Lamar Reviews - "Companion" (Airdate 2/7/2025)

The very first thing I want to say is, if you have not seen Companion’s trailer, avoid it like gas station sushi! The trailer for this movie follows the trends of some others in the way it gives away too much of not just the plot, but of the twists and surprises. The trailer for Flight Risk did the same thing, it revealed that Mark Walberg was the villain before you even had your ticket. I am going to reveal one thing that is obvious in the trailer, if I don’t, there is nothing else to talk about. One of the stars of the movie is Sophie Thatcher, who plays Iris. Iris is the Companion, Josh’s girlfriend. Josh is played by Jack Quaid, son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

Iris is less of a girlfriend and more of an AI sex robot who acts like a girlfriend. The movie never makes it plain whether or not Iris is sentient, or is she result of some really great programing code. That is not what we are here for, we are here for an action oriented, rom-com/horror thriller.

You really get some idea of what you are in for when the movie opens with a meet-cute in the produce aisle of a grocery store. They lock eyes and smile while the voice over has Iris talking about the happiest moments in her life, the day she met Josh and the day she killed him.

Josh has some couple friends, Kat, played by Megan Suri, and Sergey, played by Rupert Friend who are having an affair. Sergey is extremely rich and has this huge house out in the woods where the couples are staying. The third couple is Eli, played by Harvey Guillen, and Patrick, played by Lukas Gage, they are deeply in love and truly devoted to each other.

As we learn more and more about Iris, we find out she can do what a living girlfriend can, be social, have conversations, and seem to have feelings.

Josh controls her using an app on his phone that allows him to change her voice and appearance, modify her intelligence, and determine how much independence she has.

Everything is just a normal couple’s weekend, until it isn’t. When it hits the fan, this movie is a great thrill ride with a lot of twists, turns, and surprises.

The movie is 1 hour and 37 minutes, Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and language, along with a fair amount of blood.

In today’s world AI is everywhere so it makes sense that we will continue to see it used in the storyline of more and more movies and TV.

The more we see AI in our movies, books, and TV, the more we get used to it, and the less we fear it. And as soon as we are not afraid, the easier it will be for it to murder us all.

It looks like we still have at least a few more years before AI takes over. Will you are waiting, if you are in the mood for a dark comedy romantic comedy with a fairly large body count, Companion is well worth seeing.

My Score: 5 Ice Cold Buds