Companion Review: An AI Romantic Horror Movie That Twists Things Up

 

Copyright © Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, BoulderLight Pictures



Title: Companion
Director: Drew Hancock

Release Date: January 31, 2025



    Recently, movies about robots have been rising up, thanks to the rise of AI in recent years. We have The Wild Robot, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and The Electric State. One movie that has become a fan favorite of the year is Companion, the new horror movie about a relationship between a human and a companion robot. I'm sorry to have shown spoilers, but this point has been shown in the marketing before it even came out in theaters. Anyway, as this movie cost a $10 million budget, it became a small commercial success of $36.7 million from the box office. It was also a big critical success with critics and audiences because of the story and dark humor. For its premise about a companion robot who can kill, Companion is a weekend getaway that you would not want to miss.


Summary

   "A weekend getaway at a remote cabin turns to chaos when it's revealed that one of the guests -- a subservient android built for human companionship -- has gone haywire." - Google


Reasons

    The best features of Companion are the compelling story, strong messages, and crazy twists. It is really cool to see a movie take a concept and turn it into something new. Together, it blends sci-fi, horror, romance, and comedy into one story. First, it is about a trip on an island, and then it turns into something else entirely. To go further, the messages are strong. In the ending, the main message is to not get involved in an abusive relationship, regardless of what gender your partner is. Just like with The Wild Robot, the other message is to use AI responsibly, along with some girl and boy power together. Aside from the messages, the twists are the craziest so far this year. You think that it's just going to reveal that Iris is a robot, but it goes further and further for a more enjoyable experience. A lot of reveals are what make this simple romantic movie into a fun ride.
    Various other features that are compatible with Companion are the dark humor, great visuals, and chill soundtrack. To balance out the scariness, it also provides some jokes here and there. Similar to Barbarian, they are quite subtle. The funniest one would be one of those memory resets. Onto the next one, the visuals are well done for a simple horror movie. Most of the visuals have to do with the futuristic props and companion robots. One scene in particular that was visually captivating was Iris' doing Josh's order on their night date. Finally, the soundtrack is an experience. Because it is a romantic movie, a lot of the songs used are slow ballads, along with a few modern hits sprinkled in. They really do fit the aesthetic.
    Like all other people said, Companion is a sublime movie, but I honestly thought the predictability was the only flaw. Warner Bros. did not have any choice but to reveal the robot twist in their marketing. Thankfully, they were not giving much away other than that fact.



Conclusion

    Companion is a crazy and scary romantic getaway that no one would want to miss out on. We already know that Iris is a robot, but what we did not know are the other things ahead. Other than a horror story about a companion robot killing people, it also has messages about abuse and AI use. Like with Barbarian, let's give hope to Warner Bros. on Weapons this coming August. While you wait, just watch this movie. It has girl and boy power done right.


    Score: 9.5/10 (iris, go to sleep)



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