Movie Review: ‘Companion’ Pairs Alluring Female Robot with a Misogynist Human

Feminine artificial intelligence is a trope that’s not uncommon in fiction by now, especially in film and on television.

Bryan Forbes’ classic sci-fi The Stepford Wives (1975) is a famous example; Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry, Darling (2022) is another recent attempt. Drew Hancock’s new film Companion calls back to these types of films, with shades of Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2015) and Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019).

Take a hot female robot and a misogynistic male human and you’ve got a typical sci-fi thriller with social commentary undertones. What Hancock doesn’t reinvent with plot, he makes up for with direction, performances and plenty of comic relief.

At a remote lake house during an extended weekend, Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) meet up with two other couples, Eli (Harvey Guillen) and Patrick (Lukas Gage), and Sergey (Rupert Friend) and his mistress Kat (Megan Suri), for a fun trip away from work. What begins as some lounging and swimming takes an unexpected turn when an encounter between Iris and Sergey goes bad, and the truth is revealed about Iris’ origins.

Companion is Hancock’s feature film debut as both screenwriter and director, and includes Barbarian (2022) filmmaker Zach Cregger as a producer. I don’t think there’s much else to say about Companion other than it’s fine for what it sets out to be. If you enjoyed Ex Machina and Barbarian, you’ll probably like this new take on male control.

The comedic elements in particular were fairly effective, and Thatcher continues to reign as a current ingenue in cinematic sci-fi, thrillers and horror after beginning her career on streaming series. Quaid is cast well as the dubious “nice guy” and the supporting actors are memorable as well.

One of my favorite aspects of the film is the retro themed soundtrack, featuring the Turtles’ cover of “You Showed Me,” Samantha Sang’s “Emotion,” and of course, the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit “Iris.”

But something that movie fans interested in seeing Companion should know is to avoid the trailers if you can. This is a film that’s best enjoyed going in completely blind, and unfortunately the second trailer reveals far too much of the story for some of the plot’s progression to have the desired effect.

So if you can avoid spoilers as much as possible, and are on board with the sci-fi feminist theme, Companion would be a fine early spring movie.