Plot: What’s it about?
Will we ever learn? I mean, seriously. Will we, as a people, ever learn? To quote Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption “…the world went and got itself in a big, damn hurry…” I’m speaking, of course, to the rise in Artificial Intelligence. We’ve got cell phones, websites and everything in between that now “feature” this technology. So I once again ask – will we learn? Have folks not seen any of the Terminator films? Is there one instance of a TV or film that has a robot with “superior” intelligence that hasn’t ended up killing everyone? The answer is…probably. But that’d make my point moot and I don’t want to do that. But here we are and just a year after the release of M3GAN, we find yet another film starring (oh, spoiler alert) some “non-human” things.
Josh (Jack Quaid) is somewhat of a loner. His girlfriend, Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and he are invited to a lavish, secluded lakeside estate owned by a Russian businessman, Sergey (Rupert Friend). Also in attendance are their friends: Kat (Megan Suri), Patrick (Lukas Gage) and Eli (Harvey Guillén). It’s no secret that Iris is, well, a “companion” robot who’s only purpose in life is to dote affection upon Josh as he uses her for sex. The friends know about this and are seemingly OK with hit. However, when Sergey is murdered by Iris, it’s discovered that he’s got a large amount of money in his home ($12 million to be exact). The group decides to split it up amongst themselves but things, as expected, don’t go according to plan.
The premise for the film is easy enough to follow and with only 97 minutes runtime, things heat up rather quickly. I found the cast of characters to be likable and I don’t think I’ve given anything away by saying that Iris is a robot. If so, accept my apologies. Jack Quaid plays somewhat of the same character he plays in most of his other roles – the geeky, seemingly nice guy. The yin to his yang is Sophie Thatcher who dazzled us with her performance in Heretic. She’s equally good here. I don’t know if writer/director Drew Hancock was trying to say something about the state of affairs with artificial intelligence or not. This is where a commentary track would have come in handy. So it’s either that or he’s just cashing in on the recent trend. Given the film’s scant budget of $10 million, it took in nearly four times that worldwide, so if that was his goal – it worked. At any rate, the film is interesting enough that it kept my attention, though your mileage may vary.
Video: How’s it look?
Modern films are so ultra sharp these days that if they were anything less than perfect we’d be offended. OK, maybe not “offended” but we’ve reached the point where home video releases (and, for that matter, even television shows) look so crystal clear that it’s hard to imagine them looking any other way. Being a new film, Companion obviously looks flawless. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image offers us amazing colors, contrast and black levels throughout. Detail is razor sharp. Even as good-looking at the cast is, I think the detail might actually work against them since it showcases every one of their “flaws” (for lack of a better term). Suffice it to say that that this looks every bit as good as one might expect.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The Dolby Atmos mix actually has a few scenes that really surprised me (and my wife, who watched this with me). Our heads spun, gunshots rang out (in the movie, not at home), people were punched in the face (and stabbed) and everything sounded marvelous. Vocals, as expected, are warm, pure and natural. If you were really paying attention, there’s a scene early on when Iris is being “delivered” in which the Goo Goo Dolls’ 90’s song by the same name is playing. I found that amusing. What you won’t find amusing is how immersive this sound mix is. It delivers on all levels.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Some spoilers for the film are included in the supplements, watch them after the film is viewed.
- I Feel, Therefore I Am – Could a robot have more humanity than a human? Delve into the complex relationships at the heart of Companion with Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher.
- Love, Eli – Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage explore the fun, lighthearted relationship of Patrick and Eli. Explore their supposed first encounter at a costume party and how that develops into a unique love.
- AI Horror – Director Drew Hancock breaks down the fusion of slasher and sci-fi elements in the film and how this is the perfect recipe for the wild and unexpected horrors humans can inflict upon AI.
The Bottom Line
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, I’m sure we’ll see more films like this. Companion is well made, throws us a few twists and is a fine way to pass 97 minutes. Warner’s disc looks spot on spectacular, sounds great but the supplements are a bit on the EPK/light side.
