Companion

Before you read this review, I’d like to say that you should watch this movie without knowing anything about it. If you’ve never heard of Companion, or you’ve never seen any marketing for it, don’t look it up. The trailers - and even the official synopsis - give away a major plot point in the actual film, so I think this movie actually work better if you watch it blindly. All you really need to know is that this is a delightful little movie. 

If you want a little more context, I would say that Companion feels like a nice cross between M3GAN and The Terminator. But I can’t say much else without getting into spoiler territory, so consider yourself warned. 

So the official synopsis for the movie reads: A weekend getaway at a remote cabin turns to chaos when one of the guests -  revealed to be a subservient android built for human companionship - has gone haywire.

Meaning that, yes, this is another movie about robots and AI technology. But, while we have been getting a lot of those films lately, I think Companion is probably the best one that we've gotten over the past few years. Because, while the movie is admittedly fun and entertaining, it also has socially relevant themes and important ethical questions. But the movie doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on the moral ambiguity of a robot companion, so these elements never felt particularly heavy handed. Which is nice, especially since the film maintains a fun and irreverent tone. And that tone was held up by the performances that were given here. 

Jack Quaid does a solid job of portraying a bumbling yet controlling character named Josh, but Sophie Thatcher really steals the show here with her portrayal of a robot named Iris. I was especially impressed with how easily she could change her emotions, since Iris’ “settings” were constantly being adjusted multiple throughout the film. So, while I wasn’t familiar with Thatcher’s work before, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what she’ll be starring in next. 

Lukas Gage, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend also have fun supporting roles in the film, but their characters didn’t get the same kind of development as Josh and Iris did. That being said, I still managed to enjoy all of the performances here, because this is a solid cast! And this is a really solid movie.

So, given how much I enjoyed it, it should come as no surprise to hear that Companion would definitely get a recommendation from me.