked capitalist men building technology that, while ultimately attempts to enslave humanity, begins in the prime timeline by trying to kill a woman and mother.
Companion isn’t just about a self-aware sex toy chasing revenge, it’s about how insecure men built a submissive woman when real ones weren’t giving them enough of what they wanted. Having the AI fight back isn’t asking you to root for a robot uprising, but to root against vanilla-basic-bro-mediocre-losers who can’t get a date even though they’re tall. That’s also what pushes this film outside of the realm of AI-vs-humans horror stories and into modern final girl horror like Ready or Not. And slasher fans, this one is for you as it has Quaid return to form with a Ghostface like knock on a car window and a kitchen utensil used as a weapon just begging to be compared to a cheese grater.
Companion is a quick little fun horror that purports to be a bait-and-switch romantic comedy before becoming a cluster of calamities for inept criminals. It’s a joyous and brightly lit saga of sex and violence marked with shades of pink and doo-wop love songs. It’s a delicious day at the movies that’ll make you crave heart shaped bonbons and vengeance and is the second-best movie built around Terminator 2. (The first? The Guest, of course).
Companion lands in theaters January 31, 2025
