COMPANION is a 2025 dark comedy written and directed by Drew Hancock (Blue Mountain State, Suburgatory). Zach Cregger, Raphael Margules, J. D. Lifshitz, and Roy Lee serve as producers.
A weekend getaway turns bloody and violent when a subservient android that's built for human companionship goes haywire.
The cast includes Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, Lukas Gage, Marc Menchaca, and Megan Suri.
COMPANION made its debut in theaters January 31st, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
COMPANION seemed to be right up my alley especially considering many people were calling it M3GAN (our full review here) 2.0, which I absolutely loved, so I was very excited to check this out. I’m a sucker for a good sci-fi horror with a mix of dark humor, and COMPANION was all that and then some. This movie was so much fun to watch thanks to a very well-written screenplay with witty and thought-provoking dialogue, and the cast was just fantastic. Jack Quaid has been on an upward trajectory since he found success with the Amazon Prime series The Boys, and COMPANION serves as a great opportunity for him to shine in a lead role and he crushes it.
I absolutely loved the story and how everything came together. Although you go in sort of knowing what to expect, COMPANION has a unique approach making it so viewers are engaged and excited to see what happens next. The film has sort of an ominous tone to it giving viewers the feeling that things are not going to end well. I commend Drew Hancock for putting together a screenplay that may seem simple at first glance but is actually complex and raises several questions as it relates to human behavior and AI. In many ways COMPANION is more about our faults as humans as it relates to urges and general greed than it is about why AI can be dangerous and unpredictable. Things really went off the rails quickly in the final act and I enjoyed every minute of it.
As much as I loved the story the cast was a huge reason why this movie was so good. I mentioned Jack Quaid earlier in the review but he is worth talking about again. I always seem to forget that he is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, but it is also good that he is forging his own path as an actor. I went down the IMDb rabbit hole a bit and realized that Randy Quaid, cousin Eddie from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, is the older brother of Dennis Quaid.
You may have known that already but I thought it was a fun fact. Getting back on track, Jack Quaid does such a great job as your typical sort of nerdy nice guy, but there is more to him than meets the eye as the story progresses. In my opinion Quaid has proven that he has the ability to play complex characters, and I can’t wait to see him in the upcoming action thriller Novocaine (preview and trailer here).
Starring alongside Quaid as his “companion robot” Iris is Sophie Thatcher, and the chemistry between the two is so good. Thatcher’s career has blown up as well as of late, making her mark with the Showtime series Yellowjackets which is fantastic if you haven’t seen it, as well as starring in recent horror films The Boogeyman (our full review here), and Heretic. Thatcher is a very talented actress, and I’m glad she is finally getting all of these opportunities to showcase her talents.
COMPANION serves as a really nice opportunity for her to show her versatility and I just loved her in this role. Harvey Guillén is absolutely hilarious as always, and I really liked Lukas Gage who is fresh from a chilling role in Smile 2. Guillén and Gage play a couple in the film and they are just so damn funny together. Gage is also involved in a really cool moment in the film that gave me Terminator vibes during the final act. Megan Suri is really good as Kat, and Rupert Friend makes his mark as Serge, a character initially perceived as the films primary antagonist.
Now I get the comparisons to M3GAN in terms of the focus on artificial intelligence, more specifically a robot that becomes very much intertwined in our personal lives, but as similar as the two films are they are also very different. In COMPANION we experience a more proven sort of AI much more engrained in everyday life compared to M3GAN who was essentially a trial run that did not go well.
In COMPSANION these “companion robots” seem to be about as commonplace as an iPhone, and what makes the story so interesting is just the fact that it is more about the characters taking advantage of AI than it is the dangers AI poses like it does in M3GAN. I honestly really liked the approach of both films, and I thought each was through provoking in its own way. I also thought M3GAN was a bit darker overall, with COMPANION finding a few more ways to really utilize the comedic element.
THE VERDICT
A violent and hilarious dark comedy horror film featuring a breakout performance from star Jack Quaid, Drew Hancock’s COMPANION is a creative and satisfying take on the future of AI. This movie is just so much fun and I honestly can’t wait to see it again. Be sure to grab a few friends and check COMPANION out in theaters sooner than later.
TED TAKES RATING - 9.4/10
COMPANION is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.