Companion is the Perfect Valentine’s Slasher

By Abbie Klein

   Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for dinner and a movie with your partner, friends or just for yourself. If you’re someone like me and have trouble deciding what to see, Companion will have you on the edge of your seat while laughing out loud at the same time.
  Companion released on Jan. 31 and follows the story of Josh, played by Jack Quaid, and his girlfriend Iris, played by Sophie Thatcher. Iris is what is referred to as a Companion Robot, a highly advanced artificial intelligence robot designed to be completely devoted to Josh. However, things start to get out of hand when Josh messes with Iris’ code and turns her into a violent killer that will stop at nothing to protect herself and her lover. The film holds themes of love, devotion, greed, misogyny, self identity and of course brings up the scary and incredibly relevant question of the powers and dangers of AI. Due to its complex and diverse plot it’s a movie that anyone can get something out of.
  While categorized as a Sci-Fi Thriller, Companion is much more of a horror comedy filled with gore and shocking plot twists, but also laugh out loud moments. Thatcher and Quaid did a fantastic job keeping this balance and brought their own individual strengths to their performances. Thatcher is no stranger to dark and twisted stories, with her roles like Natalie in Showtime’s Yellowjackets and Sister Barnes in Heretic. Through her role of Iris you can really tell this is where her strengths as an actress lie.
  The same could be said for Quaid, who is no stranger to dark humor, which we see in his role of Hughie in Prime Video’s The Boys. Quaid’s familiarity with uncomfortable humor and his ability to turn shocking gore into laughter makes him a fantastic antagonist in Companion.
  The rest of the cast did wonderful jobs in their supporting roles but the thing that really put Quaid and Thatcher above the rest was their ability to create complex characters. Both actors were playing characters that went much deeper than surface level. While Josh appeared to be a loving boyfriend in the start, there was a much more sinister and selfish side to him that came to light as the movie went on. Thatcher did a great job on playing the tricky role of a robot who doesn’t know they’re a robot. She appeared life-like and raised no questions about her true origins except for a few very subtle choices in dialogue and mannerisms.
  Overall, Companion was an interesting movie that was full of jaw dropping twists and kills that made me grimace. The horrifying story was juxtaposed by its light coloring and gorgeous scenery that didn’t make it seem like I was watching a disturbing slasher at all. I found myself rooting for one character and then hating them the next all to feel sympathy for them in the end. If you want a movie that will continuously shock you and leave you wanting more, Companion is the perfect choice.