Short-circuiting: Companion review

Companion is a film that has been on my radar since late last year when I first saw an advert for it on social media. Horror is quite possibly my favourite genre, I really enjoyed Barbarian, and when I saw that this film was made by the same “unhinged” minds, I knew it was one for the diary. I even splurged the extra fiver and saw it in IMAX, something I’ve not experienced since being taken on a school trip to watch Blue Planet when I was 12. 

Immediately after the title screen, the screen turns hazy, and we hear the voice of Iris, soon to be introduced as our protagonist. In her short introductory voiceover, we’re told right out the gate how this film is going to end. I was a little shocked by this bold choice, because, by doing this, the film was now going to need to work overtime to keep the audience in their seats.

Now that the suspense of the final act had been blown, it was down to the plot to keep things interesting, there needed to be twists, turns, and high stakes. Companion invites you to stay not for the destination, but for the journey. And my goodness was this film a journey! 

The set up to the main conflict of this film involves Josh (Jack Quaid) bringing his robot-girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher) to stay with his friends for a small getaway, but not all is quite as it seems. These friends are two sets of diametrically opposed couples: the blissfully in love Eli and Patrick (Harvey Guillén & Lukas Gage), and the fraught, frosty Kat and Sergi (Megan Suri & Rupert Friend).

As pointed out by Iris and Josh upon their arrival, their accommodation is not so much Cabin In The Woods, as it is ‘Ultra Modern Mansion in The Forest’. This ticks the box for the ‘characters are 10 miles from their nearest neighbour’ horror trope, but, interestingly, everyone has cell service, and a lot of the action is set during the day under bright cheery sunlight. It speaks volumes to the efficiency of the film’s director Drew Hancock and cinematographer Eli Born that, despite the brightness, there’s a constant unsettling trepidation that effectively tightens its grip to fear when it needs to. 

Casting for this film was spot on, my personal standout being Sophie Thatcher who has definitely established herself as a new Scream Queen. The subtle details in her performance lent so much weight to her character, and her chemistry with Quaid was palpable. Guillén and Gage deliver real emotion as they serve as the heartful subplot against the main story that turns very bittersweet as the film progresses. Suri and Friend both get slightly short-changed with their roles; after about the first 30 minutes their characters become a bit redundant, so they’re left to fade into the background somewhat – but that’s no fault of theirs. 

My biggest criticism of Companion is that I left without any firm semblance of what the point was meant to be. In today’s world of toxic incel culture and AI anxiety, Companion’s message is a pertinent one that I was excited to see explored.

The film could’ve done something really profound, made a huge statement that left an impact, and open up a dialogue in a similar way to that of Barbie, but it didn’t shout its message, rather it mumbled it and moved swiftly on in favour of more scares. It’s a matter of personal taste how big of a difference that’s going to make to your viewing experience, but I just couldn’t help but walk away feeling slightly disappointed. 

Still, that being said, I did enjoy this film. In a world full of reboots, adaptations, sequels and spin-offs, it was refreshing to watch something original. Companion may not pack the biggest punch, but it puts up a very entertaining fight!