Heading into the Cineworld Secret Screaming 4 I had my fingers crossed for the film to be Companion and my wish came true as we were treated to this dark comedy from the unhinged creators of “Barbarian”.
At the start of the movie we go through a moment that you would probably find in a romantic boy meets girl in a chance meeting at a supermarket and as their eyes make contact it’s love at first sight, this had me wondering at first have I got the wrong idea about this movie and should I have watched the trailers for Companion to know more!
However, all is not as it seems as Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) head out to a weekend retreat with friends that they both know, on the way we discover that everyone likes Iris and gets on with her except for Kat (Megan Suri), who dislikes her and we see the coldness when Kat open the door to the house to greet Josh and Iris. Could this be some past relationship or is something else causing Kat to dislike Iris?
We are introduced to the rest of the guests and the owner of the house Sergey (Rupert Friend), later they all get together to have a meal and the love feeling is still on the air as Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage) give their romantic story of how they met and fall in love.
Now I have to warn you that there are spoilers ahead as it’s pretty hard to write a review of Companion without them, sorry!
The night after the party, Iris heads down to the lake without Josh, but Sergey arrives and not long after everything goes pear-shaped as Iris soon returns to the house covered in blood, this is where we get that “Holy Sh*t” moment that we discover Iris isn’t who or what we think she is, she’s a robot! A companion that Josh has in his lonely life, but someone that he can control more than to have someone to love.
But just as I was taking all that in, we were soon given some more twists and turns in the story and they were so nicely done that I didn’t see them coming, which with most movies these days was a pleasant surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed those moments.
Writer/Director Drew Hancock has brought a movie that will have you gripped from start to finish, I found myself enjoying every moment and many of my fellow movie-goers were doing the same. Many of us were laughing at some of the great lines from Josh who seems to get the raw end of the deal with Iris, but hey Karma’s a b***h!
Eli Born‘s cinematography looks great on the big screen, inside and outside of the house are brilliantly shot and you get the feeling that you are there with the guest many times as the movie plays out.
Companion certainly wasn’t what I was expecting from a Secret Screaming, but I was happy to see that we got a preview of the movie. It’s not going to have you hiding behind your hands, screaming your lungs out or even making you jump in your seat. But it will entertain you with a few slightly gory moments that will make a few people squirm a small bit.
Time to Think Twice About Relationships!
Movie title: Companion (2025)
Movie description: A billionaire's death sets off a chain of events for Iris and her friends during a weekend trip to his lakeside estate.
Date published: January 27, 2025
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 37m
Director(s): Drew Hancock
Actor(s): Sophie Thatcher, Harvey Guillén, Jack Quaid
Genre: Dark Comedy, Psychological Thriller
Summary
Companion certainly makes you think twice about relationships, especially ones that comes with twist!
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
