Equal parts cutting and thrilling, Companion is a movie I've been waiting for.
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I'm having trouble kicking off this review. Not because I have mixed feelings about the movie. Far from it. I think it's quite good. But because almost anything I say about the movie could be deemed as a minor spoiler for what's ahead. And also because properly discussing the movie involves an early spoiler that you may or may not have guessed by looking at any of the promo materials. So to thread the needle here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to tell you that this movie is great. It's quick, thrilling, funny and insightful in equal measure and it's on Max right now. Check it out! Ok...now onto the light spoilers.
The Setup
The movie centers around a young woman named Iris (Sophie Thatcher) who is traveling with her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) to visit a luxurious cabin in the woods with his friends. But everything quickly goes to hell when Iris is attacked by the home owner and numerous revelations about Iris and everyone else's motivations come to light...
The big hook for Companion is pretty straight-forward. Iris isn't a human. She's actually a companion robot that Josh has paid for and everything about their relationship, including her memories of their time together are artificial.
So this sounds like an example of technology gone awry right? Actually no, and that's the biggest reason I like this movie. The biggest issue I've had with movies about AI and technology the last few years has been the focus on the technology going haywire. It becomes too intelligent or too powerful and then it tries to destroy a single family or person before moving onto the world. And chances are good that it will use sexual desire as a means to do it like an AI Fatal Attraction. They even made one exactly like this last year with Megan Fox called Subservience.
But the reason Companion works so well isn't because Iris is so frightening as a concept, it's how she's used by Josh.
Josh is an all-too-familiar type. He's a alleged "nice guy." This is the term I apply to a lot of chronically online men who have some correct gripes about their lot in life. Their job sucks. They're not making enough money. And it's hard to find companionship in a society that doesn't value meeting in person or forces you to go through an algorithm to meet/date someone.
And then you hear them talk about women. At which point it becomes pretty clear that they don't want a partner or companionship, they want something akin to a sex slave. They're just as regressive as the men they say they're nothing like.
Which means all of Josh's behavior towards Iris becomes an indictment of him as as person as he continues to fumble his scheme and Iris does her best to fight back and get free of him. Also, home run casting job putting the perennially agreeable Jack Quaid in this role. Makes every time an ugly side of him hits is still kinda hurts and surprises you.
All of this means that the movie turns from a "technology gone wrong" movie, into a survival horror thriller or slasher flick where we're rooting for the robot as Iris and Josh play cat and mouse in this isolated location.
I love this script, not just because it's a more intelligent take on robot companions, but also because of how deftly it weaves between character drama, chases, horror and humor on a dime. For instance, we get flourishes where we see Iris imagine an escape plan, and how it'll go ary, before she decides to scrap it in a bit of Edgar Wright-ass editing or how cheesy and dumb the pre-programmed "Meet cutes" are for the companions. Hancock has never really delved into this genre and I think he's got a knack for it.
The script is certainly aided by the cast who are all playing kinda to type. Sophie Thatcher is becoming a go-to actor for put-upon women in horror thrillers (be it TV or movies), Quaid plays to and against his public persona, Harvey Guillen is perfect comedic relief and Lukas Gage shifts from soulful to terrifying on a dime.
I don't have many complaints either. The movie doesn't strain its premise too much by keeping the action down to 90 minutes and always seems to have a movie logical answer to all of its biggest burning questions. Lean, efficient entertainment.
The Verdict: Insightful and Fun
Equal parts cutting and thrilling, Companion is a movie I've been waiting for. 8/10
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