Disclaimer: One of the movie’s twists has been spoiled so we will hint at that spoiler but keep the rest of the twists out of the review.
Imagine if you can find the perfect partner that will do anything that you want them to. Imagine having a person in your life who loves you unconditionally and makes you always feel complete. This is one of the plot points of Companion that comes from the mind of director-writer Drew Hancock. The movie tells the tale of Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) as they head to a weekend getaway with Josh’s friends.
Now in any horror movie, that description alone is just a setup for disaster. Whenever anyone goes to a home in the hills something bad will happen. We as the audience just do not know when the terror will start. As the couple drives to the cabin, Iris describes the cute meet between her and Josh and how that moment changed her life. She also describes another moment that changed her life when she killed him. Knowing that at the beginning of the movie only builds the curiosity of the audience and we want to see how it plays out.

At the cabin, we meet Josh’s friends, Kat (Megan Suri), Eli (Harvey Guillén), and his boyfriend Patrick (Lukas Gage). We are also introduced to the man Kat is seeing and the owner of the cabin, Sergey (an unrecognizable (Rupert Friend). At the cabin, they laugh and drink, and Eli shares the story of how he met Patrick. There is nothing sinister about this moment but you can feel that there is tension between Kat and Iris. Iris feels that Kat does not like her but as the movie progresses we find out why that is.
The way Iris fawns over Josh, we can see she truly loves him. During a moment alone near the cabin’s lake, she has an encounter with Sergey that does not end well. Iris protects herself which leads to revealing what has been spoiled in the trailers: She is not real. I will not get into details about what this means, but because of her actions, the cabin’s dynamics have changed.
Companion may be categorized as comedy-horror but with more emphasis on the horror part. Jack Quaid’s character of Josh is not the brightest of people and because of what Iris did he has to take the lead on how to handle things. There are moments when his timing with jokes is just spot on and that lightens the mood about what has happened.
Thatcher’s Iris is a fantastic example of a doting girlfriend who does everything her boyfriend wants to make him happy. Iris’ character is a perfect example of the submissive girlfriend/wife that men in the 50s wanted. In Companion, we see what happens when that lady takes her life back and goes against what her partner wants. These moments are great because you not only see the shift in power from male to female but you also see how wrong it is to treat people in a certain way.

Caption: Sophie Thatcher as Iris in New Line Cinema’s “COMPANION”, a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Another great thing about Companion is that it keeps you on your toes. Although one twist is given away early in the movie, more keep popping up. As I stated earlier, this could be categorized as a comedy-horror movie, but other plot points can change the genre of the movie. In terms of the performances, Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid are the standouts here. Sophie goes through various emotions as Iris that make you feel that she is learning what it is to be real. Quaid plays a lonely guy so great that you care for him but when his demeanor changes you fear him in a way that you did not know was possible.
Final Thoughts: Companion is not your typical romantic comedy. Once you think you have it figured out another twist pops up and takes you in a different direction. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid are incredible with the former taking you on an emotional roller coaster ride. This is a great new concept and will become a cult favorite.
Kid-Friendly: The theme of toxic relationships is extremely important in this day and age for teens. The thought of having an obedient companion will bring up interesting conversations that need to be had. There are also sexual situations that are not graphic but not for younger kids.
Violence: The movie is full of physical violence. There are some graphic images of people being killed that are not suitable for younger kids.
New Line Cinema—the studio that brought you “The Notebook”—and the unhinged creators of “Barbarian” cordially invite you to experience a new kind of love story…