In a mounting wave of killer AI features, writer/director Drew Hancock instead extends endless empathy for the love-stricken sentient android in his feature debut Companion. That simple flip of the script transforms a familiar tale of romance gone wrong into an energetic romp that smartly posits that toxic users are the true danger, not technology […]
(L-R) JACK QUAID as Josh and SOPHIE THATCHER as Iris in New Line Cinema’s “COMPANION,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Companion begins with Iris’s voiceover, confessing to a murder before we’ve had the chance to get acquainted with any of the players. It’s a typically binding move, narratively, one that, even when executed successfully, tends to deflate much of the tension. Here, that early piece of plot forecasting instead serves as an intriguing start for Iris’s complex, winding, and steep character arc. Companion may fill its roster with screen presence and charisma for days, but it’s Sophie Thatcher’s performance that stuns. There’s a fearlessness to Iris’s bottomless vulnerability that earns easy rooting interest, even when she may be a threat. Of course, Hancock is careful to obscure just how complicated her journey will become; that opening voiceover doesn’t even begin to touch on the series of narrative turns the first-time feature filmmaker has carefully curated.
In some ways, it’s easy to see why the film’s marketing tried to play it coy with this one. There’s no grand twist, and it’s easy to get ahead of many crucial reveals thanks to overt genre influences and well-placed foreshadowing. Luckily, Companion‘s sense of fun doesn’t stem from the plotting but rather its unpredictable characters. The story adheres to a familiar trajectory that pulls from a variety of notable cinematic influences, and Hancock finds inventive ways for the characters to react unpredictably to new developments. It’s through the characters, who all feel three-dimensional and flawed in unique ways, where the film catches you off guard. Hancock plays their motivations close to the vest, only revealing them in full when and where it can maximize the drama and horror- and the horror doesn’t flinch from brutal, bloody violence.
(L-r) LUKAS GAGE as Patrick and SOPHIE THATCHER as Iris in New Line Cinema’s “COMPANION,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Drew Hancock hails from a comedic background in television, which marries well to the distinct tonal and genre blend here. Companion is a delightful break-up movie gone horrifically awry, and often to a horror fan’s deep amusement. It’s the type of genre-bender that lowers your guard with its vibrant, sunny color palette, an earworm soundtrack peppered with dance numbers, and a wholesome, pastel-loving protagonist. Then, it occasionally catches you off guard with bursts of savagery.
Sophie Thatcher continues her ascension to stardom with another remarkable performance in a role that demands a lot, but there’s not a single weak link among the cast. Though familiar in many ways, Hancock’s confident direction and commitment to entertaining mayhem ensures a highly entertaining ride that builds to one of the most triumphant conclusions in recent memory. Companion isn’t an attempt at a genre reinvention but rather a smart showcase of an emerging genre filmmaking talent, and it just so happens to be a blast.
Companion releases in theaters on January 31, 2025.
