Assume again to The Stepford Wives (each variations). Add a layer of killer doll film M3GAN. Throw in a little bit of the whimsical 2013 Oscar-winning Her. Season with a little bit of the sensible German robotic perfect-man comedy I’m Your Man. Sprinkle a little bit of Pygmalion. Then add the surprising horror turns of 2022’s sleeper Barbarian and voila! you’ve got the recipe for the deliciously enjoyable new AI flick Companion.
In reality this movie comes from the BoulderLight manufacturing firm chargeable for Barbarian, probably the most satisfying movies lately within the general horror style. However don’t let that label idiot you: Companion can be a film that defies mere labeling and it’s all the higher for it.
The plot revolves round a weekend getaway at a picturesque cabin within the woods. Three {couples} collect, most notably Josh (Jack Quaid) and his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher), whom he’s bringing to satisfy his mates that additionally embody couple Eli (Harvey Guillen of What We Do Within the Shadows) and his hottie Silver Lake chef BF Patrick (Lukas Gage), and Russian billionaire Sergey (Rupert Buddy) and maybe not-to-be-trusted mate Kat (Megan Suri). Issues appear regular at first as all of them get settled in, at the same time as Josh seems a bit too dominating over demure Iris at first. It doesn’t take too lengthy earlier than it’s revealed that Iris is in truth not human however a robotic — admittedly on Josh’s half a generally “f*ck bot” — in excellent unmistakable human kind whom Josh controls emotionally on a tech scale from 1 to 100 (a plot level that comes into play in a giant method).
Hassle begins when Iris is left alone outdoors with the obnoxious and aggressive Sergey, who makes a sexual play for her. It doesn’t go nicely for him as Iris returns to the home coated in blood. His blood. The stage is about for the horror to come back, however that is no M3GAN, no killer doll or mad robotic film, however relatively one the place the bot is mockingly probably the most humane of everybody on this circle. Author-director Drew Hancock (My Lifeless Ex, Suburgatory) takes the plot at this level away from expectations of a Remaining Vacation spot-style story during which almost everybody will find yourself useless, and as a substitute surprisingly right into a devious noir-ish form of thriller that goes nicely past only a robotic in human kind careening uncontrolled. No spoilers, however not everybody right here is on the up and upm and there are many character turns that hold us engaged all through.
Thatcher has an intriguing display presence, proven off final 12 months with one other horror hybrid in Heretic reverse an against-type Hugh Grant. Right here she matches the invoice of Iris with perfection, no straightforward activity as a result of if we don’t imagine her and root for her the entire soufflé falls. Quaid, a form of new-age Henry Higgins however with questionable actions, is good as Josh. Guillen is ideally solid as the thing of affection for Gage’s Patrick, who’s a man smitten for Eli even when we will’t perceive the attraction. Don’t fear — it is going to be defined. Suri additionally delivers as Kat, a lady who is aware of easy methods to play the sport within the wickedly humorous and entertaining mixture of genres that in the long run finds its personal degree of originality.
Producers of the New Line Cinema launch for BoulderLight are Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifschitz, Zack Cregger and Roy Lee.
Title: Companion
Distributor: Warner Bros
Launch date: January 31, 2025
Director-screenwriter: Drew Hancock
Forged: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Havey Guillen, Rupert Buddy
Score: R
Working time: 1 hr 37 minutes