I usually don’t do this, but if you plan on seeing Companion, please do not read anything about it; go in as blind as possible because the less you know, the more enjoyable the movies… So have fun and come back when you’re done watching the movie.… Is everybody gone? Good, so let’s talk about this.
I saw Companion, which tells the story of a young romantic couple going on vacation in the woods with friends… And then things get bloody.
For a sci-fi movie, this actually did a pretty convincing job at trying to show that this science fiction premise might actually happen one day, like, you know, when you watch Star Trek and they’ll show people talking on iPads and you think, “They unintentionally predicted the iPad; that’s neat…” Well, Companion shows that robotic partners are probably going to happen someday, just based on how close we are technology-wise and how easy and enjoyable it would be. We are headed to a Jeff Bezos-controlled sex bots era, which in turn could lead to a Terminator-style Robopocalypse… And I can’t wait 😂 so we might be headed to a strange Twilight Zone/Black Mirror techno sort of corporate dystopian future, but we’re going to get some cool robots out of it, so it kind of evens out 😂
Sophie Thatcher is going to have to change her name to the Manhattan Project because she’s going to blow up after this. The performance she gives is just so on point, and she knocks it out of the park. I can see her becoming the next big Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Anya Taylor-Joy, or Zendaya after this.
Also move over Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body, Grace from Ready or Not, Sienna Shawna from Terrifier, and Maxxxine & Pearl in the X trilogy; Iris from Companion is a new female horror icon.
This might be Jack Quaid's best performance; he gives a very multilayered and complex performance that again leaves you guessing about what kind of person this character really is.
I could see the other cast blowing up after this movie too; there’s just one guy in it who I would describe as the gay Mexican Jack Black, who was very funny and apparently is very popular on What We Do in the Shadows, which I can see why. Also, this other female character is floating around and, well, not given a whole lot to do as everyone else; the actress does bring a groundedness and underlining straight-man humor to the part.
There’s a lot of cat-and-mouse, narrow misses, and narrow escapes shenanigans throughout the film, which I tend to enjoy, so a lot of people will have a good time with that.
The movie explores a lot of themes like control, emotions, loneliness, consciousness, manipulation, plus the line between loving someone else and loving yourself, and the manipulation. And while sometimes the characters sound like Talking Heads just explaining the theme of the film, for the most part, they work in that Twilight Zone, the monster-is-a-metaphor kind of way.
I loved the style with subtle changes to mimic romantic movies from different eras, like it’s never as drastic as going from black-and-white to, let’s say, technicolor, but the way something is filmed or a music choice. The movie feels like you’re watching a love story from the 60s, then another subtle change feels like you’re watching John Hughes in the 80s. And the comment, different versions of people associate with, was an interesting choice.
Don’t quote me, but “Companion” feels like another sci-fi and horror classic in the making, like Upgrade, Ready or Not, or Abigail.
It’s not a perfect film; there is a cliché that I have never really liked the movie relies on, and, well, it’s one of the better examples I’ve seen used. It’s just never been something I’ve been the biggest fan of. So while I personally might’ve been sitting there going, “Are we really doing this?” I do recognize that I and other people may not have that experience.
The ending does feel a bit rushed, and it’s pretty predictable where the story is headed pretty early on, but the movie is very entertaining, so any flaws I had didn’t take away from the overall film too much.
Just a small, small nitpick, but the movie never explains how this group of friends all knows each other, and I would’ve liked an explanation. I mean, it didn’t take away from the movie. I assumed they were just all old friends from high school, but there’s such an odd collection of characters you kind of wonder points… OK, why are this person and that person really good friends? Like, one or two bits of dialogue is all I would’ve needed, so it’s not that big an issue.
Also, shout out to this random woman who was sitting next to me; she was just so entertained by all the twists and turns. You could hear her going “oh” and “ah” whenever something crazy happened. She was like a little kid meeting Santa Claus. It helped make the experience more fun.
This movie is like The Stepford Wives meets Get Out in the style of a Black Mirror episode. I can definitely see Companion becoming a cult classic or just a regular classic someday in the sci-fi or horror genre; it’s smart while also being entertaining. The cast each gives such impressive and emotional performances; it was a nice surprise and definitely a movie I think people will enjoy seeing. I give it a low five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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