“Companion” An Interesting, Clever Film

Zach Cregger is one of those few producers/directors who made the successful jump from outrageous comedies to thrillers and horrors. After working on some comedies like “Miss March” and “The Whitest Kid U Know,” Cregger made the jump to horror with the 2022 movie “Barbarian” and this year’s surprise horror hit “Weapons.”

This past January, Cregger released another movie that he only produced - “Companion.” And, since I thought both “Barbarian” and “Weapons” are highly entertaining, I was quite curious to see how this one ended up being!

New Line Cinema and the producers of “Barbarian” and “Weapons” cordially invite you to experience a new kind of love story. A weekend getaway at a remote cabin turns to chaos when it’s revealed that one of the guests - a subservient android built for human companionship - has gone haywire.

Just like Cregger’s previous two movies, “Companion” does a decent job combining a bunch of elements - in this case romance, thriller, comedy and sci-fi. Before getting to my thoughts of this recent release, the only thing that could’ve made this movie better is having the trailers NOT reveal that the lead character (Iris) is an android. From what I have read online, this was actually the studio’s way to “sell the movie” which displeased both the filmmakers and fans.

Don’t worry though! There are plenty of other clever twists and turns in this story for you to enjoy! “Companion” delivers quite a few moments that can be both thrilling and a little comedic. The filmmakers do a good job blending the dark humor in their movies which helps break the tension. 

While some of the humor can make some people chuckle, there’s a scene where a

couple of oblivious maintenance workers try to “fix” Iris, that ends up providing a good amount of comedic relief that this thriller/mystery needed.

Aside from the dark humor, “Companion” also delivers quite a few moments that really makes the story even more interesting. While not trying to spoil anything else (besides the Iris twist), I’ll just say that a few of the characters we follow in this movie may not entirely be what they seem.

One aspect of the movie that actually made the movie more interesting is when the AI robot (Iris) realizes what they really are, Iris begins to find a way to escape her programming and things slightly go off the rails. “Companion” also serves as another modern cautionary tale about the increasing integration of AI into our lives and the loss of human empathy.

Overall, “Companion” is a smart and entertaining thriller that does a decent job blending the thrills, humor and some very thought-provoking ideas. 

Trivia: Producer Zach Cregger initially eyed “Companion” as his directorial follow up to “Barbarian,” though he and his producing team would set the project up as the directorial debut of Drew Hancock. The name Iris is also “Siri” backwards.

MPA: Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout   (runtime 97 minutes)

You can currently stream “Companion” on HBO Max or rent it through various PVOD services.

• Sophie Thatcher can cry from one eye at a time on command, much to the delight of Drew Hancock.

• Zach Cregger initially eyed Companion as his directorial follow-up to Barbarian (2022), though the team wound up setting the project as the directorial debut of Drew Hancock.

• The name Iris is "Siri" backwards.

• The opening scene of the film where Sophie Thatcher is pushing a grocery cart echoes the last scene of The Stepford Wives (1975) where Katharine Ross is also pushing a grocery cart.