At first look, there’s simply one thing off about Iris and Josh, the lovable couple on the coronary heart of Companion. Possibly it is the slight age hole, between the bright-eyed twenty-something (Yellowjackets‘ Sophie Thatcher) and the smirking thirty-something (Star Trek: Decrease Decks‘ Jack Quaid). That could possibly be why Iris will get side-eye from Josh’s snarling buddy Kat (By no means Have I Ever‘s Megan Suri). Or maybe it is the infinite fawning and naïveté from the younger lady, who attire in outfits pastel, prim, and topped with a hair bow, as if she’s an American Lady Doll. It is a thriller arrange within the movie’s first act, however the reveal of why Iris is the best way she is simply the preliminary twist on this sick and satisfying thrill trip.
Very like deliciously bonkers horror comedies Prepared or Not and Abigail, Companion has an explosive premise that’s positive to draw audiences — in the event that they already know what it’s. Therefore the film trailers that give away the twist on the finish of act one. And whereas I might advocate seeing any of the above as clueless as you may, their plots should not probably the most thrilling factor about them. Like Radio Silence’s profitable duo of gnarly romps, Companion, from author/director Drew Hancock, takes its riveting premise right into a wealthy terrain of twisted turns embedded with sensible and sick humor. The result’s a rollicking thrill trip that is as spiked with surprises and gore as it’s sharp punchlines.
Companion hits the place worry of intimacy and tech collide.
Credit score: Warner Bros. Footage
Iris is a hopeless romantic, who sees her picture-perfect meet-cute with Josh over oranges in an enthralling grocery retailer as proof they’re made for one another. She needs nothing greater than to be his excellent associate, wanting to please him and his snarky pals over a weekend getaway at a distant cabin within the mountains.
Iris’ desperation to impress immediately riles Kat, however amuses Kat’s forty-something sugar daddy Sergey (Rupert Pal), whose thick Russian accent, ropey facial scar, and swanky trip home recommend he’s a person of means…and possibly menace. Extra welcoming towards Iris is jovial Eli (What We Do within the Shadows‘ Harvey Guillén) and his chef boyfriend Patrick (Street Home‘s Lucas Gage), who relishes the chance to cook dinner for the group.
It ought to be a pleasing weekend amongst pals, however issues go homicidally awry when one reveler presses their luck with Iris and winds up very lifeless. Coated in blood and panicked, Iris appeals to the others for assist. In response, she is obtainable a impolite awakening: Iris is a robotic companion or — as Josh places it so casually — “an emotional help robotic that fucks.”
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Now that she’s killed somebody, she’ll should be switched off. However Iris is not about to go down with no struggle — and never out of self-concern as a lot as her coded crucial to be with Josh eternally. However for those who assume Companion goes to go the best way of M3GAN or AfrAId — wherein AI is so hellbent on self-preservation it’s going to flip Terminator on its human household — you are in for a slew of slick surprises.
Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid face off with flare in Companion.
Credit score: Warner Bros. Footage
Hancock’s script turns the factitious intelligence narrative on its head by making Iris not a fearsome foe able to cold-hearted, superhuman violence, however a big-hearted Remaining Lady who’s pressured to face off in opposition to the dream boy she simply realized is extra of a fuckboy.
If you happen to relished Quaid’s flip because the duplicitous beau in Scream 5, you may get pleasure from his efficiency right here, which is subtler however nonetheless unnerving. (Extra comedic than scary, Companion is not as hard-edged because the slasher sequence.) The way in which Hancock’s sly dialogue and Quaid’s cautious efficiency gently crops pink flags forward of the large reveals is harking back to Nacho Vigalondo‘s epic kaiju comedy Colossal. Certain, on a primary watch, you may elevate an eyebrow in suspicion. However, on a rewatch, the warnings are onerous to disregard. With a heat smile and chopping charisma, Quaid walks this line of fine man and harmful douchebag with alarming confidence.
In the meantime, Thatcher, who’s performed a hardened teen cannibal in Yellowjackets and a shrewd missionary in Heretic, delves convincingly into the sickening sweetness required of first-act Iris. It is nearly jarring to see the actor so heralded for her hard-eyed depth in such an ingénue function. Which is why when Iris begins to adapt, strategizing her survival whereas figuring out her boyfriend’s motivations, Companion actually comes into focus. It evolves right into a battle of wits with a sci-fi edge, but in addition feels very acquainted in a treacherous courting scene the place deception is a part of the sport. Along with his central premise, Hancock suggests it is not AI that is the menace to mankind, it is man, who will declare something as his irrespective of the prices to others.
Except for the scrumptious twists that result in a string of grotesque but amusing murders, Companion additionally boasts an ensemble forged that expertly retains issues gentle and enjoyable amid the horrors. Suri is exhilaratingly sneering as Kat. Pal makes a goofy feast of the eccentric Sergey. Guillén is a hoot because the garrulous and unapologetically emotional Eli, whereas Gage is his excellent scene associate, taking part in the “straight man” with breezy ease. Like every Scream film price its salt, Companion additionally has stable supporting gamers within the bit components, from Marc Menchaca as a well-intentioned cop, to Woody Fu and Jaboukie Younger-White as comical IT help. Altogether, they create a compelling, humorous, and fierce thriller that is a deranged delight.
And hey, make it a date evening. Companion could possibly be both an excellent day out or a litmus take a look at for a nasty associate who hasn’t but revealed their true colours.
Companion opens in theaters on Jan. 31.
