Companion

r96sk 1/31/2025 8:13:55PM 8.4

<em>'Companion'</em> is great! I was actually spoiled on the general gist of this due to the trailers, which I didn't even seek out but despite ignoring them pre-other flicks I still managed to catch what this was about. Happily, it didn't matter as the film lets the cat out fairly quickly. I thought the aforementioned was going to be an issue, even though it is only a 90 minute movie I didn't think at that moment that it was going to have enough in the tank to make the overall movie enjoyable. I was wrong! It's a blast all the way through, there's a pleasant pace to it all. Sophie Thatcher is brilliant, her showing is impressive and very convincing. That blood-soaked look is class. The rest of the cast aren't on Thatcher's level but are still positive parts of this film, namely Jack Quaid and Lukas Gage. Thanks to the short run time, this does fly by. Top film! I saw it on the big screen as part of a double bill of sorts with <em>'Hard Truths'</em>. This was the second one and it's a barrel of laughs compared to that Mike Leigh picture. Two films that I would highly recommend, all the same.

EveAlex23 7/15/2025 10:21:02PM 8.4

Companion feels like an extended, uncomfortably intimate episode of Black Mirror. It shares the same eerie mix of dystopian technology, cool design, and digital paranoia. Everything appears clean on the surface, but something is deeply wrong underneath. Unlike Black Mirror, which often steps back to marvel at the dark potential of technology, Companion dives into something more grounded, more personal, and more brutal. The horror here does not come from a rogue AI or a system glitching out. It comes from a man using high-tech tools not to solve a problem but to get exactly what he wants. What he wants is control, submission, and silence. The sci-fi details, such as the rented android, the customization app, and the perfectly manicured suburb, are really just a thin disguise. Beneath it all lies a far more disturbing and all-too-recognizable truth: even if you build a woman from scratch, even if she is made of code and programmed to please you, that will not stop the harm. The abuse still finds its way in. At first glance, Companion might seem like another entry in the growing list of AI-centered sci-fi films where artificial intelligence crashes into human emotion and chaos follows. But look closer, and you will see that it is not really about technology at all. It is about power, about control, about the kind of abuse that hides in plain sight, dressed up as love or connection. This is not a story about machines breaking down. It is about a man who thinks love means ownership. It is about the emotional, social, and technological systems that allow that belief to thrive. The violence in Companion is not an accident. It is the logical conclusion of the world Josh creates a world where he is never challenged, never vulnerable, and never forced to see the woman in front of him as a person. What makes Companion so haunting and so effective is how it uses AI not to speculate about the future but to hold up a mirror to the present. Misogyny does not vanish as technology evolves. It simply finds new ways to survive. When that buried female rage finally surfaces, it is not a glitch or revenge. It is survival, long overdue and deeply human. This is not really a film about the future. It is a reflection of the present. What it shows us is uncomfortable, familiar, and impossible to ignore.

Manuel São Bento 1/29/2025 3:32:16PM 8.4

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/companion-review/ "Companion may not reinvent the wheel within its genre, but the way Drew Hancock takes a familiar concept and infuses it with a personal touch and technically impressive execution results in an incredibly captivating viewing - especially for those who manage to avoid the criminally revealing trailers. The blend of tones, the unsettling atmosphere, and the exploration of complex themes like abuse, love, and control elevate this horror flick beyond cheap jump scares, leaving a lasting emotional and narrative impact that lingers well past the credits. With a powerhouse performance from Sophie Thatcher anchoring it all, this psychological thriller - sprinkled with comedy, romance, and even sci-fi elements - stands out as one of the year's first big surprises. I highly recommend watching it in theaters, as blind as possible." Rating: B