FILM REVIEW: “Companion” uses AI horror genre to provide social critique

“Companion” combines the likes of Artificial Intelligence horror, comedy and societal critique in a must-see film.

By: Michael Doyle

WARNING: SPOILERS & MENTIONS OF ABUSE 

In a time where technology is increasingly run by Artificial Intelligence (AI), “Companion” uses the AI horror genre to critique male dependency and domestic power dynamics. 

The film, released on Jan. 31, follows Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid), a young couple traveling to a house on a lake, owned by a character by the name of Sergey. They meet their friends Kat, Eli and Patrick at the lake house, where Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris when they are alone.  

She attacks him in self-defense, killing him in the process. Shocked and panicked, Iris explains what happened to the rest of the group before Josh prompts her to go to sleep, shutting her down and revealing that she is not human. 

I went into the film unsure of what I would be watching, having only seen the trailer once months ago. It was surprising to see Sergey, the rich and powerful man killed first, as it became routine for a minority group to be killed first in older horror films. This made me curious as to which tropes would be broken, as every character was up for grabs to be killed in a moment’s notice. 

Iris wakes up, tied to a chair as Josh reveals to her that he can control her personality, including her intelligence and aggression using his smartphone. Additionally, Iris was purchased online and is completely programmed to best suit Josh’s preferences. After his demeaning and manipulative speech, Josh leaves the room to speak to the others, allowing Iris to break free and steals Josh’s phone, fleeing into the nearby forest. 

The switch that Josh makes during this monologue was exceptionally good, as it set the tone for each character early on. His speeches throughout the film make him appear insufferable and selfish as a partner. It is then revealed that he set Iris’s intelligence to 40 percent, for him to be smarter than her, highlighting his manipulative tendencies and superiority complex. 

Later in the film, the plot for Iris to kill Sergey is revealed, after Josh increased her aggression levels, allowing them to rob the wealthy Sergey and turn in Iris to the police. The group argues over how to take care of Iris, revealing that Patrick is also a companion bot. 

Using a gun found in Sergey’s safe, Patrick and Eli find Iris in the forest, where Iris fatally shoots Eli during a struggle over who has control of the gun. 

Eli’s death was particularly sad, because the relationship between him and Patrick came off as genuine, despite Patrick’s status as a companion bot. Their characters were a strong balance of gender roles, balancing each other out and displaying more depth than the gay couples the big screen normally shows. This change was a welcoming sight in Hollywood. 

Josh factory resets Patrick to gain control of him, just as Iris uses Sergey’s car to escape. Josh reports the vehicle as stolen, causing it to stop on the side of the road, where a police officer finds her. As Iris attempts to plea her way out to the unintelligent officer, the now-violent Patrick arrives and kills the officer before driving them back to Sergey’s house. 

This was one of the comedic highlights of the film, with the officer confused on what to do as the bloody robotic woman confesses to a murder. Iris’s attempt to be let go included switching her language to German which further confused the officer. Her desperation comes off as comedic due to the awkward interaction between the two. 

After arriving back at Sergey’s house, Kat, disgusted by Josh’s actions, tries to leave with her share of the money until Josh’s order for Patrick to stop her causes him to fatally stab her. Josh calls the companion bot company to pick up the malfunctioning Iris, before ranting to her about how he is such a nice guy.  

As Iris belittles Josh as a romantic partner, sexual partner and man, he turns her intelligence down to 0 percent. 

Josh’s rant about what a great guy he is highlights his hero complex and how entitled he feels as Iris’s owner, despite his reliance on her. I will admit, watching Iris tear Josh down for his selfishness and ego was satisfying to see. The companion bot’s nature of being unable to lie furthers the truth of how Josh is, showing the audience that not only are Iris’s feelings valid, but they are factually true despite her being a robot. 

With Iris under his full control, Josh tortures Iris by commanding her to put her arm over a candle flame, before handing her the pistol and ordering her to shoot herself. Iris complies and shuts down, then the manufacturers, Sid and Teddy, arrive to take Iris away. This is not before revealing to Josh that a companion bot’s memories are stored in their stomach and are reviewed by the company. 

Josh orders Patrick to kill the employees and successfully murders Sid, but before he can kill Teddy, Iris wakes up and reminds Patrick of his love for Eli. Heartbroken from his memories, Patrick commits suicide, allowing Teddy to grant Iris full control of herself.  

This scene was very powerful and emotionally driven, as Patrick was my favorite character and seeing his love for Eli prove stronger than his factory reset gave him a touching redemption and ending. Without having complete autonomous control of herself for the entire movie, seeing Iris have her own free will without outside interference is a perfect crescendo as she approaches her final loose end. 

Josh and Iris fight for power once she returns to the house. While it appears that Josh has the upper hand, Iris uses an electric cork remover to murder Josh. The following day, Iris leaves Sergey’s house with a fancy car, badass jacket and most importantly her free will and control of her settings as the film ends. 

As someone who is often skeptical of horror comedies being able to balance both genres and maintain a strong plot, “Companion” truly excelled at this. The film highlights not only how people disrespect the technology they use, but most importantly how some men disrespect the women that they need to survive. 

The cast for the film was small, but every actor captured their role well, most notably Thatcher and Quaid. I had not seen any of the actors and actresses in other films or shows, but I am excited to watch their careers grow and their ability to play other roles. 

The plot was easy to follow, but its message was loud and clear to those willing to apply the film to the real world. The film uses campy humor and a vacation-gone-wrong plotline to add lighthearted elements to very real problems faced in society. I thoroughly enjoyed the film as both a horror-comedy movie and a societal critique. 

Official trailer for “Companion.” 

“Companion” is in select theaters and available to stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.