I love going into movies completely blank. I don’t watch trailers, I often don’t read up on movies during pre-production, and if I’m unable to see a movie that I want to see when it first comes out then I’ll block all words associating with it on social media until I do. This can be harder to do with bigger blockbuster films, but I’ve still been successful in doing so with movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Avengers: Endgame, where advertising was just everywhere. On the other side of the spectrum we’ve got smaller films like Companion, where it’s a lot easier to avoid what little advertising there may be for it, which allows you to go in completely unknowing of what you’re in for and just let it take you for a ride.
And what a ride! I’ll say this now at the risk of you not finishing this review, but if you want to go in the same way I did then I simply highly recommend this film – so long as you’re okay with a steady flow of violence and the buckets of blood that accompany it. Even that’s more than I’d like to say for going in blank, but I feel that it’s the least that should be known if you’re coming to check out a review on it, as the film does give off the vibe that you’re in for a love story; however, Companion is so much more.
I will keep this review as spoiler-free as the trailer does, as I do watch them after I see the movie so I know what people would’ve known going in. The film’s writer/director, Drew Hancock, wished they were able to keep one of the surprises out of the trailer, but in order to compete with bigger films certain plot points had to be made known. To be fair, it’s a twist that’s revealed early on, but it’s so much more fun if you don’t know it’s coming, which I didn’t, so one last time I’ll just recommend you check this movie out knowing as little as possible to get the full shocking experience.
For those still here, Companion is a coming of age film with hints of a love story as well as over-the-top, buckets of blood horror. Now, we’re not talking creeping around the corner in the dark jump-scare horror, we’re just talking a scenario in which excessive violence often ends up being the answer to every problem. The movie doesn’t completely disguise this fact, as it begins with a woman named Iris (Sophie Thatcher) in a grocery store shopping, talking about the two moments in her life that she was happiest: the day she met Josh (Jack Quaid)…and the day she killed him.
So within the first few minutes you know you’re in for something unique and Hancock doesn’t disappoint, with a wonderfully directed, beautifully paced, and fantastically written film that’s full of small moments and scenes that are just so perfectly handled and a joy to watch play out. What Hancock didn’t want to reveal in the trailer is that Iris is actually a robot. This is a surprising and truly well-crafted reveal, but it also happens early on in the movie, so if you’re kicking yourself for not leaving to go watch it when I warned you earlier, don’t beat yourself up too much, as maybe you needed this bit of information to really pique your interest!
After we’re introduced to Iris in the grocery store we’re then transported to her and Josh on the road headed to a lake house where they’ll be spending the weekend with his friends. Iris doesn’t feel like she fits in, and also feels like his friends don’t like her. Josh reassures her that they do, well, everyone except for Kat (Megan Suri), but she doesn’t like anyone. He just tells her to smile and be happy and everything will be fine. And everything is going well enough – that is until the owner of the lake house, and Kat’s “boyfriend” (who’s also married), Sergey (Rupert Friend), tries to force himself on Iris and she kills him.
This sends everyone at the lake house into a panic, and this is where it’s revealed that Iris is a robot, as Josh shuts her down by saying, “Iris, go to sleep.” While their friend Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his boyfriend Patrick (Lukas Gage) call the company that created Iris to report her malfunction, Josh turns Iris back on so he can say goodbye. Kat is shocked that he’s done this and Josh takes her to the other room to explain that he just wants to say goodbye before shutting her down. Iris overhears this and escapes into the forest with Josh’s phone – which she now knows also controls her programming.
This is just the beginning of this crazy ride and if it sounds like anything was ruined here, this was actually tamer than the trailer because there are no visual spoilers flashing by every few seconds. Be rest assured that even knowing Iris is a robot doesn’t take away from the enjoyment this film delivers. There’s such a fantastically dark humour to it all, as Iris must come into her own as a robot who thought she was a person but now knows she’s a robot – but also still feels like a person.
Companion is just over 90-minutes long but has no fat on the bone. It’s exactly what you want from a movie-going experience, which is a story that hits all the right beats along the way without ever coming close to overstaying its welcome. There are no wasted moments here and that leaves the viewer wanting more, but not really wanting more. It’s a satisfaction that leaves you thinking that you would’ve been happy to spend more time in this world, but the reason for that is because you didn’t.
This is a movie about finding love in a world that’s unfair and always seems against you, about finding yourself in the most extreme of circumstances, and about control, who has it and what it takes to find it in yourself to balance the playing field and take control of your own destiny. There are a lot of layers to Companion all wonderfully laid out by Hancock and the wonderful cast, with excellent use of flashbacks for all the right reasons at all the right moments, witty, smart dialogue that brings a realism to these characters and a story that resonates whether you’re a human or a robot who thinks they’re a human and still hasn’t found out that they’re actually a robot. Plug-in, load up some popcorn and prepare for a bloody good time!
Overall Movie Score: 4.5/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
The 2160p/HDR10 transfer delivers top tier visuals. There’s no Dolby Vision offering here, but the movie looks so good as is that while it would’ve been great to have had it, I don’t feel it suffers at all on any noticeable level without it. There’s such a fantastic use of colour, clarity and clean looks here, and with the special effects team wanting to stay away from CGI for even the simplest of things when able (such as having Sophie where contacts when needed) that level of detail is beautifully showcased here. There’s also such a natural, real feel to the film, and this along with all the details within the movie allows the viewer to be transported away while they’re watching.
On the audio side of things we’ve got an outstanding Dolby Atmos mix that surrounds the viewer with spectacular beats and ambiance as each scene requires. There are perfect songs chosen that play during certain moments in the film, and those along with the score just pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. It’s not overwhelming, nor does it take away from the pivotal moments, but instead embraces and elevates them, as a solid score and sound mix should. Top marks for both transfers with the 4K release being highly recommended to place in your Blu-ray library.
Special Features:
I Feel, Therefore I Am – Here we’ve got a featurette that’s just under 6-minutes long, but for a movie where I didn’t expect special features at all, this is brief, yet welcome. We get to hear from Hancock, as well as members of the cast and crew, and it’s a nice little behind-the-scenes viewing of the idea behind the film and what went into making it. This is one where another 10-minutes or so would’ve been great, but again, I’ll take what I can get when we do often get bigger movies where this section is left blank.
Love, Eli – This featurette comes in at just over 4-minutes in length and focuses on Eli and Patrick and their relationship in the film and how it compares to the others. It’s another quick featurette, but a fun watch to get some extra insight into the characters.
AI Horror – This final featurette is just over 5-minutes in length and focuses more on the violence in the film, and what drives the characters to do what they do. It’s here we get a small glimpse into the practical effects that they pushed to use over anything computer generated. As a whole it’s roughly 15-minutes entirely for all three, but if you enjoy the movie then you’ll definitely want to take the time to check these out!
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Companion. Written and Directed by: Drew Hancock. Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Rupert Friend, Marc Menchaca. Running time: 97 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: April 1, 2025.
About Brendan Campbell
