By: Lucy Panicacci

Editor-in-Chief

Full of twists and numerous comedic moments, the horror sci-fi movie Companion did not leave me amazed but kept me entertained nonetheless. In the first moments of the film when Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) have a meet-cute in a grocery store, their relationship appears perfect. However, in reality, Iris is a human companionship robot with all her memories programmed and controlled by Josh in order to fulfill his desires. A weekend getaway turns violent when Josh uses Iris to carry out the murder of a billionaire named Sergey. Faced with the self-revelation of her robot existence, Iris fights to escape Josh, spiraling the movie into a chaotic chain of events. 

Throughout the film, Thatcher’s acting shined. I originally wanted to see Companion because I loved Thatcher as Natalie in the show Yellowjackets. In Companion, she did not disappoint. She carried the film with her excellent acting, embodying the role of Iris. She could portray anything from the devotion of her character to Josh to the disbelief of her programmed existence to the pain of a candle melting off her plastic skin. On The Movie Podcast, writer and director Drew Hancock discussed Thatcher’s extraordinary acting abilities: “She can cry on command, and I think she can even pick which eye it comes out of.” With her acting in Yellowjackets, the 2024 horror film Heretic, and Companion, Thatcher proves to be a rising horror star.

Despite Thatcher’s acting performance, the trailers and the revealing of major plot points early on in the film took away from the shock factor of Companion. The Companion trailer spoils the majority of the film, showing the most important scenes and giving away that Iris is a robot. I would have enjoyed the movie more if I had gone into it blind. In addition, in the first few minutes, Iris says that, inevitably, she will kill Josh. Furthermore, knowing that Iris cannot die takes away from the suspense of the film. The movie includes dramatic twists and turns, but I didn’t feel any anticipation or tension because the beginning gave away the ending. Although marketed as a horror film, I didn’t find Companion fear-inducing at any point. 

Still, Companion delivers important commentary on the ethics of AI. The film proposes a nightmare version of our future, where the male loneliness epidemic evolves into men getting AI girlfriends and police driving voice-commanded Teslas. Companion shows that the issues with advancing AI lie in the people, not the robots. While the idea of a realistic robot catering to your every need and desire sounds appealing, tech companies in the film should not have allowed the creation of an advanced companion robot in the first place, nor should people have wanted a robot companion to replace real human connection. While AI chatbots only seem like a minor problem now, Companion points to a greater future if individuals don’t stand up for the value of human connection over programmed connection. 

Companion, or as I saw it, Compañera Perfecta because I accidentally selected the showing with Spanish subtitles, is a solid film deserving of its 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you ever find yourself feeling guilty for scolding ChatGPT after getting your math question wrong or turning to AI chatbots for relationship advice, you might just want to give Companion a watch!

(Sources: The Movie Podcast, IMDb)