A Geeky Guy's Guide to Companion

In an effort to catch up on some of the top rated movies of 2025, I powered through five movies and the finale of Stranger Things last week. Of those six, Companion was by far my favorite of the bunch.

For those of you who follow me, you know I have taken a solemn oath to never reveal any spoilers. I found that especially challenging for Companion. So I just checked out the official trailer and it gives away a twist about 30 seconds into the trailer. Since this movie came out in February of 2025 and the trailer already spoiled something, i am going to assume anything I write is not really a spoiler. But if you are worried, just stop reading this and go watch the movie. If you have tastes like me, you'll love it!

There you have been warned.

Companion is an incredibly clever movie about technology going too far. In the trailer you see Iris, played by Sophie Thatcher, state that she will never forget meeting her boyfriend... or killing him. It is also revealed that Iris is indeed a robot. How can a movie give away a major twist and the ending and still be exciting? Good question. And the answer is that 99% of the time, it can't. But Companion is the rare exception to that rule. I bet the movie will be even better when I watch it a second time, and a third time, and... you get the point.

When you have an idea that is incredibly clever, create interesting characters, perfectly cast actors in their roles, and write interesting dialogue, you don't have to rely on twists or surprises (and there are many).

Actually let me take a step back and say something about the clever idea. It actually is not an original idea at all. There have been movies about robots-gone-wrong since movies first started being made. This story in particular was told back in 2014 in the movie Ex Machnia. To be honest, these are almost the same movie. The only difference is one takes it self so seriously that it almost becomes humorous and the other takes itself so humorously that it becomes seriously awesome! If you can't tell which is which, then you haven't seen either movie. Ex Machina, starring Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac, seemed like an awesome idea... that was told in the most boring way possible. It seemed more suited to being a 42 minute Twilight Zone episode than a full length movie.

It seems Drew Hancock, who wrote Companion, also looked at Ex Machina and said, "What a great idea. Let me just fix it". And then he did. While both bring up the dilemma of how much technology is too much technology, Companion finds the answer using excellent satire and humor. Ex Machina tries to find it in fear and brooding. I'll take the satire and humor please.

Companion also has one huge advantage: Sophie Thatcher. She was freaking amazing as Iris! Although I like and respect Alicia Vikander's work, Thatcher turns in an absolutely flawless performance as a robot who can't believe she is a robot. It might be my favorite turn on that premise since Rutger Hauer in the original Blade Runner.

Jack Quaid (Novocaine, The Boys) does a nice job as Iris' boyfriend Josh. As always, Quaid is plays the same character he always plays (a quirky, nerdy, regular guy) but this time he's also a jerk. That was new and he played the foil well.

I know I have only mentioned satire and humor so far but that is not all this movie has to offer. It is a very unexpected psychological thriller. Some may consider this sci-fi horror but it is definitely not a slasher movie and does not flaunt/exploit sexuality. It's just... clever.

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