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The artificial intelligence genre is an ever-growing and consistently disappointing aspect of modern horror. Movies strewn with cheesy one liners, like “M3GAN,” leave audiences more confused than enthralled. They’re shallow and lackluster, frequently even lacking jumpscares.

“Companion,” Drew Hancock’s 2025 debut feature film, manages to distinguish itself from the genre’s predecessors with its outstanding cast, witty humor and stunning visuals. The plot includes feminist rhetoric in the lead’s character development, providing an engaging narrative that doesn’t miss the mark as much as previous AI films have. But it still doesn’t completely break out of the genre’s predictability

The film follows Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) as they join their friends on a weekend getaway at a secluded lake house. There, we meet Kat (Megan Suri), whose Russian sugar daddy Sergey (Rupert Friend) owns the house they’re staying in. They’re also joined by their friend Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his boyfriend (Lukas Gage).

The cast’s strong chemistry and banter carry much of the film’s entertainment value. Thatcher’s talent shines through in any role she performs, giving more depth to her characters than others could. She portrays strong emotion without solely relying on dialogue.

When Josh lights Iris’ arm on fire, she’s unable to react because she’s under his control. This scene exhibits Thatcher’s exceptional talent. She encapsulates the pain of the moment effortlessly, creating a powerful and gruesome scene.

Along with her performance, Thatcher’s styling is another well-done aspect of the film. Designer Vanessa Porter created a perfect juxtaposition of new and old in her retrofuturist styling of Thatcher’s character.

Similarly, the set itself is recognizably modern, but with added futuristic technology like entirely self-driven cars and advanced CD players. The film’s eccentric aesthetic adds appeal for audiences, creating an engaging watch.

Early on in the trip, Sergey makes unwanted advances toward Iris. She murders him in self-defense, a cataclysmic event that sets off a chain reaction for the rest of the film.

After the murder, Josh tells Iris to “sleep.” This shuts her down, bringing to light a chilling truth: Iris had no idea that she’s an AI robot built for human pleasure. From this, Iris further realizes that her boyfriend and his friends aren’t the caring people she thought they were. The group had devised a plan, setting Iris up to murder Sergey by changing her settings in an attempt to steal his money. Iris tries to claim her autonomy and escape them for the rest of the film.

Iris is horrified when confronted with her identity as a sex robot, instead of the conscious lover she thought she was. She spirals, wondering how she has memories of childhood and meeting Josh if they were just coded into her. However, much of the fear factor dissolves as the movie goes down a more bloody, humorous route.

In one scene, Iris has almost escaped from the group, but a police officer stops to question her after seeing she looks beaten up. Iris doesn’t want to tell the truth about the murder in fear of being reset, so she changes her language to German to confuse the cop. While this is a funny scene, it diminishes the film’s tension.

Rather than playing into the thriller aspects of the film, the movie seems to rely on its comedic entertainment value. As fun as it is to watch, it does take away from the powerful satire the movie was clearly built to hold.

With the fear of AI’s increasing presence in society, the movie fails to acknowledge what it set out to do in favor of Iris’ charming character. By the end of the film, you care less about the existence of sex robots, and more for this specific robot herself.

In fact, it was hard to decipher if the movie was actually anti-AI at all, or if the AI aspect was just used for fun visuals and feminist commentary. Its focus is instead on Iris’ path to lead her own life instead of the engineers and “boyfriend” who have controlled her.

The movie’s message of a woman — robot or not — finding freedom falls a little flat. Without playing into the AI element as much as it could, the film loses much of its ingenuity. Symbolism is lost as the film progresses. The filmmakers didn’t flesh out the futuristic reality as much as needed to set up the plot. Still, the feminist aspect of the narrative does largely succeed. By the end, Iris is empowered and fully autonomous. She even ends up killing Josh to escape him.

Despite its shortcomings, the movie is still worth catching in theaters if you’re looking for a funny, aesthetically-pleasing flick with a solid cast. There may not be much to chew on, but it is fun nonetheless, and sure to keep you entertained.

Published on February 16, 2025 at 10:26 pm